Po-Yo Peruvian in Danbury: Empire of the Incas Owner Opens Pollo a la Brasa Focused Spinoff

Chicken-n-beer may be the title of a 2003 Ludacris album, but it’s also a spinoff concept brought to you by a Danbury mainstay, Empire of the Incas and owner David Aliaga.

At Po-Yo, the savory focus should be easily guessed is you’re familiar with Peruvian cuisine and one of its popular dishes, pollo a la brasa. We even dig that the restaurant’s name teaches the masses how to properly pronounce “POLLO,” although, those who’ve watched enough Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are likely well-versed in its pronunciation.

Fresh popped popcorn is gratis for every party. To the right are all of Po-Yo’s homemade sauces, including that aji verde, aka green sauce, we all love so much.

Early lunch with my friends, Renato + Alicia. Aliaga says that right around dinnertime, roast chickens are literally flying out the door for takeout.

“We’re trying a new concept for a few reasons, one being that people say our chicken is so great,” Aliaga explains. “This also helps us out because at the other place (Empire of the Incas) we have a small kitchen. This enables us to have a better service and a bigger, better place to cook our chicken.”

Because of the popularity of Empire’s pollo a al brasa—seriously, they sell 300-400 whole chickens in a couple days—they decided to model an entire menu after it. It’s also a dish that Aliaga is proud of since he has worked on it since he opened Empire of the Incas in 2005.

No, that’s not a blurry photo! That’s a Two Roads Honeyspot Road IPA in a mug so frosty that ice chips are falling off it. The “beer” part of Po-Yo’s chicken + beer concept focuses on mainstream brews amongst some local craft selections, and a few craft O.G.s like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Goose Island IPA. They keep a Peruvian lager, Cusqueña around in bottles, too.

“All Dat & A Bag Of Chips” is a shredded pollo a la brasa chicken cheesesteak with avocado, bacon, onion, tomatoes, mixed greens, cheddar + provolone, and yellow pepper sauce. And it does come with a bag of Lay’s.

“The dressing (marinade) is my recipe that I’ve been altering since 2005 and I finally got it to where I like it after changing it about 20 times,” Aliaga says. “For 18 years I’ve been letting friends and family try it, and even as recently as a few weeks ago I tried something new in it. The chicken sits in the marinade for two days, sometimes three, then we cook it for two hours between 350° and 400°, switching the chickens to different levels of the rotisserie.”

Po-Yo, though, is very different from its almost 18-year-old big sister. It’s a little more casual. It’s way funkier, too, with its pastel colored paintjob and its old school hip-hop and R&B playlist bumping from the speakers.

David Aliaga spent some time in Port Chester when he came to the U.S. from Huancayo, Peru. He previously owned a Spanish delicatessen in Port Chester, a landscaping business, then he purchased a cab company and turned it into the village’s first 24-hour, Spanish and English speaking taxi service. He and his family moved to Newtown, Connecticut in 2000.

And the most glaring difference between the two is Po-Yo’s nontraditional Peruvian approach. Wait, so they do serve their traditional pollo a la brasa with two sides, but that’s where it ends. If you want ceviche (Peru’s actual national dish), lomo saltado, or papa a la huancaína, you can walk up the street for all of that and then some.

As previously mentioned, Po-Yo features pollo a la brasa in nearly everything, except for a vegetarian quinoa bowl, mac & cheese (that could come topped with chicken), and nachos that come with shredded pollo a la brasa, but I’m sure if you wanted it minus the cluck they could make that happen.

Classic pollo a la brasa available in 1/4 or 1/2 portions and served with two sides of your choice. Yucca fries, cheese fries, tostones, rice, and beans are some to choose from.

All else at Po-Yo, like the chicken tacos, a chicken “cheesesteak,” and the Queso-Chill-Ah (basically a Crunchwrap stuffed with Doritos, avocado, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, chipotle sauce, and cheddar) are all sinfully delicious indulgences. “Radioactive Wings” are also popular, though they’re not pollo a la brasa-based, but rather fried wings tossed in Po-Yo’s creamy, spicy green sauce.

Get here for some of the juiciest pollo a la brasa you’ve ever had, with marinade that permeates through each bird’s dark brown skin and eat it as it’s intended to be eaten…with your hands. But definitely grab some of their funkier, hipper fare, especially that Crunchwrap. You won’t be disappointed.

274 Main Street; Danbury
203.616.5152; po-yo.com