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Ay Papa Que Rico

4.6 (404 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Order Ay Papa Que Rico Takeout or Delivery

Ay Papa Que Rico Photos

Business Info

AY PAPA QUE RICO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Happy hour specials

Recommended Reviews - Ay Papa Que Rico

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Reviews With Photos

Lydia V.

Popped in for a quick early dinner. I was confused by the name because on the outside the restaurant says. El Pollo Riko and on yelp the name is something else as you can see in my post. I remember coming to this restaurant in 2021 shortly after they opened and I decided to come back and see what's new. This restaurant offers a variety of food, influenced by Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Cuba... Oh, and of course the US. Their bread and butter is the charbroiled chicken that usually comes with a side of rice and beans, tortillas, and red and green salsa. They have other things on the menu, such as a good variety of sandwiches, including Cuban sandwich, appetizers, such as potato balls stuffed with ground beef, yuca, fries, green, fried plantains, and ripened plantains also known as maduros. The restaurant also offers other things like a plate with ribeye steak, rope of vieja, which is a Cuban dish, and ribs. They have a wide selection of sides, beverages, and desserts. The restaurant is nice and clean. There is plenty of seating for large and small parties. The bathroom was pretty clean as well, but you do need a code to get in. The wait staff was very attentive and offered to explain the dishes and offer suggestions. I spoke to Adrian, who was very nice. This business is a family owned business local to Bakersfield. I ordered the half chicken with yellow rice and black beans. The black beans were exactly like my ex father-in-law's who was Cuban. I ordered a side of the maduros and also ordered ham croquettes -- the ham croquettes were amazing! The chicken was delicious and included a wing, thigh, drumstick, and a breast with the rib bones. The chicken was so delicious and tasted fresh. The skin was charbroiled, so I got some crunchy bits in there, overall it was a good portion and easily shareable, especially if you get appetizers and extra sides. I am definitely going back to try other things such as the stuffed potato balls, Cuban sandwich, and the ribs. There is so much more to try, additionally the restaurant serves Salvadoran and Argentinian sausages. Enjoy!

Dining area
John H.

We recently had an Elite Event at this place. I raved about it so much I had to take my wife. She ordered us the half-chicken. You get both rice and beans. It's plenty of food for both of us. The chicken was delicious. The food took a few minutes longer than expected to come out, but that was because they cook it right. After tasting it, we didn't mind the extra few minutes wait. The dining area is comfortable. It could have been a few degrees warmer. It was a cold day. All-in-all it's an awesome place for lunch. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Oscar B.

Delicious food, my friends and I were driving past going to yosemite and my friends were telling me this place is a must try! Just finished eating and it was amazing! Definitely coming back next time I'm driving through:)

Elocin T.

i like the food taste, decor is interesting and lighting is very dim, though I know they are trying to create a certain ambience. Menu listing is very confusing in my opinion. There are lot of foods selection and I wish I had more patience because looking at other peoples foods I wish I ordered those items, not to say what we ordered didn't taste good.

Some Jamaica with lunch.
Rodney B.

Had to visit Pollo Riko again, since the last Yelp event. It didn't disappoint. Wish I would've remembered to try the sausage sandwich but overall the meal was very good. The Cubanos are huge and you can easily split one, especially if you add a side. The fries, which are always my go to side, were perfectly cooked McDonald's style fries. I feel they were a little lacking on the seasoning but overall good with their green salsa. The green salsa can go on anything. The place as picking up for lunch but mainly for to-go orders. The BBQ was definitely going because it was a little toasty inside, but it didn't help on a sunny/muggy windy Bakersfield day. You definitely get what you pay for. You aren't short changed on the food and it is made to order, which is always a plus for any restaurant. Definitely will be returning and trying a few other things. Sausage platter, sausage sandwich, the potato balls (Reminiscent of Porto's in San Fernando) and the plantains for sure.

Mike C.

Great food Great service...would love to have one closer to home everything cooked to perfection....looking forward for a return visit

Sign
Michelle G.

Flavorful chicken and rice and beans. Great owner and staff will help you decide what you want on their mexican with a little cubano influence. You can get potato balls and guava strudel (think Portos). Great flavor and staff. With the mesquite grill is can get hot inside but it feels nice in colder months.

Sampler
Mike B.

Another great visit and another great meal !!! Luanna was our server today and she was awesome!!! Very attentive and great personality!!! Food as always was great , and portions were plentiful!! If you haven't come here , you are definitely missing out!

Miguel A.

This place is amazing. Best chicken I've had. Every bite was juicy and cooked to perfection. This is definitely my go to spot and talk about hospitality... I went right after a gym session and the owner himself came out to great me and made sure everything was 100 percent to my liking. Perfect place for a date night, work outing or family dinner. Only took a picture of these two pieces left of my meal because I ate the rest of it but had to stop and do a review

Kaelyn R.

Stopped here on the way to Norcal. Loved their chicken burrito. It was filled with their juicy chicken. Beans and rice were well seasoned. Was looking forward to the yucca fries but they were overly salted. Burrito bowl was just okay. Not shown but the cheese empanadas were great and came out oozing hot. Lots of seating. Noticed most people take out. Quick service.

Half a chicken combo with rice and black beans

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29 days ago

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1 month ago

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30 days ago

The food was amazing!! I loved the mac and cheese as well as the chicken and green salsa. The owner is so sweet, will definitely get again !

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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2 months ago

This place reminds me of el pollo loco but way way better. The chicken was really juicy and seasoned perfectly.

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6 months ago

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11 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 month ago

The Best service and bbq spot in Bakersfield. Everything was fresh and delicious. Thankyou EL POLLO RICO

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2 months ago

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5 months ago

We catered el Pollo Riko for a birthday. The food was delicious & offered a great variety of options.

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4 months ago

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1 year ago

Business owner information

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Adrian B.

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Ay Papa Que Rico Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Ay Papa Que Rico

Mama Roomba - Sweet Potato Fries!

Mama Roomba

3.9(578 reviews)
2.7 mi
$$

Mama Roomba is a fun place to eat. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and our server was very…read morefriendly. We had empenadas, jerk chicken, arepas, fried shrimp, and a side of beans with plantains. It was all pretty good, but nothing really blew me away. I really like the jerk sauce on the chicken, but the chicken itself was just a slow cooked breast without much flavor or texture. The arepas were just cornmeal and cheese, without any of the other ingredients I've usually seen in the past (although they did come with a tasty green salsa). I think my favorite item was the salt and pepper shrimp, which had a really good flavor. Plantains and beans are also delicious. There were a few other dishes we wanted to try, such as the ceviche, but unfortunately they were out of it that night. I would come back again to try some other dishes in the future.

There's something special about Momma Roomba. With friendly service and a Guy Fieri stamp of…read moreapproval (see photos) this spot fits perfectly into the "dive" category in the best possible way. We kicked things off with their signature mojitos, a bargain at just $9 each. Ordered tapas-style and were blown away by the delicious beef empanadas (3), served with a rich, succulent dipping sauce carrying subtle hints of clove and nutmeg. The sweet potato fries arrived hot, crispy, and paired with a spicy sauce that was pure YUM. The complimentary bread tasted just like it came fresh from our local Pyrenees Bakery. For the finale, we enjoyed the grilled sea bass, served atop a flavorful onion-tomato medley of pure yumminess, complete with half a dozen shrimp. A fantastic finish to a memorable meal.

Photos
Mama Roomba - Interior dining, bar area seating through the doorway.

Interior dining, bar area seating through the doorway.

Mama Roomba - BE with raisins

BE with raisins

Mama Roomba - Pineapple Cuban Bellini

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Pineapple Cuban Bellini

Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen - The flavor of jerk chicken is bomb. Really tasty. The cabbage stuff surprised my taste buds. A must try.

Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen

4.8(525 reviews)
1.3 mi
$$

Wow what a gem of a place. We came here years ago and honestly just such nice food and people. So…read moregood that we remembered it and came back when we were in the area. We got their jerk chicken and curry chicken plate. The red beans and rice were great and each of the chicken flavors were fantastic. This time, it came with a double portion of stewed cabbage rather than plantains and collard greens but they were so flavorful. All this food and a canned drink for $10, an unchanged price since 2018 is such a shock for this level of high quality food. 100% support this awesome local business.

Excellent Jamaican food kiosk in a shopping mall parking lot! My husband and I were driving through…read moreBakersfield and wanted to stop for lunch. Barrington's fits the bill for a casual stop for good value! We came Saturday afternoon around 12 and I got the chicken curry and jerk chicken combo with rice, cabbage, and plantains for $10. What a steal! I really enjoyed the chicken curry which was a fall of the bone drumstick with amazing flavor. The jerk chicken was not as flavorful and not as tender. I would skip this next time. My husband got the combo of oxtail and goat curry, which we were told wouldn't be ready for 30 minutes. We came back around for his combo which cost a bit more ~$16. He loved the oxtail but though the goat curry fell a bit short. Overall, great value and good food. Get the chicken curry & oxtail (weekends)!

Photos
Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen
Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen - Jerk chicken plate.

Jerk chicken plate.

Barrington's Jamaican Kitchen - Goat Combo

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Goat Combo

Ay Papa Que Rico - latin - Updated May 2026

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