Pio Pio

Reviews 4

LE

Leo O

First off, this place was able to accommodate 11 people. I thought it wasnt going to be able to because of what the hostess told me over the phone. She gravely mislead me. This is my second time coming to one of their locations. I forgot to review it the first time around. Just FYI, the Matador combo is $2 cheaper at 604 10th Ave than the one in Upper East Side (1746 1st Ave). One thing that stood out the first time I went to Pio Pio was their green guacamole sauce. Flavors were punchy, strong, bold. The sauce at Hells Kitchen (604 10th Ave) wasnt as good. It was just spicy, wasnt well balanced at all. Onto what matters, the food. The Sangria here is probably the best Ive ever had. It has a strong fruit flavor and the alcohol is definitely enough. Our table ordered 3 pitchers! From the menu: Appetizers: 2 x Calamar Fritos, and Cebiche Mixto, Mozarello pio. Main course: 4 x Matador Combo, The calamari was decent, not the best Ive had. The batter wasnt too thick but the calamari could have been fresher. A little on the rubbery side. The red sauce was a little more on the sour side. The Cebiche Mixto was good. Had a lot of seafood in the dish. It was enough for the entire table. They definitely didnt skimp on the seafood. The lime juice, red onions, and cilantro worked with the seafood. It was enough to balance the seafood smell/taste but not to over power it. It was very refreshing in the mouth and a great way to start the evening off with your Sangria. The Mozarello pio was okay. It was basically a "naked" (just letus and tomatoes) salad with just slices of mozzarella. Most people at the table enjoyed the slices of mozzarella but for me, there was no balance in the dish. Because there was nothing else in the salad to begin with, the cheese overpowered the entire salad. This was my least favorite dish. For the majority of the chicken, they were juicy, not dry at all. But they were inconsistent Some pieces were a little dry. Overall, it was more than enough meat for the entire table. The herb seasoning was a nice addition. They could hold back a little on the salt. Im not a big fan of the sides. The sides were decent. The rice and beans and french fries were just fillers if you were still hungry. When I went to Pio Pio at the other location, I had their fried yucca and it was excellent. The green sauce with the fried yucca was an excellent pairing. The restaurant does get noisy at night. Great for groups. Great for birthdays. Ambiance is excellent. I love the decoration in their main dining hall. The wood/branches gave the room a more ethnic feel. The waiters were excellent and was always around for us. Would definitely come back here for group events.

ST

Steven Lee

HANDS DOWN BEST CHICKEN! I need to stop going to Costcos to get my chicken rotisseries. Came with a group on a Friday night, no reservations, just walked in and put our names on the list. Wait was about 30 minutes @ 7:30. We were about to be seated when we went downstairs, but then they made us go back up because they mixed us up with another group. Very apologetic, but WTF!! Why are you teasing me by making us walk around the place smelling and seeing the food from other tables..my stomach was already growling at me.. Once we sat down and ordered, it was about a long 20 minute wait for our entrees to come out. But once the food came, it was so much worth the wait. Ordered: Our table had a pitcher of Sangria, although the pitcher was kind of small it still tasted really fresh. I wouldve easily downed the entire pitcher. Chicken Matador Combo. Chicken was so flavorful and surprisingly super moist! Mix it and dip it with the green spicy sauce and youre golden. Came with some fries and sausages which was pretty good. Lomo Saltado. Beef was super juicy and moist too. Perfectly seasoned and it melted in my mouth. Arroz Chaufa, aka Asian fried rice with some Peruvian seasoning was a nice fusion and change from eating my usually takeout fried rice from Chinese restaurants. Avocado salad came with a generous amount of avocado slices. But seemed like it needed dressing. Traditional ceviche came last? Usually this is the fastest and first dish to come out, but it came last during our meal. When it did come it tasted really fresh like the Chef just went out and caught it. I would come back just for the ceviche! Staff was very attentive. As I was about to leave, a large group of 20+ people came and took the back row of tables, I guess its good that they can accommodate so many people even for a Friday night.

BE

Betty Woods

I had been wanting to come here for some time and hadnt made it yet but ventured here last evening with 3 others. We decided to all share the Matador Combo (mama Juanitas chicken, rice & beans, plantains, salchipapas, avocado salad) with a pitcher of sangria. First of all, we werent sure it would be enough food and boy were we wrong! There was more than enough for each of us. The chicken was succulent, juicy, buttery and the special green sauce made it next level. And Ive had my share of Peruvian and other roast chicken being from jersey but this was definitely my fave. The rice and beans were well seasoned and perfectly cooked. I find a lot of places the rice is dried out but that was not the case here whatsoever. The salchipapas (which is just fun to say) were great. Nice crisp fries and franks. We had a choice of maduros or tostones and we chose maduros (which are always my fave) and these were sweet and slightly crispy around the edges and I almost ate the entire portion by myself. The avocado salad was light and crisp with a super delicious creamy avocado. If I had a complaint it would be that the tomato was a little mushy but it was fine. The sangria was tart and sweet and decently strong. The pitcher was large enough that all 4 of us had at least 2 refills. Best thing though? The bill was only $38 for the food and $30 for the pitcher of sangria. So thats right... an entire 5 course meal for 4 people at roughly $18 each. Cant be beat. Plus this location is honestly gorgeous. I love the rough wood floors and we ate in the lower level dining area which felt like a subterranean wine cellar of some sort. Very sexy. All the wait staff was friendly. Cant wait to come here again.

NI

Nicholas Napp

They can do so much better. Ive been coming here for years (5+) and it is usually superb. Tonight was a total disappointment. The manager insisted on seating us by the door which had two problems: there are only two tables in that area, so the poor waitstaff were run ragged with tables all over the restaurant so we barely saw them; secondly, the same manager insisted on crowding everyone waiting for a table immediately behind us. My wife was repeatedly pushed, kicked and elbowed during our meal. The lomo saltado was cold by the time it reached our table (still great flavor though), I was only able to manage one drink reorder during the whole meal, and the flan was so flavorless and dry, we sent it back. I dont remember the last time I sent something back, but Id guess its been over ten years! The chocolate cake was also dry and cold, but the kids ate it anyway. However, all of that is not the worst part. We spoke to the manager on our way out and he clearly could care less about our bad experience. We are not regulars here, but we visit every time we are in NYC (several times a year), often with a small group (6-8). We are not hard to please and the manager didnt even try. Next time Im in NYC, Ill think twice before coming back. Very disappointed. If you do go, youll hopefully have a more typical experience. However, under no circumstances let them give you the table.right by the door...