Chino Kennedy Town – Mexican food with a Japanese twist in Hong Kong

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We hardly ever leave Wan Chai when it comes time to find a place to eat dinner. In Wan Chai alone, there are so many ridiculously good restaurants, we actually find ourselves getting lazy, thinking that even Causeway Bay (only a 15-min walk away) feels too far away some nights.

Having said that, we make a huge exception when it comes to Mexican food. There is a dearth of good Mexican food in Hong Kong. This is why we were thrilled when we discovered great Mexican food in Kennedy Town, despite the fact that it was (*gasp*) a whole six stops away on the subway.

We fell in love with the food at Chino the first time we visited. Chef Erik Idos grew up in Los Angeles (just like Bryan!) and was surrounded by really good Mexican food ever since he was a kid. He later trained at Nobu (California, New York, and Hong Kong) for eight years before opening his own place.

Chino considers itself a “modern Mexican style restaurant inspired by Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques.” We enjoyed the creative blend of the two cuisines – marrying Mexican bold flavors with top notch Japanese ingredients (and flavors).

Drinks

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Chino specializes in tequilas and mezcals and has a formidable list of them to try. We tried an interesting flight of three different mezcals. They also have some pretty fun locally brewed beers.

Starters

Bryan loves guacamole and I love anything that reminds me of sushi, including ceviche. The guac here is excellent but they don’t give you a lot, so if you only order one you may be fighting for it. 😉

Other starters are flavorful and creative, taking in quite some influence from Japanese cuisine.

Tostadas

The tostadas are delicious but really small. Despite costing HKD 50 to HKD 90 each, they can essentially be eaten in one (large) bite. They won’t fill you up alone, so definitely plan to order some other stuff.

Tacos

The tacos are excellent here and we’ve tried many of them. They are Bryan’s favorite thing to eat here. In fact, the second time we came back, he said he didn’t want any tostados and only wanted minimal starters so that he could order mostly tacos.

Main Dishes

General Thoughts – Chino Kennedy Town

We really enjoy Chino. It is worth the “trek” out to Kennedy Town in order to get this level of Mexican food. Aside from 11 Westside (also in Kennedy Town), we have not found any other places that reach this level of quality. The vibe is fun, the food is excellent, and the service is good.

It is on the pricy side, mostly because the portion sizes are small, and thus you do need to order several things. However, the quality of the ingredients is very high and the flavors are great.

Clearly Chino is doing something right. They have been going strong in Hong Kong since 2014 (not an easy feat in such a competitive restaurant market!) and have now opened a second location in Manila, Philippines.

Definitely recommended!

Chino Kennedy Town Hong Kong
1B-1C New Praya 堅尼地城新海旁1B-1C
Located on the corner of North Street (北街交界)
Kennedy Town, Hong Kong

11 Westside Kennedy Town
Nobu miso black cod
Mastuhisa (Nobu) Los Angeles