Caravan Chicken
“It's the same people who own Peking BBQ in Woodside, I do think originals are the way to go and this is the case as well.”
“The food here is addicting It's Chinese food and Peruvian food, both of which taste great.”
“Both the lomo saltado and the pollo saltado I tried (on two separate visits, of course) were delicious.”
Caravan Chicken
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I stopped here on a Saturday evening after a walking tour I completed in Queens. I was starving and was looking for some quick dinner before heading home. I checked my bookmarks on Yelp and saw "Caravan chicken." When I walked in it was a little line which I enjoy seeing sometimes because that means the food is usually good. They had a decent sit down area in the back.
I ordered the half chicken and rice and beans to go. The prices seemed very reasonable. The chicken was juicy and very tasty, the lick your fingers kind of good. The rice and beans were just okay and seemed a bit dry. I also had their soda which was a cherry flavor that was very good. When I'm in the area I will definitely check out this spot again.
It's been a while since I've eaten from here due to them closing down for a while and I really do hate to think about why they closed down.
I stopped in for the roast chicken, white rice and beans with a salad. The restaurant was packed with eat in dinners and the carry out line was really long. It took about 15 minutes just to order and pay for my food. It took about ten minutes to get my carry out order. The prices are pretty decent, most of the carry out prices were less than $10.
Your given a lot of food in the carry out orders. Two people can share one order. The chicken was well seasoned and roast really well. The rice And beans I wasn't really a fan of. Maybe because your given a lot of rice and a small portion of beans. Definitely not enough beans for all that rice. The salad consist of a lot a lettuce one carrot slice and one cucumber slice and their homemade salad dressing topped the salad. Not nearly enough dressing for all that lettuce.
I guess if you ask for extra beans and a little more salad dressing your good to go.
I'll eat here again but I'll skip the rice and beans.
We got the 1/2 chicken platter with rice and beans, salad and yoca fries on the side.
The chicken was very tender. However it was overall salty, even the meat was salty. The rice and beans were bland and the rice was a little harder than I liked. The yuca fries were very oily and it tasted like the oil they fried it in was old. Their green sauce was also very disappointing. It was very watery.
I think pio pio is cheaper and the food is also better.
It's the same people who own Peking BBQ in Woodside, I do think originals are the way to go and this is the case as well. The place is no frills, you are there just for the food. The sauce is good but the Woodside location has better sauce.
The food:
Spare Ribs- the ribs are excellent. The flavors are great and really tender. The ribs should be ordered.
Rotisserie Chicken- the chicken is great. Juicy and flavorful. The chicken and ribs are a must.
Roast Pork Fried Rice- the fried rice was solid, it's not mind blowing but still good non the less. The pork is overcooked though.
Chicken Lo Mein- I thought the flavors were great and the chicken was flavorful and tender, the noodles were overcooked though.
The BEST Rotisserie chicken in Astoria and maybe NYC. I will be leaving the area soon and will miss this place. I order takeout from this place as least once a week. SOOO juicy and flavorful and very tender. The green sauce is also pretty good. The pork fried rice is awesome. I usually order the half chicken with pork fried rice and share it with my wife.
If you're a chicken lover, and I'm not talking about simply chicken breast or boneless chicken, but the rotisserie kind that you find at a supermarket or Costco, then THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!! Before this, I think one of the best "whole chickens" that I've tasted came from Pio Pio (the Peruvian spot), but it only tasted so good because I doused it with a ton of green sauce. Since discovering this place, it's been my favorite place to get a whole bird. The meat, both dark and white, are surprisingly tender and juicy. For a gal that isn't too fond of white meat because it tends to be too dry most of the time, the white meat here is almost as tender as the dark meat which for me means that's REALLY GOOD CHICKEN. It's packed with flavor throughout and it also comes with a tiny thing of green sauce that is SO GOOD! You can pay a dollar extra for them if you need more which I think is worth it to soak your rice in or simply use it as dipping sauce for the chicken (even though I think it tastes delicious on its own). A whole bird cost $10 and half a bird comes out to be about $5.20. I usually get my bird with a side of pork fried rice which really hits the spot, but WARNING: it is SUPER greasy (you can try the alternative which is the rice and beans)! Another notable thing to try are the ribs. Although not as juicy or as flavorful as the chicken, it's actually quite tasty and they're HUGE portion wise.
Overall, a super cheap joint for a quick meal. They do not deliver and it's CASH ONLY. I've learned to just call in and place an order for pickup as opposed to ordering at the store. The chicken takes quite a while to prepare, but it's always worth it. Be prepared to wait about 15-20 minutes.
I really don't have much to say about this place besides try the green sauce. It's amazing.
Basically, we got a 1/4 chicken with rice, beans, and salad for around $7 ($8 for a 1/2 chicken). The chicken melts in your mouth. Some of the best rotisserie style chicken I've had in the NYC area (but there is a lot out there). But that's definitely saying something.
The only thing is the menu is a little confusing since they have some Chinese food here too. So grab one of the green menus on the counter instead of looking at the menu on the wall, it's way easier to read.
I just bought a van from someone named Cara. So it used to be a Caravan, but she got scared of driving it… she's a little chicken. Instead, she opened up a Peruvian place with delicious green sauce and hired a bunch of super friendly employees.
What to get: Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
What else: If you can Carry-a-van, you're a stronger hombre than I.
Garland says: If you're interested in having a black bird in your vehicle, perhaps a car-raven?
I absolutely loved the tender, juicy rotisserie chicken from here. The first time I came in, I was just looking for a bathroom. My friend was ordering a piece of chicken with green sauce for herself. She gave me one bite (after I came out of the bano) (after I washed my hands) (after I dried my hands) (full disclosure) (too much disclosure?) and I fell in love. I immediately ordered a few extra pieces of this heavenly breast. Ahem. And more and more and more green sauce because that sh** is f***ing addictive people.
The next time I was in Queens, I returned here. I'd say they have my second-fave Peruvian Chicken in town. DC may have the best options along these lines (North East wise, anyway – El Pollo Rico being the DC area standout), but NYC has some damn good ones too. My fave is El Pollo Inka on Northern Blvd in Jax Heights, but this is a very close second.
Peruvian Chicken is a new love of mine, although Puerto Rican Chicken and other Latin chicken is just as good… not to mention Portuguese and Peri Peri. But if we're talking Peruvian, this is cheap, delicious, fast-foody but yummy. I highly recommend anyone that loves cheap eats and Peruvian Chicken and green sauce, to come here and try it. And please make sure you try El Pollo Inka on Northern too, which I think is even better, and has a lot of great other Peruvian dishes too.
And if your prom date freaks out in the back of your truck and starts destroying things using ESP, well, you shouldn't have let Carrie in your Van.