Review: Pio Pio in Glen Cove

It all started with four tables in Rego Park, Queens. In 1994, Augusto Yallico opened a tiny Peruvian eatery called Pio Pio and, within a few years, its main item, rotisserie chicken, had become a cult item. Last summer, Pio Pio opened a stunning restaurant in Glen Cove.

The huge, high-ceilinged, light-filled space is divided into a chic bar and a bohemian dining room. There's a full drinks menu — here's your chance to try the Peruvian national cocktail, the pisco sour — and a menu that extends beyond rotisserie chicken (a.k.a. Juanita's chicken) to the seafood soups chupe and parihuela, the great potato dishes causa de pollo and papa a la Huancaina, the Chinese-influenced arroz chaufa (fried rice) and lomo saltado (stir-fried beef), jalea (fried mixed seafood) and ceviche (raw, marinated fish).

Pulpo al olivo, an inventive Peruvian dish that features cold octopus slices nestled inside a bright yellow aji amarillo and salty purple olive sauce, is a sleeper hit from the appetizer menu ($25).

But the most popular dish is the "matador combo," which can feed four people ($74). Centered around a whole, burnished chicken — which must be anointed with Pio Pio’s famous spicy green sauce — it also includes a platter of salchipapas (French fries topped with hot dog slices, improbably delicious), tostones (fried and smashed green plantains), avocado salad and rice and beans.

"In the city spots, it’s a quicker take-away experience; everyone moves faster there," said bartender Juan Carlos Chavero. "Out here, people are more curious. They have more time. They’re not in a rush. They try more things. It’s not just about the chicken."

Find more restaurants:

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.