Chino

It is hard to find good Mexican restaurants in Hong Kong. But this is restaurant tops my favorite place for a meal. The restaurant serves Mexican favorites with a creative twist. Think Wagyu beef tacos and corn on the cob with parmesan cheese. I just wish they would serve more tortillas for the pulled pork. They are tiny and only come 5 in a basket. After a couple of baskets, they start to charge you $ 10 per tortilla, which is hefty! Extensive drink menu. No reservations so go early. Be prepared to pay a bit for the food!
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Review #165

This is a fantastic new addition to the HK restaurant scene. To be eating Mexican food with chopsticks is rather novel to say the least!
We asked the waiter to recommend what we should have and he didnt lead us astray — we had corn chips with guacamole — very good, mushroom and shredded lettuce — amazing, chicken and egg tortilla — very good, pork taco’s — very nice, fish taco’s — unbelievably amazing, corn on the cob– excellent.
The waiters gave us some of the best service we have had in a HK restaurant — they were friendly, knowledgable without being pushy
We can’t wait to go again — the only thing i dont like is that you can’t book, which i personally detest especially for dinner– especially given that the restaurant is small. They are no alone in no booking and its becoming an unwelcome trend in HK

If you are craving for mexicans in the kong and don’t mind the lack of authenticity, I would recommend this joint. They are packed most of the time so please make reservation. Good experience overall.

Got there on a rainy night with a friend so the wait wasn’t too long. The food came out in all sorts of timing. They made a batch of one dish it call out to the different tables and etc. Cocktails were good but too sweet. Probably skip the cocktails. Good for 2 – 4 people. Wouldn’t recommend a big table but we definitely saw big groups waiting. Good food, a bit pricey but it’s a fun place to go once in a while.

Holy Guacs! A gem for Mex flavors in the newly reborn Hong Kong’s K-​town.
When I lived in HK, this area was only for those who loved the smell of fish markets. Now, a growing haven for unique dining concepts, it’s home to this delectable little Japanese-​inspired [Tex?] Mex spot. Went with a friend, ordered almost everything, and licked every.plate.clean!
The roasted onion & cumin salsa reminded me a little of an Indian curry base and was delish. Other favs were crispy fish tacos, lobster tostadas (and I don’t even like lobster!) and the chilaquiles. Mmmmm… still dreaming of them.
I live in NYC, so one would wonder how Mex food elsewhere [and that too so far east] can impress. But, boy it did. And I can’t wait to return. Hi-​five Chino-​licious!

It’s a gimmick… I expect something better. Personally I don’t quite think the Mexican /​Japanese fusion goes well. The mayo corn was not hot and lame. The narchos were no surprise and plain. The quesadilla was such a disappointment that it was not hot nor juicy… it’s just plain… we haven’t book and was able to get a seat that evening, guess the heap has gone.

I visit Hong Kong frequently for work, and am always searching for some new restaurants to try, and places to explore, which led me to Chino. I made the trek out on the MTR, and walked the sleepy evening streets in K-​Town, which was a completely refreshing change from the hustle and bustle around Central.
Location:
It was also nice being right on the waterfront, which I imagine is great during Summer evenings. As I walked down New Praya towards North Street, I came up on a striking floor to ceiling glass box with a bold, black/​white Aaron Dela Cruz piece that reminded immediately of La Brea in LA. Already things were looking up.
Seating/​Wait:
We came in a little later which made a table for 5 much easier to pull off on a Friday night. The place slows down after around 9pm, which is a nice time to sneak in for a late dinner. We had about a 30 minute wait, and decided to walk down the street to some pubs on Davis to grab a quick beer. The staff was completely friendly, and even called us when our table was ready, even with a US number.
Ambience:
The feature wall does a lot to really capture the vibe of LA. Anyone who’s been down La Brea and hit up the shops there will immediately recognize Aaron’s work. The music selection was good too, hearing some Ice Cube, «Today Was A Good Day» pretty much set the tone for me to have a good experience.
Food:
We kept them chips flowing, and tried a few of the dips. You can’t go wrong with the Salsa Fresca aka Pico De Gallo, or Guac — but hands down my favorite is the Shiso and Vinegar dipping sauce, so good.
Our group pretty much ordered the entire menu. Everything was absolutely delicious, but the ones that immediately stuck out to the group were the Fish Taco, which my colleague, who is a west coast guy, like me, made the bold claim that they were «The best fish tacos I have ever had». Now, growing up around a lot of authentic mexican restaurants of all regions, that is a bold claim, but I will go ahead and agree with him. The batter was light and airy, and the fish had a really delicate but pronounced flavor at the same time. The spicy kewpie was a perfect touch.
The shrimp tostadas, chicken/​egg tostada, corn, all killed it. Don’t be fooled by the small portions, they will add up, and you will be leaving there quite satisfied. Don’t slow play your order though, double up on a couple during ordering and you’ll be straight for the evening.
Presentation:
Chef Erik doesn’t play around. I watched him eye the staff, making sure the dishes come out absolutely perfect, and if they weren’t, I saw him refuse to let it pass to the service team. You’re not only getting a perfectly cooked meal, you are getting his years of experience cooking at a very high level at some of the world’s best restaurants. That means presentation is as important as taste.
On The Fence?
If you visit Hong Kong and have a «usual» list of places you always visit, venture out and try something new. This place is the real deal. If you’ve got a hot date and you want a spot with good vibes, this is it. Not to mention the area is perfect for a romantic walk near the water after dinner.
Last note: Business travelers be advised — They don’t take Amex, but whatever, use your Visa and expense that sh*t. The food is worth it.

Food is good, but hard to justify the high prices for such small portions.
Shared a bunch of dishes on a Sunday afternoon. Couldn’t believe the prices were for a single taco and that they were small tacos on top of that! The fried rice with egg (sans chorizo) was the highlight: great flavor and spice.
Overall, I’d say 3.5 stats is more appropriate due to the $$$$ that I’m not sure is fully warranted, but alas I’ll round up as the food was decent enough and service was surprisingly good (esp by HK standards); although, I would really have to be coaxed into going back — maybe for a small meal but definitely not if I were starving.

Legit delicious food at a premium price = Chino.
I was super excited to hear that a fellow ABC had decided to open up shop in the new hip area of Ktown and featuring fusion Mexican food. I finally decided to pay Chino a visit and it was well worth the trek (not that bad especially with the new MTR line now in service).
They don’t accept reservations so it’s walk in only, and on a busy Saturday evening our wait was about 45 minutes. It was acceptable as there were a few bar options nearby to wait.
Once entering, its very modern industrial which I love– decorated in concrete black and wood. Loved the mural/​wall art as well. The staff was exceptional in greeting, explaining and recommending dishes. 5 stars to all of them. Only downfall was that because its so modern and minimalistic, sound travels easily, and we were stuck between 2 really loud groups that were pretty much shouting. I ended up pretty much listening to other people’s conversations. To the lady bitching about her boss at her bank– thank you for that. I will be sure not to work for them :)
OK, on to the food– excellent.
We started with the chips and salsa– had the fresca (which is pretty much pico de gallo) and the shiso tomato. The shiso was outstanding borderline addicting. The tang from the vinegar and the freshness from the leaf was excellent.
Next came the spicy mexican corn. It was a party in my mouth. Sweet grilled corn slatered with spicy chipotle kewpie and cojita cheese. It was a bit overwhelming for me after a while with the sauce, very smokey.
Tacos: Pork and Pineapple with lime and guacamole– this was my favorite. Delicious balance in flavor and taste. 5 stars. Also tried the fish taco as I am obsessed with fish tacos coming from SoCal. Good effort. I still enjoy the tangy white sauce but again the smokey chipotle kewpie sauce came back to haunt me.
Star of the night: Crispy Quail recommended by our server. Dude, this was bomb. Not usually a quail fan, but this was marinated and seasoned to perfection. A bit oily, but still very good. Very rare in the middle, but super tender. Give it a shot, I can see why our waiter recommended this.
All in all, very good food and excellent service. Will come again.