Martin Castillo, along with his family, opened their very first restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District ten years ago. Due to the restaurant’s popularity the family opened a more upscale version in Valencia, California called Limon. This new, vibrant restaurant helped introduce the Bay Area to Peruvian food with a modern twist, and eventually the family opened their first Limon Rotisserie on South Van Ness and recently another in Bayview. Both restaurants in specialize in “Peruvian Style chicken hot off the spit, along with some classic dishes such as ceviche, grilled beef hearts, and lomito saltado” (San Francisco Chronicle). According to Limon’s Marketing and Promotions Coordinator Laurina Marcic, Castillo’s goal was to simplify the menu for the customers. “Chef Martin Castillo felt it was important and essential to have a flavorful consistent menu across all of our Limon Rotisserie locations,” Laurina says.
The difference between a normal restaurant and a rotisserie is that rotisserie restaurants generally have a more calming environment with a barbeque theme, in which the restaurant uses a spit to roast chicken and other meat. This change in the Limon restaurants offers a softer, less intimidating presentation, as well as much lower prices in terms of their old specials and their new additions. “All small plates are under ten dollars, people like that concept a lot better,” Martin Castillo told Inside Scoop San Francisco.
The Limon Rotisserie will still have the bright, familiar faces of the staff and off the Castillo family as well as many of their popular dishes from the original
Limon restaurant. According to Marcic, the atmosphere and new dining experience is gaining a lot of great feedback from new and old customers. “They see most of their favorite dishes are still on the menu but now also are able to enjoy our award winning Polo a la Brasa and famous dipping sauces,” Laurina says. In an interview with Inside Scoop San Francisco, Martin Castillo says, “People are requesting the chicken a lot more. The rotisseries are becoming more popular than our other restaurants so we thought we should change it.” Although the new Rotisserie does not have the same arrangement with a lounge that the original San Francisco Limon restaurant had, it is a lot larger and more spacious as it seats up to 75 guests. Rick Holliday, a developer in the Bay Area, persuaded the Castillo family to invest in this bigger, 2500 square foot location and helped them negotiate finances.
The Limon staff is looking into opening new locations and are excited to share their new projects and ideas very soon. “Thanks to our loyal customers, the Castillo Brothers plan to expand our Limon Rotisserie concept not only in San Francisco, but the greater Bay Area, as well,” Marcic says.