Chains don’t say good things about most restaurants. Food seems to be best unscaled, or better yet, scaled back. Pio Pio dares to defy this logic. With five branches in New York, this Peruvian roast chicken joint is a franchise champ. The key to its success, other than its juicy, plump chicken, is the mysterious green sauce that comes with it. Sitting in an unassuming cup like container (I suspect it is a Chinese tea cup), its jalapeno, basil-base, is creamy yet refreshing, spicy yet flavorful.
The menu is sparse, and the location I went to (34th street and 3rd avenue), a narrow strip of real estate that’s a bit of a squeeze. Their salad is refreshing with the chicken, and the tostones is great with the garlic sauce, but the lovely thing is almost everything on their menu goes well with green sauce!
The Peruvian Combo
The star of the show is of course the chicken, roasted thoroughly but still juicy. Not really charred, which is usually a shame, but just the perfect level of doneness. The flavors are a nice change from the regular roast chicken, and doesn’t seem too butter drenched.
Salad, great with "Green Sauce".
Fries, also great with "green sauce".
Many people have Sangria when they are there. Personally, I find that it is too sweet, but given the toasty weather we’ve been having, I understand the need for it at the table.
A simple restaurant with a simple menu brings you a chicken with distinctively complex flavors—be sure to give it try!
Jessie
PioPio
210 E 34th St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 481-0034
