Always craving rice and sweet plantains, so my boyfriend and I decided to try Mr Pio Pio while in Albany. The sweet plantains were amazing and we also got two of their chicken meals which were also very good. It was surprisingly crowded when we went on a Saturday evening around 7 and there were no open seats. read more

This place is good enough to kill a craving from over seas , originally from Ecuador so this place came on in handy. Me and my family have come to eat in and take out multiple times. Pretty much tried everything on the menu. I can tell what's they master and was isn't so good prepared but at least they try. I love the encebollado de pescado and the caldo de bola, my mom loves the pargo fish. Ceviche not a forte for them is just ok. Picada is pretty decent. Overall is a good place to try for Latin food in downtown Albany. read more

This place has deliciously grilled meats on offer at low prices. For about $10, you get a platter of various meats along with anything from the standard rice & beans to golden-brown plantains. The rotisserie chicken is absolutely delicious -- moist, scrumptiously seasoned and plentiful. Next to that are the ribs, which are plentifully marbled, crusted with seasoning, and far girthier than the ribs one usually finds at a BBQ joint. I suppose the difference is that these are grilled, rather than slow-roasted. Whatever the difference, these are excellent and really good value for the price. The service is brisk, and if you need anything you just have to ask for it. The two large TVs are tuned to Univision and Telemundo, either or both of which will be showing excessively dramatic soap operas or "news". It's great fun to have some Mexican soda and watch the action while chowing down on some tasty noms. read more

Food was ok not great but wait, with the spicy sauce it made up my day. I tried Arroz Con Pollo(based on reviews) with the spicy sauce on the side. Loved it. Absolutely Zero dishes for the vegetarians. My veggie friend still hates me for taking him here. Food portion was huge and service was great. I took some leftover to work and the aroma in my cube everyone kept asking abt it. Keep away from fruit juices they are not worth $2.95. You feel like drinking milkshake not the juice. Bottom line: I will go back probably for the same dish. read more

I had high hopes for Mr. Pio Pio but the 1/4 chicken was a bit slimy, and, well, it doesn't take a masterful chef to make rice and beans with a fried plantain and toss down some iceberg lettuce, tomato and carrots to make a "salad." The chucharron appetizer was bone dry and required a thorough soaking in vinegar and green sauce to make it palatable, just like everything else. One of the people I was with got the whole fried snapper - it was cooked well and tasty, and her onion/tomato cilantro salad was also good. Service was not good, it is not hard to refill water glasses when you have two tables. I cackled when one of my dining companions suggested leaving a 20% tip. read more

Mr. Bueno Bueno. Just make sure you didn't keep that I-phone in the car with the door unlocked.

Mr. Pio Pio, I've been going once aweek since I found the place. I order the pio pio grande feast. The chicken soup is great. Noodles in a home made chicken broth, with a nice suculdnt chicken thigh. The feast is literally a feast, and for $13.00 its more than fair. 1/4 chicken, dry rubbed with tasty spices, makes for tasty eats. It also comes with thinly cut seasoned pork cutlet, and two large beef spare ribs. With a side of fries, rice, and beans, its so delicious and filling. Mr. Pio Pio has an array of latin american sodas, pelegrino water, and soda. They also have traditional Spanish Flahn. The owners are from Ecudor, and I can't confirm or deny the authenticity of the food. All I can say is this freshly preparred food is a great stop for those who crave rich flavored meat. The service is good, done by the family of the restaraunt, and while waiting for the freshly preparred food, i watch latin american food from their satalite TV. A great value and great experience. read more

I had ball soup today! (First of all, get your head out of the gutter.) Second of all, this is particularly hilarious because when I was a little girl, my mom gave me an old pot and plastic spoon to play with. When my Papa came to visit, I'd make him sit at my little girl table, and instead of playing tea party, I'd put a plastic playground ball in the pot, stir it around, and then we'd feed each other ball soup. Okay, this stuff wasn't exactly the same, but I did have a nice little jaunt down memory lane. I've never had soup like this before, but there was a hunk of tender and delicious beef, a few yams, and a big ball of ground and (presumably) fried plantain. It was good. And exceptionally different. And the avocado salad was tasty. And that mango smoothie? OH YEAHHH! There were lots of things on the menu, none of them exclusively Mexican (and the owners are Ecuadorean, so take THAT!), but it all looked pretty good. In a setting that was very reminiscent of the taco carts and little burrito places back home. I will be back to try the tamales. This is one place that I'm actually excited to return to. read more

We were in town for a show up the road and were looking for something good to eat. After a quick search, we found reviews on Señor Pio Pio and decided to give it a try. We came in the late afternoon on a Saturday and there were only a few other people sitting down eating in. They seem to do a lot of take out, so it may take a little longer than expected get your food, but the wait is not terrible. Even before we ordered our food, I had a feeling this was going to be a good meal. I think only one or two other people that came in spoke English and everyone else spoke strictly Spanish (which is almost always a good sign when going to any ethnic restaurant if the customers speak the native language). I ordered the chicken stew platter (I think Pollo Guisado) and it was absolutely delicious. I could tell that the chicken was cooked in the stew because even the chicken breast was super tender and juicy (it also came with a drumstick) and basically fell off the bone. The added little flakes of fresh cilantro with each bite just put it over the top (i know some of you may not like cilantro, but I am not one of those people). Since it was a stew, the broth on the plate was excellent for dipping the rice in before taking a bite. I had a few bites of what my girlfriend ordered - arroz con pollo - and I thought my dish was better simply because the arroz con pollo (which was still very good) was a little dry and could have used some sort of sauce or liquid to get past that. It also came with some sweet plantains which I usually like. At first I thought it would have been better to have fried plantains with the dish considering the entire thing was savory. I left these for the end of my meal and it was a great finish to an already outstanding dinner. I would definitely go back there if I'm in the area again. But i'm not sure if I would try anything different =). read more

Delicious. If you don't eat meat this is not a good place to go. The whole fried red snapper is one of my favorite dishes in the Albany area. They do their plantains well. The roast chicken is excellent, as is the beef tongue. Even something simple like the arroz con pollo is great. It's a small place but it really packs a punch. And the owners are extremely friendly and there is always soccer on the TVs. read more

Portion sizes, prices and food were very good. The hot sauce was also yummy and I'm glad it was home made

True authentic Latin food in downtown Albany. It is a small, nothing fancy place. But the food is very reasonably priced and very fresh. Large chicken on the sign over the door, can't miss it. read more

I found this place a while ago while looking for some good Latin American food in Albany, walking distance. Was a bit skeptical at first, since I never really heard much about it. But I ended up being very pleasantly surprised, and been coming back ever since! The food is really good, the best Latin American food I tried in the capital region. My favorite dish by far is the Bandeja Tipica: steak and fried egg with some fried plantains and chicharon, and of course rice and beans on the side. It is pretty hefty meal, and unless I am dying of hunger, I can't finish the thing in one sitting. I had some of the beef dishes and they are also very good. Prices are very reasonable. It's good to get some fried yucca for the table. And they also have Inca Kola, another one of my favorites! The atmosphere is not anything special, just a few tables. Looks kind of like a cafeteria. But I give 5 stars just cause of the food, as it is amazing! read more

Wonderful Latin American (mainly Ecuadorian) food restaurant tucked away in the Pine Hills area. I've never actually eaten inside the restaurant itself. I always get delivery, and so far I've been very pleased with the speediness of their service. I had been really craving some Ecuadorian style chicken soup. Their caldo de gallina was right on point in terms of flavor of the broth and the tenderness of the chicken. Since then, I've sampled many of their delicious grilled meats (including their pork, beef, and beef tongue), avocado salad, and plantains. I don't know what they put in their rice, but it is delightful. I've only been to Ecuador once, but this food tastes very much like the food I had at the kioscos (street kiosks). Definitely a fan! read more

In town for the night and the overwhelming good reviews on Yelp convinced me to try this place out. Ordered the beef soup, seafood rice, whole rotisserie chicken and carne asada. Unfortunately it took them an hour and 20 minutes to deliver the food when they said it would only be 40 so it was only warm when we got it. Would've preferred it hot. Rotisserie chicken was good, as was the seafood rice (which was huge and had a bunch of seafood in it) but not the best. Carne Asada was really fatty but the spicy sauces on it were super yummy. Would have preferred more beans as they gave me a giant pile of rice. read more

This place is great. The pargo rojo (fried red snapper) is a little pricy as one would expect for a whole fish, but it's so delicious that I've had it both times I've been to Mr. Pio Pio. Their fried cassava and plaintains are great, as are the housemade dipping sauces they're served with. The spicy-sweet roast sausage makes me weep with joy. My two (minor) complaints: The service is a little sluggish, but since this is a hole in the wall with a very small staff I understand and can deal with it. Also, given the number of imported sodas they have, I'm surprised that they only offer canned American Coke. One final note: It's sort of amusing that they offer a whole rotisserie chicken as a "side." Always gets chuckle out of me. read more

I like this place. A very small hole-in-the-wall place in a somewhat iffy part of town but the food (I had ribs)was really good, served piping hot, and they have lots of good looking, yet different ethnic options on the menu. There are very few south american style places in Albany so it is good to see this available. There were many items on the menu that looked very interesting and I need to make it a point to go back and try them out. read more

Delivery was good and the steak was tasty. The wait time was not long at all. The yellow rice was also great and they did add beans like I wanted. I would recommend this restaurant read more

Can you say hole in the wall? My god this place is definitely a hidden gem of deliciousness! Couldn't hang on to the 5th star though. I Yelped places to eat in the area, thought it was a big sit down restaurant (even made reservations, SHHH don't tell anyone). Place was so small i passed it in my car, reconsidered.... and made the decision to try it out. Parked on the street. The place was sketchy looking and kinda unkempt. Nothing fancy. The wait staff was slow, very slow. But i was in a good mood and with friends so it didn't affect me like it should. The food is so good it hurt. I got sliced cow tongue [My first time], with rice, plantains and Chicharróns. Everything was saucy, fatty and oh so delicious. I even got a 'mango juice' which is more like a delicious mango smoothie. Ah yea and the price. SO cheap, the meal was like $10, side was $2.50 and drink like $2.50. I was completely stuffed, took home left overs and the total cost for me was around $15 + tax and tip. Don't go to be pampered, go to get down to earth, bare bones great food at a nice price. read more

The premises although clean, leave a lot to be desired. However, the food is both excellent and cheap. 4 people can eat for what it would cost one person anywhere else. The tamale appetizer was great with an out of this world spicy sauce. The avocado salad was decent. The chicken was awesome, tender, and wonderful flavors seep into the chicken from the marinating that coats the chicken skin. Ask for the hot sauce and you are in for an even more wonderful experience. No Alcohol but you can bring your own. It's a family owned and operated biz so the service is less than professional but adequate. I would like to try other dishes that looked good so I will go back. read more

I'd say this is that dank, they came through with a huge pan of meat, and each meat was more delicious than the last. Huge portions, and perfectly cooked and seasoned. They arrived in the timeframe they said they would. Will definitely be ordering from here again read more

Went to Albany recently on business. Had a craving for Latin food, so I skipped the pricey hotel restaurants and drove to Pio Pio. Had the Lomo Salteado, which was delicious. Next time I'll try the Colombian dishes. Small place, so I took my meal to go. The guy that helped me over the phone and in person wasn' t very friendly at all. But the food and price gets this place 4 stars! read more

The restaurant itself is very small and often packed, thus I suggest this place for take out! They have a delicious Arroz con Pollo meal for under $10. The plates are generous. If you like Latin American food you will love this place, the items are freshly made and not pre-packaged. I love this place for take out. It is extremely affordable, I highly suggest that you check this out. read more

It's delicious. It's a blend of Ecuadorian and some other Latin style so it's pretty unique as well. The meat is seasoned well and the rice is not dry or overcooked. Thus far I've had the guatita, the feast, bandeja tipica, and caldo de bola. They have a ceviche that looks a little interesting... Atypical "red" from tomatoes. I may try that next time. Gave it four stars because they charge $.75 for extra hot sauce... read more

I went to eat in Queens and is really good food, I can't complain at all and the staff very friendly too. Great food and good portions. They should put more restaurants around like this we can find them everywhere lol read more

This place was so good. It's a little small, the location is a bit meh. But the food, oh my...the food! Everything we ordered was amazing. Rice, beans, steak, yuca, yum! And the staff was so nice and helpful. Eat here! You won't regret it. read more

Customer service for ordering is terrible. Someone put me on hold then block my number when I called so I stop ordering from them

My kids say: "Mr. Pio Pio foods are delicious. You should ordered salchipapas there delish!!!!" Excellent Pan-Latino food in Albany! read more

Came here during my stay in Albany. I had the chicken and rice and it was very tasty. Service was okay, the waiter was pleasant but please bring me some of that sauce. I came here after reading about the delicious sauce that this place has and wasn't even offered any sauce. I had to ask the waiter for some sauce which is annoying to me. I love chicken and this place does have the chicken down but the sauce could be better, it's spicy and has a kick but didn't blow my mind like Pio Pio in +Queens, NY+. Oh, and an extra Star for having Inca Kola. ASK THE WAITER FOR SAUCE.... Most places in the TriState live off the Sauce, the better the sauce the more people buy chicken. Keep up the good work guys. read more

Order from here if you are not hungry... because they take forever to deliver it. It took almost 2hrs to arrive. Poor service

I recently stopped by Pio Pio for dinner. I got to sample quite a bit of food. I tried Colombian sausage, spare ribs, the quarter chicken, grilled steak, and fried plantains. The food was fresh, flavorful, and not too heavy. They use some fantastic spice blends at this place. I would love to get my hands on the spice rub they use on the chicken for my own grilling. The homemade red hot sauce was pretty good but I liked the tasty green avocado sauce more. Inside is very basic and practical. The lights are very bright inside. Service is what you would expect at a family owned place like this - slow but pleasant. The restaurant is very clean. Every thing I had was very basic but done well. Nothing blew me away but the food tasted good, was cooked perfectly, and was very reasonably priced. read more

I was in Albany on business and stopped in for lunch based on yelp reviews. I haven't had an arroz con pollo like that since I lived in Costa Rica!! I had a side of the sweet plantains and those were great as well. Huge portions, I ate it for dinner that night as well. There were some guys next to me drinking smoothies, I should have got one, they looked really good. I defiantly plan on going back next time I'm in the area, there are SO many things I want to try on the menu. Thanks for giving such tantalizing reviews! read more

Pretty good home cooking. Ordered the carne guisada, the portion was on the smaller side with a lot of rice which made it seem more than it was. Everything had a good flavor. The service was on the slower side but very friendly and attentive. read more

The servers are great here! Very friendly. We sat in for dinner. The juices are fresh and flavorful. We ordered salchipapas (hot dogs and French fries) and plantains con queso. They both came out at the same time and were delicious. We shared the picado and it was great, a lot of food! Parking can be a pain but this place is definitely worth it. read more

Mr Pio Pio - Picado for two - Latin American Near Me - Albany, New York

I've lamented the lack of true latin cuisine in the region, when a fellow Yelper, Diana C, contacted me, and suggested I try Mr. Pio Pio. Surprised that I had never heard of it, over the mast weeks, I've tried their grilled beef, chicharones, Colombian sausage, lengua, chicken, arroz con pollo, breaded tilapia, spare ribs, tostones, maduros, beans, salad, rice, and several of the sauces. While I've liked some things (lengua and Colombia sausage) more than others (Tilapia), all were quite good, and for the price, I'm yet to find a better place in the region. For under $100, you can feed 10 people to the point of food coma. They deliver to my office, take credit cards, and they use Mealeo, which makes ordering a breeze. The phone is always answered promptly, great customer service, and speedy, free, delivery. It's amazing that this is in my top 5 restaurants, and I've only now found out about it. read more

We order delivery from here for work and we have ate in the restaurant itself as well. I have ordered the feast, seafood rice, Pio Pio special, and the bistec...which is my favorite. The rice, plantains, and the peppers that came with the bistec were PERFECTION! All of which are very filling and I always have leftovers. It's fresh food and everyone is always pleased when we order from here for delivery! Updated to 5 stars just because it's been over 8 people who are included in every order and no complaints, nothing forgotten, and we love it. read more

with all of the great reviews about mr. pio pio (not just on yelp, but also by personal friends), i really had my hopes up about the place. friday night, i decided to finally give it a try. a friend and i went around 7pm, and had no problem parking or getting a table. we started off with a chorizo and yucca appetizer. it was served with a spicy red sauce (and a mild green sauce when requested). overall, it was pretty amazing. both the sausage and the yucca were cooked to perfection... kind of crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. as for our our entrees... i ordered the seafood rice (what i would normally call paella). SO disappointing! the entree was loaded with canned mini shrimp, fake crab meat, what i believe may have been canned or packaged tuna, and overcooked calamari (read: i couldn't chew through it). the flavor of the rice and vegetables were okay... the two large shrimp and the handful of muscles were also okay... but the bulk of this seafood dish was prepared quickly, cheaply, and poorly. a total turn off to me. with a $15 price tag, i expected better. my friend ordered a steak, which i tried. it was served as a two plate platter. the steak, a plantain, and a salad on one dish; rice and beans on the other. the steak was prepared very well; seasoned simply and cooked to her liking (she likes her steak overcooked, in my opinion). she was very pleased. i may return to mr. pio pio, but it is unlikely. really, who knows? maybe i just tried the wrong dish... read more

Yesterday was my first time eating Spanish food. I never cared to go inside since its in a slight sketchy area (on the corner where I live) . The food was pretty damn good! The price was reasonable I had some chicken dish that cost $7.50 not bad and I had this mango milk shake (dont know what its called). Overall I enjoyed my experience eating Spanish food. I gave my rating a 3 was because the service was mad slow, even though there weren't many people there. read more

EDIT: I apologize the previous review was meant for another place. This place was great. The portions were large and the sauce was plentiful. Although the there may be space for no more than 20. It has a lot of history and culture. read more

Never been to a place where they are constantly late with order. Been there several times and had to wait over 1 hour for food even through they told me it'll be ready in 30 minutes. Foods is average. Not going here again. read more