Bryan grew up in Southern California, only a couple hours away from Mexico. It’s one of his favorite cuisines, and (sadly), there’s not that much of it in Hong Kong. Sure, we love the delicious (but pricey) tacos at 11 Westside and the Japanese-Mexican fare at Chino. However, both of those places have historically been difficult to book, and Kennedy Town is still a bit far from us.
Lately, we’ve found a new favorite that’s much, much closer, cheaper, and still delicious. Introducing Studio City by Cali-Mex, a new higher-end Mexican concept by the same folks who brought us Cali-Mex, the fast-casual burrito spot with locations around the city.
To be perfectly honest, Cali-Mex is only OK. For Bryan, it satisfies his cravings from Mexican food and he still gets in on occasion, but he doesn’t love their burritos. As such, we weren’t sure what we would think of Studio City by Cali-Mex.
We were pleasantly surprised! We visited their Causeway Bay location (right in Fashion Walk area) and met up with a friend for dinner and drinks.
Tacos & Quesadillas
The Charcoal Grilled Beef & Poblano Quesadillas ($138) came with two salsas that packed a punch. The food was satisfying to eat and overall quite tasty.
I personally thought the batter on the Baja fish tacos was a bit too thick (it’s just not my favorite style), but it was serviceable overall. Studio City’s version comes with chipotle slaw and salsa macha.
Meats
The Pollo Borracho ($288) was the star of the show. Grade A French yellow chicken is cooked in Mexican beer and then roasted over charcoal fire. I don’t know what they do, but the result was fantastic. The meat was oh-so-tender while the charcoal fired outside was flavorful and utterly addictive. After that first time, we have ordered take-out from Studio City on a regular basis, and we always order the chicken.
Another favorite that we’ve had subsequently is the Tuna Tostada ($128), a huge crispy tostada topped with raw tuna, avocado, jalapeños, pickled onions, and a soy dressing.
If we want a healthy option, we’ll order anything with spinach. They use A LOT of cooked spinach, and those dishes are still pretty tasty. We’ve tried both the Spinach Quesadilla and the Nachos Grande with Spinach & Mushrooms.
Studio City Causeway Bay – General Thoughts
All in all, we’ve been loving this place because the food is good, and it’s close enough to our home that they deliver to Wan Chai! It’s been so great to have, especially during these pandemic times. Our go-to delivery order during pandemic times is the Pollo Borracho, Tuna Tostada, and some sort of nachos.
This seems to be a new concept that they are still testing. There are currently 9 different Cali-Mex locations throughout Hong Kong, while there is only this single Studio City in Causeway Bay. Hopefully this new concept is successful, so they can open it in more locations!
Studio City by Cali-Mex
Shop C, Ground Floor,
50-56 Paterson Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
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