Our mission was to hit three straight Peruvian chicken spots in the Valley and report about their relative strengths and weaknesses, factoring in flavor, skin crispness and white meat juiciness. This was supposed to be a round-up, but Bonano’s absolutely buried the competition on every level, which is why Dante and Janet Balarezo’s six-year-old restaurant gets the sole spotlight.

Our half-chicken with two sides ($8.99) was nearly flawless, with addictive caramelized skin and smoky flavor that permeated every morsel of the juicy bird. The thoroughly juicy meat was pink, but don’t fear; that’s the result of a thorough hazelnut wood buffeting in the rotisserie. The accompanying rice and beans were also stellar, moist and judiciously flavored with garlic.

Janet Balarezo wouldn’t reveal the marinade, and she was equally coy about her aji, the spicy Peruvian chile sauce that’s stained green with huacatay – black mint. This was probably the best aji I’ve had - course and noticeably flecked with bits of mint.

Bonano’s colorfully tiled rotisserie oven is prominently showcased behind the counter.

Bonano’s chicken rates with the best of L.A., shortlist that also includes Pollos El Brasero and Sevan Chicken.

Bonano’s is expanding soon to Ventura:
100 North Ashwood Avenue, Ventura, CA 93003, 805 339 9860

Related Posts

1. Pita Pockets – Northridge, CA – November 1, 2009
2. Pollos El Brasero - Los Angeles, CA - Friday, September 26, 2008
3. Mo-Chica – Los Angeles, CA – July 8, 2009
4. Chopan Kebab House - Northridge, CA - January 10, 2008
5. Sevan Chicken – Glendale, CA – Tuesday, September 2, 2008

1. Martha Alzamora, August 4, 2009:

   Solo un comentario. Mi hija que vive en Ventura fue al Bonanos recientemente inaugurado en la calle Ashwood. Todo muy rico, pero en el flyer que ella recibio en casa, indicaban unos precios, y cuando ella y su familia fueron al restaurant, los precios en el menu eran mas altos. Ella recien se dio cuenta cuando llego a casa. Le he dicho que ella deberia reportar este hecho al dueno. Por otro lado, me alegro que haya un restaurante peruano en Ventura, porque hacia falta nuestra comida tan rica por esa area.

2. Henry Anderson, August 15, 2009:

   I visited Bonanos Restaurant at ashwood ave in Ventura, last week and the food was disgusting, It was greasy and over spicy the chicken, I also try saltarin de carne or something like that,it was over riched, then I ended up with a stomach ache, but the customer service was excellent.

3. Pat, August 16, 2009:

   It is absolutely MSG too rich food, I ended up with stomach ache.

4. Joshua Lurie, August 16, 2009:

   Two straight stomach ache comments about Bonano’s? That’s surprising. I’ve only had one meal there and stuck with the signature item - rotisserie chicken - it was great. Have you tried that yet?

5. JOHN, August 18, 2009:

   THANK YOU FOR OPENING BONANOS IN VENTURA YOUR FOOD ITS THE BEST,I BEING SIX TIMES ALREADY IN TWO WEEKS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND THEY ALL LOVE IT….KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE NEGATIVE COMMENTS…

6. Randy, August 22, 2009:

   We went to Bonano’s in Ventura tonight (8-22-2009). We had the Peruvian fried rice - I had the beef and girlfriend the chicken. Grandson had the ceviche. It was all excellent good - Thank you so much for opening in Ventura, We can’t wait to go again and try something different. We’ll definately be regulars.

7. Adam Hugges, September 30, 2009:

   Bonanos Peruvian Restaurant it is a small restaurant that doesn’t meet the expectations to be a class A restaurant, but it is only few months in the Ventura City, and we can give them a chance to grow, I went with old friends, they like to explore new tastes like me, We took a Cebiche, yuca frita, chicken and others with deserts, I think their food as well as their deserts was not too bad,a little greasy, those are similar to mexican food and venezuelan food, for sure, it is not the best restaurant we have ever visited. The customer service is slow, it is bad if you stop while you are working because it will take a long time to dish it out. I am not thinking to return back so soon, I will continue exploring new food at other restaurants with better service.

8. LIZBETH, December 6, 2009:

   I just want a said thank you Bonano’s for unforgettable dinner, me and 23 of my friends celebrate my birthday at the new Bonanos and we all were very happy with the food and the service,especially the personal service of the chef and owner Chef Dante who approach us from time to time to make sure everything was ok, he explain every detail of the dishes he was serving, and i must said he really knew what he was talking about. I will highly recommend this restaurant to any one, and count with me and my friends as your new regular customers.

9. Giovanna, February 26, 2010:

   Hi:
   I´m writing from Perú, and proud to see many peruvian style restaurants are oppening in USA.
   Only an advise: Try to keep the real peruvian style. Here we eat the chicken only with french fries, tomatoe and lettuce salad, aji sauce and chicha morada (purple corn beverage) or Inka Cola.
   The beans, rice or tortillas are mexican style, not peruvian.

This entry is filed under California, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, South American, Southern California.