Chino Latino

I'm so surprised by many of the reviews on this site that I decided to write my own. I've been to Chino at least a dozen times, for both dinner and drinks. I'm typically a big fan, though you should know what you're getting into. Pros: Food, Atmosphere, People-watching Cons: Loud, A bit expensive, Crowded bar more

After hearing about this restaurant for many years...I was eagerly looking forward to an after work get together with a group of co-workers. I wish that I had read these reviews prior to going...I could have saved myself a lot of money and a very dull evening. We had a group of 8 and were seated at a large round table and there we were left for a very long time. It was so noisy we were unable to talk to each other, except for the person sitting right next to you. Our waitress finally arrived to take our drink and appetizer orders, but it was so noisy, that I didn't know what was ordered, so I ended up taking potluck. BIG mistake. I'm not sure what I was eating, but I think it was supposed to be hot, but by the time it arrived, it was lukewarm...so was my iced tea...there was no longer any ice in it. By that time, my head was swimiing with the din and I had been there nearly two hours and was starving, so I politely said my good-byes and ran over to Famous Dave's, where I could at least hear myself think, and ordered ribs and Wilbur beans to go and went home and had a wonderfukl ""picnic"" dinnner with my husband. I have not and I will not ever go back to Chino Latino. Pros: Very trendy place if it's important to you to see anbe seen Cons: Virtually everything else more

I was excited to try this place, but it ended up not being what I expected. The waitstaff was rude and had their noses in the air most of the night. We tried to get our servers attention a few times and she seemed to ignore us while trying to grab the attention of the guy at the other table. The food wasn't as good as I'd hoped, and over priced. We ordered sushi and it was a little stale and fishy. The drinks were fun though. We were there around close, and about 30 min. before it WAS time to close, most employees were giving us the evil eye, and our server told us a few times it was closing time. We felt like very unwanted. Won't be going there agian. Pros: drinks Cons: ANYONE EMPLOYED THERE more

Chino Latino was cool. Our waitress was really nice and pretty attentive even though she was catering to a bunch of tables. Our drinks were really good - I got the one where you get to keep the glass. We started off with the Bulgolgi wraps. They were really tasty but we made a mess but our waitress was cool and brought us hot towels to freshen up for dinner. We had the sushi roll with the spicy tuna in the middle. That wasn't so great because the rice wasn't cooked all the way. I know I'm from SF and am exposed to lots of japanese food, but that sushi was just a mess. It looked good on the plate though.. I can give them that much. Then we had the j3rk chicken. It was humongous! It was a whole chicken with rice, black beans, and plantains. It was really good. We ended up taking most of it home. Overall I'd recommend Chino Latino. Pros: ambiance and drinks Cons: don't get sushi at a place called Chino Latino more

I love this place!!! During happy hour it gets extremely busy (because its one of the best in town- $2-$4 menu). Go- but go early if you want to sit. They have a great dining room and creative delicious menu if you dont want to deal with the crowded bar (but no happy hour prices). Pros: Delicious and Fun! Cons: Parking more

The atmosphere of this place reminds me of my many fave places in NYC, but the service was extremely slow even on a Tuesday. Our waiter (Sean) constantly forgot about us for bigger and more profitable tables and we repeatedly asked for our appetizer which ended up coming last. We finally asked the manager where our food was because after 1 ½ hrs we were ready to leave. Instantly it appeared out of nowhere. Very pricey too and parking was difficult. more

Chino Latino is NOT as good as it is made out to be. If you are looking for a place to go where you will see your immediately rude server only three times during your meal (one to take drink orders, one to take food orders and one for the bill), where your small amount of food is arranged in a cool way for twice what it is worth, where the entire staff act like they are too cool to help you or talk to you and where you won't be seated forever even though you see open tables than Chino Latino is your place. Our server acted like he automatically deserved our money and didnt need to give us good service to get it. I don't think so. I work hard for my money and so should he. Sorry Chino Latino, but you lost at least 10 customers. Pros: neat decor, "trendy" looking Cons: worst service ever, waiting time, not worth money more

I find it strange that so many previous reviews have negative things to say about Chino Latino; I've been there several times and each time was a fun and memorable experience! The food is amazing; a wonderful variety that changes daily. I recommend the paella, scallops, and black laab. Entrees can be large, so ask the server before ordering. Desserts are pricey but excellent; the smores platter is fun and delicious cap to the meal. There is only one way to describe the atmosphere: FUN! People are always laughing and having a great time. The lighting, decor, and general ambiance is unique and simulating. My experiences with the waitstaff have all been positive. Servers are friendly and knowledgable, and the head chef even stopped by my table on a recent trip and asked how the food was. I've never had any problems splitting bills or paying by credit card, either. Pros: amazing food, atmosphere, fun Cons: loud, can get expensive, parking more

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Very cool space but pretty much lacking otherwise! VERY crowded and loud. Make reservations and show up at the same time because you will not be seated until your entire party arrives. Food is quite good, albeit a little spendy. The smores dessert is fun and wonderfully delicious. Pot stickers, satay and sushi are all very good. With groups your best bet is to do the ""tasting menu"" or whatever it is called. $20 per person and, I believe, all you can eat. Otherwise, on weekends, food can take up to 2 hours. SERVICE is VERY MUCH lacking here! They don't like to take more than one credit card, will not do split checks, can not do more than one tab at the table. Also, be aware, Chino adds a 25% gratuity to parties. Yes, REALLY 25% automatic gratuity. Pros: Atmosphere, Drinks, Smores Cons: Service more

When it comes to rating a restaurant, the quality of food is the most important thing. It was terrible. My friend ordered the thai lettuce cup with beef and it smelled like wet dog. The beef had no seasonings in it, just ground beef with lettuce. My boyfriend ordered the enchiladas de pollo and it was very plain. Just chicken and beans with some cheap lettuce shreds on it --- alright if you have no taste buds. The drinks, on the other hand were fun. I got the Crack Ho Mojito, which was a mojito with 3 viles filled with mango puree, raspberry puree, and blackberry puree. Fun, but there are a lot of other places you can go to for good drinks. The place was so loud that my friends and I were covering our ears. The staff were rude and were not blessed with the ability to smile. Pros: fun drinks Cons: tasteless food, noisy in a bad way, expensive more

It's one of my favorite places to go, but sometimes it's like the wait staff is 'too cool' to provide decent service. Last time I went, our waiter informed me and my friend (arrived as our group was getting done dining but still ordering drinks) that it would be 'a really big inconvenience for him to get us drinks/food because he had to stay until our table was done ordering, so if we could get our drinks/food from the bar (across the restaurant from our table), gee that would be great.' It was like we were inconveniencing him to take our order. Like we 'expected' our server to bring us food! My friends informed me that they (table of 4) had already left him a $30+ tip. I used to be a server too and I could never imagine saying something like that to one of my tables. Pros: Wonderful Martinis, good food, trendy Cons: Some HORRIBLE SERVERS more

Whenever there's a special occassion to celebrate, my favorite place to go is Chino Latino. If you're looking for a place to eat that's different, this is it. I love their jerked chicken-it comes on a huge platter that 3-4 people can eat off of. Try the fried ice cream-you won't be disappointed. Valet park too, very handy! Sometimes the staff can lag, but I think their food makes up for it. Reservations are a must, unless you want to wait over 2 hours for a table. Pros: Atmosphere, Crowded Cons: Loud more

My visit to Chino Latino was very anticlimactic after all the great things I've heard. The food was good, but overpriced. My friend and I split a desert which was ridiculously expensive and too small to share. It's loud, but not too loud that you can't hear whoever you're dining with. The tables are too close together though; I think my neighbor was less than three feet away. I was impressed with the wait time. They told me it would be a 35-40 minute wait, but we only ended up waiting 15 minutes (at 9:30 on a Saturday). Pros: Atmosphere, Parking Cons: Overpriced more

I love this place! Stylish decor and a creative menu. I once took my siblings and parents, they are big eaters so the bill got to be a bit expensive. They all had a great time- but my dad did get annoyed with the loud music and my mom had a hard time reading the menu due to the dim lighting. This could have been avoided if I would have reserve a table downstairs. I love Chino Latino! Pros: Trendy, Great Food, Valet parking Cons: Can be Pricy more

I was underwhelmed by this restaurant. Very crowded, full of people ready to be seen. Drinks were very good, food was just average, there are many places I would go back to first. I'd go back if others I was with really wanted to go, but it wasn't my scene. Pros: Drinks, Trendy Cons: Crowded, Food just Average, Loud more

Why would you go here, other than once to try it? Ok, deep breath. First of all this place is LOUD. Not fun, lively, buzzing loud, but howler monkey in your ear loud. Inside it's dark and elbow to elbow crowded with hipsters posing for each other. The waitstaff are snobby and inattentive. They don't know the menu and ours checked on us ONCE the whole time we were there. Food was...eh,ok....except for the sushi which was stale tasting, overdone and AWFUL. Lots of strong sauces to hide the overly fishy taste. EW. Only slightly good thing was the cheap cheap late night stuff, which was not fresh but dirt cheap. Trying to get rid of it before they closed I guess. Pros: cheap late night? Cons: LOUD, crowded, bad food, HORRIBLE SERVICE more

While the food, service and decor were all very good, the spoiler had to do with the fact that my girlfriend was charged $.50 for getting ice in her Margarita. She wasn't even told about this charge when she ordered the drink. According to the server, this additional charge covers an additional shot that's required because of ice being added. Our check had a separate line just for the ice. While $.50 is a small amoutn of money, I'd rather not even know about this ice charge. We'll probably go back, but hopefully management will realize soon that a charge for adding ice to an already overpriced drink is crazy......... more

I was happily surprised with my first experience at Chino. It was indeed crowded, but we were seated quickly since we had a reservation. Everyone from the hostesses to the waitstaff were very friendly. The menu isn't pricey when you consider 4 people can eat from one entree. Our bill ended up being about $30 per person. That included several drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 deserts. I definitely will go there again, but only with a reservation. Also, valet park!! Pros: Hip, Unique Food, Great People-Watching more

Still going strong after what ... 5 years? A good place to get together with a group. The menu is creative (I've tried most everything and it's all pretty solid) and the service is average to above average. Fun cocktails make it a nice place to take a date. It does get loud, so don't go if you're looking for a nice quiet dinner. Pros: Fun Cocktails, Creative Menu more