Chino Latino

09/12/10

I am sure there are other better places

by Bandzii at Citysearch

I am sure there got to be other better places in Minneapolis for a date night. So lets be fair and talk about it. The food was not bad. It depends a lot on what you order. If you happen to order the Shrimp Tempura version of Chino Latino, you will be in heaven. It was just mind blowing. However if you happen to make the mistake of order a the nachos, you will suck yourself to death. Now I am sure there are other great dishes to order. Their sushi was good.

However my problem was with the noise. If you are taking your GF out and hate to speak to her, this is the place. Its extremely loud, trashy and even if you 2 stand close to each other, you literally need to shout. Unfortunately I like my GF a lot to talk to her. So this was definitely not the ideal place.

By the way, we aware of a tradition in Chino Latino. Not sure what it is but you will find groups of people wearing head bands, drinking shots and screaming. Wow, I thought the college days were over. All the best.

08/18/10

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

by NoCL at Citysearch

Looking to prepare your own food, sift through pretentiously titled entrees, endure bad service, choke down mediocre food and navigate an unnecessarily co-ed bathroom? Try Chino Latino. Actual quote from our waiter as he delivered our beef appetizer: "Ever eaten this before? No? Well you just take the largest, outside piece of the iceberg lettuce, place a piece of beef, some kimchi, and spread some seared red onions inside, wrap it up, tie it with some parsley sprig we have supplied here and eat it." Wait what was the third step again? I felt like I needed a pen and paper. The couple next to me was struggling to assemble their "Tapas del Sol" or some such nonsense with little success. The "Crispy Saigon Rolls" (read: egg rolls) were over sized take-out chinese egg rolls with sauce clearly poured out of a gallon bottle that you had to wrap for some reason in lettuce and wilted, browned sprouts to "enjoy". Examining some other items, could we drop the facade and just describe the food? "Snoop Dog's Smoked Salmon Rolls" is a Philly Roll, pure and simple. "Popocatepe" is french fries served with nacho fixings. "Lamma Island Salty Squid" is fried calamari.

Further, could we get some noise control? Thank god my wife and I have known each other a while and can predict each other's thoughts and feelings because I couldn't hear more than one out of every nine or ten words. Good luck those of you on a first date; don't expect a second if your'e at Chino Latino.

Let's tackle the bathrooms: Is there a reason I'm paying $110 a meal to piss in a trough? It's not 1985 and I'm not at a Twins game. So why am I spending time trying to avoid crossing streams with the drunken insurance adjuster next to me? Also, when I walk into a tiled room with 19 women drying their hands you can't blame me for assuming I'm in the women's bathroom. I shouldn't need a map and wet wipes to use your bathroom, folks.

Bottom line? Wow, you can do so much better in every part of the metro for that money. Avoid Chino Latino at all costs.

06/10/10

Cute kick it spot with the girls!

by Love00 at Citysearch

This is a great spot to go to an kick it with the girls. It's a nice spot in the heart of uptown minneapolis. The food is delish! It's a little spendy depending on what you get. One food that I don't recommend to get would be the plantanes. . . .but I did LOVE the spare ribs that they serve in the honey bbq glaze and the deep fried snickers with ice cream. At the end of the day it's a decent spot to go to!

• Pros: Nummy Food. Good Drinks. Great portions to share
• Cons: A little spendy for some of the food that are appetizers

06/28/09

Like standing a hundred feet next to a rocket launch.

by pollysigh at Citysearch

Four of us ate here last night. The food and service were very good. This little review, however, will be devoted to the absurd and inexcusable cacophony. We've been to many loud restaurants in the TC, but this is the prizewinner in that dubious category. I watched the wait staff cope with it by bending over close to diners in an attempt to hear them. We even had one of the better, sound-wise, tables near the front, yet we spent the entire (otherwise enjoyable) meal yelling at each other. I'd like to know if some study has been done which establishes a positive correlation between decibel level and revenue, or between decible level and a "good time". Do restaurant consultants recommend this? If they do, it must be with the confidence that they won't have to eat in such places. I have no doubt this pervasive problem doesn't bother many people, although I'd certainly like to know how they communicate. This is a nationwide problem - not equal in importance to, say, American health care or Pentagon expenditures - but serious enough for anyone who likes dining at fine food establishments but also likes to converse and not be concerned about being deaf at a later age. For god's sake, this isn't a rock concert! It's just a restaurant. Surely, some soundproofing measures would reduce neither income nor the perception of enjoyment.

• Pros: very good food
• Cons: conversation impossible and hearing loss

06/05/09

Nice But Overpriced

by giancarlocan at Citysearch

I went with some friends and had a good time, unfortunately, the service was pretty poor. The food was okay, but the drinks were WAY too overpriced.

• Pros: Looks good, clean
• Cons: Poor service, expensive