Pio Pio

Such a tiny place. Hard to get comfortable. Food is great. Best to take out. more

this is one of my favorite restaurants in nyc. i love the spicy green sauce and the chicken is so good that it falls right off the bone. the night won't be complete without a pitcher of sangria. Pros: sangria, green sauce Cons: not enough tables more

I have been to Pio Pio many times for the chicken, not the customer service or ceviche. 1) it's known for the chicken, not the ceviche. 2) peruvian ceviche is different from mexican ceviche, so there's no comparison. 3) this is not a fancy place, just a place with really good chicken. When we're starving and we want to spend little money we go to Pio Pio. Pros: chicken, maduros, avocado salad Cons: server more

Just came back from piopio w/big disappointment. We ordered a glass of chardonnays and it tasted/looked like water has been blended in. We had $32 combo meal, the chicken was salty and dried. Avocado salad was mushy.\r \r We were there no more than 1 hour though, the rude waiter kept asking if we were still working on our meals.\r The waiter threw the utensils over one of dishes in the middle when he was taking dishes and removed the table paper while my friend was still working on her 2nd drinks (obviously ""not"" chardonnay). \r \r Unpleasant experience. very disappointed. \r \r Pros: fast, cheap food Cons: poor service, rude staff more

I read the other reviews and they are misleading. This is not a place for ceviche, flan or saffron rice. I have never actually ordered these things because you can't really expect them to be good coming from a place that is a little more than a chicken takeout place. Why I come to Pio over and over again is chicken. It is moist, juicy, comes with a tasty dipping sauce. Aside from chicken I also lilke yuca frites and maybe avocado salad. The place is small and very busy. If you don't want to wait order a takeout. more

I took my wife out because her friends told her it was a nice place. Things started off ok, we ordered the Tamale and Ceviche, Not good but we're used to the Mexican Ceviche and this tastes alot different. With my entree I ordered saffron rice which never came, our seafood platter was bland and it took the waiter close to 20 mins to clear our plate after we were done. I ordered the Flan and it tasted like it came out of a packet. Terrible food and slow service. Will never go back. more

It took me 5 times to ask for my condiments and at least three times to get a glass of water. The waiter was unfriendly and made a face when I asked to have my uneaten food put in a bag to take home, all three dishes of which were stuffed into one container!!! The food was good though...but that experience went down the drain towards the end of the dinner because of the poor service. I have eaten in the Northern BLVD location and the food as always is good and the service even better. So if I were you I would take the extra time it takes to get there just to enjoy good food without getting annoyed at the service. Pros: FOOD Cons: Service, the small space that everyone coming in or out is brushing up against your table. more

Walked in. Ordered whole chicken. Walked out. Went home. Opened container. Looked down. Pubic hair wrapped around bone of drumstick. Need I say more? more

Nice place, but much rather go to a new Peruvian place called, Chicken Festival. Much better chicken and lower prices. Best deal on the UES.\r \r Between 82nd and 83rd on 1st. more

Pros: Best and cheapest chicken (whole or quartered) in the city. Great variety of sides. Lightning fast... more

Pros: Best and cheapest chicken (whole or quartered) in the city. Great variety of sides. Lightning fast service. Delicious Peruvian beer by the bo... more

The 1746 First Ave. Pio-Pio restaurant has the worst service!\r Even on slow nights this little restaurant has unfriendly staffers. It's a real shame because the food is very tasty, but EVERY TIME we go the waiters, manager/host are all so rude AND slow, we're finally giving up on the place. Again this not only on busy nights, but slow & uncrowded nights too. \r \r Good food alone can't carry a restaurant...decent service helps too! Pros: Food is very good! Especially the chicken & green sauce... Cons: The staff & service there really STINKS! Totally unfriendly. more

I have been going to Pio Pio (138st and Cypress, Mott Haven) since it opened a little while back. Its a nice place..good food...and a GREAT addition to the neighborhood. However, when you enter this trendy restaurant, you are greeted by a thug at the door, with the hat turned backwards, 10x too big jeans hanging 2 feet below his waist, gigantic oversized shirt, tattoos, and ridiculously huge Timberlands. It struck me as very odd why they would choose to have this as the first impression, and as the seating host of the restaurant, when everything else is so nice, trendy, etc. \r \r I was GREATLY DISSAPPOINTED AND DISGUSTED to learn why this thug is the one greeting you at the door. Pio Pio is paying off the local thugs for some absurd reason, and this thug is the ""security"" for the restuarant. Basically they feel the need, for some reason, to have street thugs running their business...much like the supposed ""protection"" that the mob offered all those years ago. \r \r Not only will I NEVER go there again...I am shocked that they are suporting the local thugs and will be sure to make everyone aware of what is going on. I recommend everyone reading this to not only boycott the chain but to expose the restuarant for supporting/encouraging local thugs! Pros: Food is good Cons: Why are they paying off the street thugs to run the business??!!!! more

i have to say this was some great chicken. the pricing was completely reasonable. a friend and i ordered alot of food & side orders we were soo stuffed by the end of the meal. the service was great & we didn't feel rushed to eat at all even though it is a real small place. i would definitely go back & try the sangria which we forgot to order. enjoy =] Pros: great chicken. good service. Cons: small place. might have to wait a bit. more

I had the cravings for something different for lunch and stumbled upon Pio Pio (aka Pio Pio Express) on the... more

I had the cravings for something different for lunch and stumbled upon Pio Pio (aka Pio Pio Express) on the Upper East Side. This Peruvian restaur... more

Based on a someone's recommendation, four of us went to restaurant. We were not impressed by an online menu and were skeptical. We could not have been more wrong. We shared the Matador Combo and ordered some appetizers and extra sides thinking for the price of the combo there was no way it would feed us. Everything was delicious and we had more than enough food for all of us. The chicken was so flavorful we ate every bite. The sangria was the best and we went through two pitchers very quickly. I am glad I live in the neighborhood because this place is now at the top of my take out list. Definitely worth the wait. Pros: Food, Drinks Cons: small space, long wait more

I hate to write this review because, as it has been stated before, it is a tiny restaurant and the wait time is already long, but I have to rave about Pio Pio! This place has the best sangria, best food, and best prices (when you share with a group of 4) of any place I've been to in the city. I have never once been dissappointed with the food or the service - especially if you can go during a slow time and make friends with George and Jaime who are great! They also let me take up the entire left side of the restaurant to have 14 people there for my birthday on a Friday night! Eat, drink, and enjoy....it doesn't get better than Pio. Pros: Food, wine, music, sangria with apple bits! Cons: hard to wait inside, so don't go when it's raining... more

I live near Pio Pio and go there a lot. The food is consitently fantastic and it's a fun atmosphere (although once I went on a Monday and the food was not as good as usual). The seemingly bottomless pit of sangria is delicious, as are the plantains, chicken, and that addictive green sauce that I like to dip everything in. The only con is how long you have to wait b/c this place is tiny. They always say it'll be 5-10 minutes, but is more like 30 minutes to an hour. If you're an attractive woman, wait at the counter, enjoy some free sangria while you wait, and have the rest of your party grab a drink nearby until you're table is ready. If you're coming with a big group (more than 5-6), I wouldn't come here, it'd be too much of a headache. Pros: great value, awesome food and drink, fun atmosphere Cons: the long wait more

i used to go to this place a lot as it was by my apartment - went the other night and was not disappointed! the food is delicious and very big portions -most platters are to share. the sangria is also great, and can be ordered to go as well which is always nice to enjoy at home since the restuarant is tiny and there is usually a wait to get in. more