The Woodbrook Shopping Center is where restaurants go to die. It’s tucked away and hidden for the most part, and there aren’t enough Woodbrook families to keep a restaurant going – with one exception. Al Carbon, an authentic Mexican/Peru restaurant specializing in charcoal rotisserie chicken.
Early this week, the grout people were working on our kitchen, and it was off limits, so I decided to try Al Carbon for lunch – for the first time.
I have many friends who rave about their chicken, but I hadn’t been yet, putting it on my “round to-it list”.
I ordered two Flautas, thin crispy tortillas stuffed with chicken and topped with Mexican cheese, sour cream, lettuce, sauce, and avocados. All I can say is, well, “Yummm!”
The chicken has a marvelous flavor. Al Carbon marinates young fryers for 24 hours, then slow cooks them on a rotisserie over slow charcoal. It is fall-off-the-bone tender and packed with flavor. The restaurant offers an extensive menu with unique sides such as poblano-cilantro green rice, yucca, plantains, street foods like cemitas, street corn and churros.
One of their specialties is the La Familia package– a whole chicken with three sides and a pair of in-house sauces. They do a huge take-out business as many families order the whole chicken with the sides and make it a family meal – a great value at twenty-bucks.
The restaurant is not a fancy place, but it’s clean and the staff is friendly and helpful. You order at the front desk, and they bring your meal to your table, or you can call ahead as many do and take it with you.
Al Carbon also has a store at 5th St. Station. Both locations are open daily from 11 to 9 pm but are closed on Mondays. Call 434-964-1052 or go to alcarbonva.com. It’s well worth a visit.