Chino Latino

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2916 Hennepin Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55408

612-824-7878

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18 User reviews Write A Review

City Pages
Recommended
BEST PEPPER DISH
Award Winner 2010

Cuisine(s): Korean, Mexican, Seafood, Sushi, Thai, Wine Bar

Hours: Sun-Thu 4:30pm-1am, Fri-Sat 4:30pm-2am

Price: $$
Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards

Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Coat Check

Serving: Dinner, Late Night
Alcohol: Full bar

Reservations: Accepted

Parking: Lot Available

Description

If you're a hot enough country, you're cool enough to have your cuisine represented at red-hot Chino Latino-Mexico, Thailand, Jamaica, Polynesia, Korea, take a bow, you're in! And if you're hot enough to sip powerful, fruity, yummy drinks in a dazzling sort of red-toned Blade Runner sequel of a restaurant, look no further than this two-level style palace. The best dishes on the ever-changing menu tend to be the oversize appetizers dubbed "little dishes to share": Look particularly for mussels, any sort of ceviche, and sushi-grade tuna preparations. Among the big dishes to share, which generally feed three or four people, standouts include the roast cuy, or guinea pig, (more in terms of sheer novelty than flavor, perhaps) and a carne asada do-it-yourself taco plate. Still hot? If the excellent sakes, top-shelf tequilas, first-rate rums, and abundant beer list haven't sated you, there's only one solution: Cool off with a three-flavor banana split the size of a Thanksgiving turkey.

2010 | BEST PEPPER DISH

At Chino Latino, a dish's level of spiciness is measured by small fireworks graphics next to the item on the menu. The Hell Poppers are, according to this system, five fireworks hot. To put this in perspective, that's five times as spicy as any other item on the menu. So if you measure a good pepper on the Scoville scale, Chino Latino has your ticket. In the few fleeting seconds before your mouth goes numb, it's a fresh and delicious bite. But let's be serious. If you're looking for the... More »
2009 | Best Restaurant Bathroom

It's actually not what's on the inside that counts for Chino Latino's restrooms. Within the halls of the mighty porcelain gods, their chrome and white-tile decor is pretty much what you'd expect to find at any modern water closet. It's the outside that captures the heart of a voyeur. The sinks are divided between the men's and women's facilities only by peek-a-boo mirrors that keep both genders on their toes, hygienically speaking. Some women may have expressed dismay at being forced to... More »
2009 | Best Restaurant for Late-Night Dining

Oh, the joys of springtime in Uptown! Melting snow reveals a yard full of dog crap and trash. Bars unleash their patrons on sidewalks and patios, and drunken revelers start shouting matches right outside your door. It's pointless to try to get any shut-eye before two in the morning, so you might as well get out of bed and join 'em at Chino Latino. While Uptown's bar-of-the-decade may be known for its offensive billboards, tropical drinks, and trendy crowds, its dirty little secret is that... More »
2007 | BEST HAPPY HOUR

Traditionally, "happy hour" comes after work: 4:00 p.m. till (if you're lucky) 7:00 p.m., just enough time to dish with co-workers without getting drunk enough to tell them how you really feel. But everyone knows the happiest hours come when the sun goes down--hence the glory that is the late-night happy hour. Twin Cities nightbirds are understandably fond of Figlio's two-dollar wines and mini-entrees. But for a real dusky treat, we recommend looking kitty-corner from that crowded... More »
2004 | BEST COCKTAILS

Chino Latino often gets slammed for being too hipster-friendly, but we don't give a damn about the patronage: If loving a place that sells cocktails that come with umbrellas and plastic monkeys is wrong, we don't want to be right. If you want a boring beer or a simple glass of wine, then by all means go to another, less "trendy" bar. For cocktails, though, you'll want a slightly upscale place to match your lavish glass, and Chino Latino certainly fits the bill. The decor is eye-poppingly... More »
2003 | BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Ever heard of Tio Pepe's taco hole If you care a whit about real Mexican food, you should make it your business to hear of it. Here's the lowdown: Tio Pepe's is a short section on Chino Latino's menu where some of the best Mexican food in the history of the Twin Cities has been appearing. Look here for such hard-to-make dishes as classic lamb barbacoa (chili-braised lamb marinated for two days in a complex blend of guajillo and chipotle chilies, cider vinegar, avocado and bay leaves,... More »
2002 | BEST PUBLIC RESTROOM

A recent study of New York City bathrooms found that of the public restrooms surveyed, 100 percent at subway stations, 91 percent at city parks, and 53 percent at public libraries were in unsanitary condition. The foregoing is by way of pointing out that we've generally got it pretty good in the Twin Cities. That said, Chino Latino goes above and beyond, from the spacious, well-lighted unisex hand-wash area (complete with swiveling mirrors!) to the stalls themselves (entered through doors... More »
2002 | BEST RESTAURANT FOR A FIRST DATE

As soon as you pull up to the valet out front, your intended will know how cool you are: Did they use a casting agency to draft all those broad-shouldered hotties Sheesh. Way to class up a sidewalk. Stroll through the orange air lock toward the host stand and it's like leaving Minneapolis for the weekend, without the troubles that arise when real first dates do that (cf. Shipmates). You'll never get a table straight away, which is perfect, because you'll get to while away an hour over a... More »
2001 | BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Sometimes it's hard to remember what we like most about Chino Latino. Is it the way it gives the Lake Wobegon (go, be gone!) chino-clad neighbors fits It's too much, they complain. Too loud. Too crowded. Too intimidating. And we thought we had better jerk chicken when we were in Jamaica...dear, don't you remember that lovely housemaid Yeah, the pissing-off-the-insecure-neighbor factor, that's probably what we like most. There hasn't been a restaurant opening in memory that has provoked... More »
2000 | BEST RESTAURANT FOR LATE-NIGHT DINING

Living in a city that virtually shuts down at ten on a weeknight can sometimes feel like Exile in Mayberry. A late-night breakup that requires an emergency girlfriend powwow leads you to the grease-laden, open-air psych wards that are the 24-hour chain restaurants. The only place to take your blind date after the movie is your filthy, furniture-free studio apartment (bad idea). Enter Chino Latino: Just walking through the door makes you feel you've just been invited to a cosmopolitan beach... More »

Iron Cocktail Competition starts tonight

By Rachel Hutton | Mon, August 23, 2010

How's this for mixing it up on a Monday night? Ten local bartenders are competing tonight at the 4 Orange Iron Cocktail Competition from 6 to 8 p.m. at Chino Latino, emceed by Seth Bixby Daugherty. ... More »
Chino Latino, Galactic Pizza, and more: The most popular dishes at your favorite restaurants

By Matt Smith | Thu, June 3, 2010

When you go out to eat, do you ever stare at the menu for minutes on end, waffling over what to order? Do you ever wonder if the restaurant's regulars know something you don't? Here's a handy guide to... More »
Minneapolis and St. Paul's midnight snacks

By Rachel Hutton | Wed, September 03, 2008

The other night, well past midnight, I watched with some sadness as a grown man carried a frozen pizza home from the corner gas station. While I sympathize with the occasional craving for shrink-wrapped, cardboard-backed foods, and will even make ... More »
The Late Late Show

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, July 07, 2004

Remember the Mad, Mad Mexican, East Lake Street purveyor of remarkably thin enchiladas and other questionable Southwestern fare? Of course you do, because for years and years it was virtually the only middle-of-the-night alternative to Perkins, E... More »
Emergency Bake Sale

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, December 04, 2002

And speaking of the corner of Lake and Hennepin, everybody who remembers Pam Sherman's bakery on that corner, raise your hand. Now, with your other hand, get out your checkbook, because the time for that non-cynical part of the holidays is upon u... More »
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bmerkl | Louisville, CO | 13 Reviews

| Fri, May 21, 2010

Super awesome. In all ways.
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MatthewE2 | Minneapolis, MN | 1 Reviews

| Mon, April 26, 2010

That Siam Sunray is the Shizzle!!!!!
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revstew | Minneapolis, MN | 2 Reviews

| Sat, August 15, 2009

Great Food and Friendly Atmosphere. A little hard to find but worth it.
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People Who Like Chino Latino

egam88
Boynton Beach, FL
dundun10211
Saint Paul, MN
jawilliams529
Saint Paul, MN
cook0315
Minneapolis, MN
Beth Anne
Minneapolis, MN
venimeux
St Paul, MN
BBrockman76
Hopkins, MN
LarissaG
Minneapolis, MN

Dinner Menu

Little Dishes To Share

$9.00

Chinese Bbq Spare Ribs
in a five-spice honey glaze

$10.00

Tostada De Tinga
smokey spicy chicken on crisp tostadas with queso fresco, sour cream, shredded lettuce

$13.00
With Chorizo $15.00

Queso Fundido
molten cheese with sauteed mushrooms, chile de arbol and chips

$15.00

Pescado Ahumado
mesquite-smoked pacific swordfish tossed in citrus dressing served with a pile of crunchy tortilla chips and creamy guacamole

$10.00

Popocatepe
fries erupting with black beans, queso fresco, guacamole, sour cream, chile de arbol and pico de gallo

$8.00

Chicken Or Vegetable Potstickers
with ginger soy dipping sauce

$11.00

Empanada De Janeiro
brazilian style empanadas stuffed with ground beef, olives and heart of palm

$10.00

Lamma Island Salty Squid
south china sea-style with spicy pepper salt

Beef Tenderloin $18.00
Sesame Ahi Tuna $20.00
Kobe Beef $32.00

Yoshi’s Smokin’ Hot Rock
cook like a ronin, eat like a warlord sear your meat on a japanese river rock

$36.00

Big Kahuna Polynesian Pupu Platter
shrimp rumaki, five spiced ribs, crispy calamari, chicken fried dumplings, crispy chicken wings, and grilled fruit satays for the table

$7.00

Habañero Hell Poppers
diabolically spicy deep fried habañero peppers with a molten habañero cream cheese filling

$12.00

Black Laab
thai lettuce wraps with spicy ground beef, mint, cilantro, sprouts and nuoc cham dipping sauce

$15.00

House Of Wang Salt & Pepper Shrimp
wok-tossed shell on jumbo shrimp with a spicy sichuan pepper salt and plum sauce for dipping

$10.00

Bang Bang Firecracker Wings
crispy sriracha laced chicken wings served with a sesame dressing to cool things down

$15.00

Emperor Puyi’s Chicken Salad
mama puyi’s family recipe of garlic, ginger and red pepper marinated chicken, tossed with napa cabbage, cashews, rice noodles tossed in a sesame-soy dressing

$15.00

Korean Bulgogi Lettuce Cup
marinated and flash grilled kobe beef served with red onion, jasmin rice, ginger-scallion, kimchee, ssamjang

$11.00

Nachos Del Sol
crispy plantain chips topped with black beans, chorizo, queso fresco and pico de gallo

$8.00

Madame Hoa’s Crispy Pork And Crab Rolls
served with thai bbq and sweet and sour sauce

$14.00

Tempura Shrimp Lollipops
spicy thai chile sauce

$14.00

SCREAMING STEAMED MUSSELS
one pound of pei black mussels steamed in red stripe beer, shallots, scallions, jalapeno bacon, tomatoes and finshed with screaming gringo sauce

Tio Pepe's Taco Hole

For 10 $25.00
For 3 $9.00
Ea $4.00

Tacos De Tinga
chicken with chipotle chiles, onions and roasted tomatoes

For 10 $25.00
For 3 $9.00
Ea $4.00

Tacos De Barbacoa
tender oaxacan style chile-braised beef topped with pickled jalapeno and cabbage

Bigger Dishes To Share

$32.00

Carne Asada Ala Moreliana
a platter of slow-cooked beef barbacoa and chipotle spiked chicken tinga served with cuban black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, chile de arbol salsa and fresh corn tortillas

$36.00
Have It Bachelor Size For $18.00

Pinoy Paella
jumbo shrimp, adobo chicken, mussels, chorizo sausage, calamari and saffronannatto rice

$30.00

Coconut Shrimp Curry
shrimp with pineapple, thai red curry and jasmine rice

Whole $32.00
Half $20.00

Montego Bay Jerked Chicken
slow roasted with a grilled pineapple relish, cuban black beans, white rice and fried plantains

Adobo Chicken $11.00
Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin $16.00
Spicy Garlic Freshwater Shrimp $18.00
Spicy Chorizo Sausage $14.00
Argentine Beef Tenderloin $26.00

Argentine Rodizio
build your own meat sword! choose any combination of the following:

$18.00

Baja Beach Shack Fish Tacos
tilapia fillets grilled and served with crunchy jicama slaw, screamin’ gringo hot sauce, guacamole, queso fresco, pico de gallo and fresh corn tortilla

$22.00

Belafonte’s Banana Boat Chicken
crunchy plantain-crusted chicken breast over jasmine rice with a sweet-tart passionfruit sauce and sautéed peppers and onion

$26.00

Cuban Pork Roast Crisis
its an international flavor incident! this delicious slow roasted marinated pork is shredded and set atop jasmine rice and black beans, with a cabbage slaw and surrounded with a blockade of fried bananas

Sides

$5.00

Black Beans And Rice

$5.00

Fried Bananas With Queso Fresco

$5.00

Wok Glazed Green Beans

$5.00

Crispy Fried Plantains

$5.00

Sticky Rice

$14.00

The Three Way - Any 3 Sides
get naughty with any three sides

$5.00

Steamed Jasmine Rice

$5.00

Mexican “elote” Grilled Corn

$5.00

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Street Hawker Skewers

$8.00

Peasant’s Chicken Satay
coconut curry marinated, served with peanut sauce

$8.00

Ocho Rios Jerk Chicken Skewers
mango salsa and screaming gringo hot sauce

$10.00

Chipotle Teriyaki Salmon Satay
pineapple salsa

$10.00

Chipotle Teriyaki Salmon Satay
pineapple salsa

$7.00

Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

$10.00

Nam’s Sugarcaned Prawns
lemongrass, bibb lettuce, rice noodle, nuoc cham, fresno chili and peanut

$10.00

Five Spiced Mountain Lamb S Kewers
mongolian bbq and mint cabbage slaw

From The House Of Wok The Dog

$20.00

Kung Pao Chicken
stir fried with cashews, chiles, szechuan pepper and baby corn

$25.00

The Mad Mongolian Beef
bamboo shoots, broccoli, green onion, shishito peppers in a spicy chili soy sauce and served with fragrant jasmine rice

Vegetable $18.00
Chicken $20.00
Beef $24.00

Chinatown Lo Mein
fresh lo mein noodles wok tossed with onions, carrot, bell pepper, baby corn and straw mushrooms

$20.00

Little Peking White Devil Panda Garden Orange Sesame Chicken
tender crispy chicken, sesame orange sauce, scallion, jasmine rice

$15.00
Chicken $19.00
Shrimp $21.00

Phuket Noodles
pad thai served with rice noodles, tofu, scallion, bean sprouts, egg and peanuts

$10.00
Bbq Pork $16.00
Spicy Shrimp $19.00

That Ho, Chi Minh’s Fried Rice
jasmine rice wok tossed with vegetables, oyster-soy sauce and fried egg

Looking for another city?

Chino Latino

2916 Hennepin Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55408

612-824-7878

Description

2010 | BEST PEPPER DISH

2009 | Best Restaurant Bathroom

2009 | Best Restaurant for Late-Night&nbsp;Dining

2007 | BEST HAPPY HOUR

2004 | BEST COCKTAILS

2003 | BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT

2002 | BEST PUBLIC RESTROOM

2002 | BEST RESTAURANT FOR A FIRST DATE

2001 | BEST NEW RESTAURANT

2000 | BEST RESTAURANT FOR LATE-NIGHT DINING

By Rachel Hutton | Mon, August 23, 2010

By Matt Smith | Thu, June 3, 2010

By Rachel Hutton | Wed, September 03, 2008

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, July 07, 2004

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl | Wed, December 04, 2002

bmerkl | Louisville, CO | 13 Reviews

MatthewE2 | Minneapolis, MN | 1 Reviews

revstew | Minneapolis, MN | 2 Reviews

People Who Like Chino Latino

2009 | Best Restaurant for Late-Night Dining