If you’ve ever parked on East Howard to feast at “Feast” or dine at “the Depeaux”, you may have noticed a little red building tucked away from the street.  You see the establishment’s name, “Las Brasas”, but your sheltered background lends little assistance to help you figure out what the heck that means.  But for some reason, the cute little hole-in-the-wall beckons to you and you think “I definitely have to figure out what they serve and eat it!  Whatever it may be!”

Well, AJC to the rescue.

They have a pretty favorable review of “Las Brasas” online today.

Their verdict?  A little taste of Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken in the heart of Decatur.

Click the continuation for the full review.

Hattip: [InDecatur]

THE FOOD AND CONCEPT at Las Brasas couldn’t be more basic. The tiny takeaway shop on East Howard Avenue in Decatur (next door to Feast restaurant) serves Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken and a few sides. But the juicy, spicy pollo is so good and cheap that it puts the average supermarket stuff to shame.

TIDY TAKEAWAY: Given its hole-in-the-wall aura, the “100” restaurant inspection score posted on the wall at Las Brasas is certainly reassuring — though it’s easy to see that the little white building is squeaky clean inside and out. The only place to eat in is at one of the umbrella tables on the front patio. But the food here travels well. Service is speedy and cheerful. And after you order at the counter, you can watch as your meal is neatly packed into a variety of styrofoam containers.

POLLO A LA BRASA: In some cities — including New York and Washington — people argue about the best pollo a la brasa the way they go on about barbecue in Atlanta or cheese-steak in Philly. The chicken at Las Brasas probably wouldn’t make the grade for those folks. For one thing, there isn’t the smoke and char that many aficionados favor. The marinade is the thing here — briny, with a hint of sweetness, and deep flavors of garlic, cumin and lemon. Whole birds come off the rotisserie golden-brown and are hacked into neat quarters, which makes serving them simple. You can order a whole ($9.99), half ($6.99) or quarter ($4.99 light/$3.99 dark) chicken. On a recent evening visit, two whole birds and several sides fed four hungry adults, with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

SANDWICHES AND SALADS: If you’re looking for a quick lunch, Las Brasas also slices and packs its rotisserie chicken into a couple of different sandwiches. Chicken salad is tossed in avocado-mayo, and served on a bun. The chicken wrap is layered with lettuce and tomato and rolled in a flour or spinach tortilla. Even better is the crispy salad — romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion and sliced avocado — topped with chicken.

SIDE SHOW: Like everything at Las Brasas, sides are super simple but tasty. Plain white rice, soupy red beans, thin sweet potato fries, and chips and avocado dip all make fine accompaniments to the savory chicken. For dessert, try the flan — eggy and brown, with a pleasantly caramel/burnt sugar edge.

HOURS: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11:30

a.m.-9:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays (closed Sundays)

CREDIT CARDS: Visa and MasterCard

PRICES: Rotisserie chicken, $3.99-$9.99; sandwiches and specials, $4.99-$6.99; salads and sides, $1.99-$5.99

RESERVATIONS: No

RECOMMENDED DISHES: Rotisserie chicken, chicken wrap, salad

PARKING: Street

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

SMOKING POLICY: No smoking

NOISE LEVEL: Moderate

TAKEOUT: Yes

VERDICT: A little taste of Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken in the heart of Decatur.