Restaurant Alert: Chino's is Opening in Capitol Hill
Wondering about the vacant space formerly occupied by Oasis on Pike? Seattlest has confirmed that Chino's, a cocktail bar with small bites inspired by the owners' cultural background from the streets of Los Angeles, will be moving in in October.
The owners, two restaurant enthusiasts and home cooks will be departing their day jobs to pursue their passion. Originally, they had planned to open a food truck, but when the space became available, they realized bringing together their love of craft cocktails along with the flavors of Latin and Asian cuisine suited them better.
Owner Walter Lee notes, "The food will consist of shareable small plates celebrating two awesome immigrant food cultures L.A. is famous for: Chinese and Mexican. Rather than "fusion" cuisine, we will feature a hybrid menu of tasty, cross-cultural, Los Angeleno street food dishes—did I mention cheap?" Think under $5, with items such as a pork belly bun similar to the one popularized by Momofuku in NYC.
They hope to cultivate a casual atmosphere with a "So Cal vibe." Lee elaborated on what they specifically foresee for their bar: "Chino's is intended to be the kind of low-key "hang out" bar you might find in the immigrant Asian or Latino ethnic neighborhoods of L.A., or the countries from which the residents of those neighborhoods come from. Think of those shitty, back-alley bars Anthony Bourdain loves to visit on his show, where men—always men, it seems—sit around drinking, smoking, and eating snacks made from whatever bits and pieces of scrap meat the kitchen has lying around. This scene could have taken place in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok, Rio, Mexico City, or Guadalajara—or East L.A./Westminster, CA, for that matter. Our version will be “cleaned up” a bit for an American audience…"
They are "renovating" the space currently visioning something modern minimalist- simple and clean. Minus the grunge of the back alley, albeit with all the flavor.
Frequently casual and affordable ethnic restaurants fall victim to a neglected drink list. That is exactly what Chino's is looking to avoid, particularly since the pair are avid booze enthusiasts who appreciate a well-crafted drink. The drink menu will consist of classically inspired cocktails, from-scratch tikki drinks, a few local microbrews, sake, soju, Asian and Mexican beers and a short, but interesting wine list. Expect classy, high quality, affordable and casual.
The restaurant is in the infancy stage, however they encourage you to follow the progress on Facebook.
