Chino Latino

Chino Latino
2916 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
http://www.chinolatino.com/
Cuisine: Street Food from Hot Zones - Asian, Spanish, & Sushi
Atmosphere: Trendy
Cost: $17-22

Split Meal Rating: 5 out 10


Liliya's Review -

I had been coming here for years to for a late night drink and finally decided to try their food after hearing people rave about it. My first visit here I tried the Kung Pao chicken and "Ah Phuket" Fried Noodles off of the dinner menu. I found the Kung Pao to be extremely bland and boring. Yes, there were huge chunks of vegetables (mainly green and red peppers) in some kind of sauce, but they weren’t easy to eat nor did they taste very good. The chicken itself didn’t seem like it had any seasoning on it at all. The “Ah Phuket” Fried Noodles, the Pad Thai of Chino Latino were a little better and did taste slightly authentic to me. The noodles came with huge chunks of eggs and lots of vegetables and were pretty good but greasy. My second visit was for a Happy Hour. I sampled all of the 4:30 to 7:00 happy hour dishes. My favorites were the Samurai Tuna Rolls and the Roasted Poblano Fundido. The Tuna Rolls were delicious and fresh with pretty large chunks of tuna and avocados. The Poblano Fundido was great too (but you can’t really go wrong with melted cheese and chips in my opinion). Overall, I found Chino Latino falling short of its hyped up reputation. I found their food to be bland and I think the bar itself is very crowded and noisy. That being said it is a great place to go with a large group, their large dishes and diverse range of cocktails make a great atmosphere for mingling but I would not recommend coming here on a date.

Recommended to Couples: For Happy Hour and if you want to share something for dinner. The portions are huge and great to share, but definitely not a great choice for a first date when you’re trying to get to know someone.

Recommended Appetizer: Samurai Tuna Roll. It’s nothing special but for $5 definitely worth it.

Recommended Entrée: None. Since I haven’t had any particularly good entrees there I would recommend getting a bunch of little plates to share that way you can sample some of everything.

Dining Atmosphere: Busy and crowded.

Service and Staff: Service is decent, staff is good at recommending unique drinks off the menu to liven up your group outing.

Not Recommended if: You want anything authentic. Although Chino’s has some Asian, some Mexican some sushi none are very impressive.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Soda's Review -

Chino Latino’s is a great looking venue with good happy hours and wonderful drinks. If you ever go there, try the “Donkey Punch”, it’s similar to a Mai Tai but doesn’t give you too much gut right. Don’t go for the “Chino” food, it’s not very good. The “Ah Phuket” Noodles, there version of the Pad Thai, and Kung Pao dishes are very generic and they don’t come close. The flavors are off quite a bit. It’s a bit more tangy than tasty. However, the sushi and “Latino” part of the menu are good so it’s not all bad. If they stuck with the Spanish flare and dumped the want to be Asian fusion they would even be busier and trendier than they already are!

Recommended to Couples: To new couples this is a good spot. Also couples looking for a 3rd person…I’ll leave it at that. I think this is more of a group or singles bar. Guys, if you’re on a first date and want to pretend you are living the “highlife”, take your date here that’s what most men do.

Recommended Appetizer: Empanada De Janeiro - Brazilian style empanadas stuffed with ground beef, olive and heart of palm.

Recommended Entrée: Coconut Shrimp Curry.

Dining Atmosphere: Trendy.

Service and Staff: Good, not great…it’s a busy place!

Not Recommended If: You want good food or something private.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5