La Pollera Colombiana, on East Washington Avenue near Stoughton Road, one of the busiest intersections in town, has a menu heavy on chicken, but with plenty of other options, too.

In Spanish, La Pollera is a hencoop, chicken run or basket for chickens.

The two chicken dishes I’ve had were both superb. Arroz con pollo ($16.95) was a giant mound of rice cooked with carrots, peas and red pepper with small, tender pieces of chicken in every bite. I did find one small bone, so be careful.

There are six ways to order roasted chicken at La Pollera, and I chose the version that included a half-chicken and salad.

The chicken was a gorgeous golden brown, the meat moist and nicely seasoned. The salad was a spring mix with grated carrots, tomato and red onion, with a bowl of oil and vinegar dressing on the side that was mostly oil.

A squeeze bottle of homemade, light green, mayo-based sauce with cilantro is on every table and was indispensable.

Co-owner Yineth Herrera, 27, waited on me during my second visit and said Colombians aren’t big on spicy food. She said to appeal to American customers, her husband, co-owner/chef Urbano Rivera, makes a sauce with more jalapenos in it. That sauce is also fantastic.

The meal came with three large, soft, fried plantains, and a plate of highly textured french fries that my friend said were the best part of the meal.

Two thin, grilled pork loins ($15.95) were a little dull. They came with two large pieces of fried plantain and a plate of rice and beans.

There wasn’t much garlic in the shrimp in garlic sauce ($21.50), but the mild orange sauce was pleasant and plentiful. The shrimp were a good size and perfectly cooked. I was happy it came with a different form of fried plantain: flat, fried and greaseless.

My friend and I wanted to order red snapper, but at prices ranging from $28.95 to $37.95, it was more than we wanted to spend. Although the room is attractive and more upscale than I had expected, some of La Pollera’s prices seemed less casual and more fine dining.

Of the two empanadas ($3) I’ve tried, the Hawaiana — with pineapple, ham and cheese — was the standout. A plain cheese one gave the crisp shell a more prominent role, accentuating the oil, which tasted old.

The oblea ($6), however, is a can’t-miss dessert with two huge, crisp, wafers filled with a fun combination of caramel, raspberry jam and shredded cheese. Whipped cream came on the side.

A little Colombian toothpick flag was stuck into it, and in all of the food items at La Pollera, which is adorable.

No alcoholic beverages are listed on the restaurant’s extensive main menu, but are available. I tried a bottle of Club Colombia, a lager. It’s imported, so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to see it at $9 on my bill. The best part was that it came with a frosty mug. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that.

Herrera said the restaurant got its liquor license about six months ago, and getting the Colombian beers from Chicago isn’t easy.

My friends ordered glasses of Merlot ($6) that were reasonable because they were Barefoot brand.

Herrera told me later that wine and beer lists are coming soon. They’re hard to print because what they offer is always changing, she said.

The cocktail list, meanwhile, shares a menu with the desserts, but with no prices attached. My coconut mojito was excellent, but served in a narrow glass for $11.50. It was glowing because it had a floating pink light inside, which was unusual and kind of trippy.

“It’s an idea that we had. People like the lights,” Herrera said. “It’s something new, something different.” She said other drinks are decorated with fresh fruit, such as mango.

Herrera said she moved from Colombia to New York City about 12 years ago. She said her husband is from Veracruz, Mexico, and has 20 years of cooking experience.

The couple own the restaurant with Rivera’s sister, Araceli Rivera.

Herrera said she and her husband had a Colombian restaurant in New York that they sold to one of their three partners.

She said they came to Madison in the spring of 2022 at the urging of Araceli, who had lived in Madison for about three years before they joined her.

Herrera said starting in a few weeks they’ll offer American breakfasts from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with omelets, pancakes and potatoes. And they’ll start opening two hours earlier than they do now for their Colombian breakfasts, which involve corn cakes or pork skin, and are available every day at all times.

The restaurant is in the former OM Indian Fusion Cuisine, which closed in early 2019 after almost three years. Some may remember it as the old Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. China Buffet spent some time there, too.

La Pollera could and should have a long residency in this spot.