Hello my wonderful foodies! 😊 If you've been following me on this food journey thus far, you would know that I am a huge fan of Latin/Spanish/Cuban food. So much so, it's been a struggle NOT to write all of my foodie reviews on restaurants in this category--the love is real, what can I say. Well, the time has come for me to introduce you to the #1 pick from my infamous Foodie Girl Restaurant List- Latin/Spanish/Cuban Category. Are you ready? 🎉

Pio Pio

Voted Orlando Magazine's BEST Latin restaurant with the BEST rotisserie chicken--and yes I can completely vouch for these statements like holy smokes you haven't had rotisserie chicken until you've had Pio Pio's--this place is a must if you are a fan of all things delicious. My family and I have been going here for years and have never had a bad experience. The staff is always so kind and accommodating regardless of how busy the restaurant is.

Like any popular food spot, be prepared to wait if you come right at lunch/dinner time. I recommend getting there an hour to 2 hours prior to the lunch/dinner rush and you should be all set. 👍 Trust me, this food is worth any wait. I promise. Scratch that, I PINKY promise. But, if you're in a rush, they do offer take out and it actually tastes just as good at home like it does in the restaurant. Bonus points right there.

Now for the food pics aka my favorite part of any review. First up, empanadas de pollo which are chicken (or beef if you prefer) patties filled with veggies and potatoes. All I know is that these guys taste amazing and what's great is that you can order them individually to suit what you're in the mood for. I usually just get one, as they are a fairly decent size and pretty filling but you could totally mix and match if you've got the tummy room. Pro-tip: you MUST try these with the garlicky "white" sauce. Absolute heaven. 😍

Ah. The gem of the restaurant: Pio Pio's infamous rotisserie chicken! I love their chicken so much I usually order half a chicken just so I can have leftovers--which I totally recommend you doing so as well. 😋 Along with the spectacularly roasted chicken literally dripping with flavor, you get a perfect little yellow rice sandcastle (like seriously, look at how perfect the rice is LOL), black beans, and your choice of green plantains (non-sweet), ripe plantains (sweet), or Cassava (yuca root). I always get the sweet plantains which are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. YUM.

‼️DON'T FORGET THE WHITE SAUCE. IT LITERALLY TASTES GOOD WITH EVERYTHING😍

Side-note: I'm a big supporter of leftovers in general--like hello I'm in college, gotta stretch out every meal as far as I can=more bang for your buck--but if I had to choose my favorite leftovers, it would totally be this meal. It's kinda like Thanksgiving leftovers: they taste even better the next day, no joke.

Dessert time aka the best time. Naturally, my family and I couldn't decide on just one dessert so of course, we got 2. This beauty right here is Pio Pio's Tres Leches cake which is soaked in 3 different milks, but don't ask me which 3 as I was too busy stuffing my face to ask. 😂 The best way I can describe this dessert is like a sponge and the taste is fairly mild with vanilla. Although some might not enjoy the "sponge-y" consistency, I find the texture to be interesting. It sort of grows on you but is definitely nothing like a traditional cake.

Then we have the vanilla flan which is my brother's personal favorite. To me, this dessert tastes like a vanilla custard, also pretty mild in flavor but still tasty. Pio Pio serves their flan atop a carmel-like sauce and is drizzled with chocolate syrup. 😋

The perfect way to end a delicious yet filling meal is with a nice hot cup of cafe con leche which is simply an espresso with steamed milk. Man, is this good. My parents and I look forward to our cafe con leche before the meal has even started, it's that good. I'm not much of a coffee drinker either but this is my one exception. I just add a couple of sugar packets (sorry marathon coffee drinkers, I'm a wimp LOL) and I'm good to go. 😍

And that's a wrap on my beloved Pio Pio review. I hope I've convinced you to give it a try because trust me, there's a reason it's one of my top 5 restaurants overall. So go...like right now. I'm so serious, drop what you're doing and drive on over. You can thank me later. 😉

FOODIE FAST FACTS:

Service: Sit-down

Type of Food: Latin

Price Range: $12-$20

International Drive Location: 5803 Precision Drive, Orlando, FL 32819

Ocoee Location (yes, I have been to both LOL): 2594 Maguire Road, Suite 13, Ocoee, FL 34761

Menu: click here!

Overall Foodie Girl Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 out of 5

Keep calm and order a Cafe con Leche,

💕xoxo foodie girl

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Food for Thought: "The only thing I like better than talking about food, is eating." -John Walters