Restaurants
Chino Locos
Chino Locos is not your average burrito bar. In appearance, it may fit the profile; a minuscule space, slammed with starving customers waiting to wolf down tightly packed tortillas crammed with protein and produce. The unconventional aspect of this local gem is the distinctly curated list of fillers that may find their way into your wrap, like edamame beans, shitake mushrooms and the texturally different though superbly tasty option of chow mein noodles instead of rustic rice.
I got a chance to chat with co-founder and the man-of-the-house around their Greenwood location, Minh La, about how he and his partner and childhood friend, Victor Su (find him at the Church St. shop) came up with such wildly unique and delicious preparations. "It was a pure trial and error," La remarks. "We both come from Chinese and Vietnamese backgrounds so we thought about integrating our favorite Asian foods into the fold along with traditional Tex Mex ingredients."
Anticipation grows as one stands among other hungry patrons, saturated with mouth-watering aromas of roasted pork, smoky chilies and the unique assembly of freshly prepared ingredients. Pre-ordering is preferred by the seasoned vet as the cap clad crew at Chino Locos turn out hundreds of burritos a day to locals and loyalists alike. If you're phoning in your order, make sure to ask about their weekly Loco special which have included things such as General Tao chicken, jerk pork, Korean beef or this week's special Adobo chicken ($8.99).
All their standard burritos are priced at $6.99 plus tax except for the Juicy Vegan ($7.99) and the weekly special. For the carb-contrary, you can also get your burrito in a Bento Box; hold the tortilla shell.
Upon recommendation I rolled with the one they call 'Da Finest' Fish Burrito (fitting given my namesake) consisting of sautéed white basa fish, guacamole, tomatoes, edamame beans, red onions, black beans, green peppers, cilantro, cheese, sour cream and chipotle sauce, if you opt for the fully loaded option plus choice of rice or chow mein noodles and spice level. The fresh, tender pieces of basa are marinated and sautéed on the spot and the flavour truly shines.
The flakiness of the fish and soft texture along with the noodles were a great contrast to the crunch of the green pepper and onion. I'm a total spice addict and "super spicy" request was met with heeded warnings from the staff. House made and damn hot, these boys know how to make a proper chili sauce! A mélange of 7 different chili peppers and spices such as habanero, Thai and Vietnamese chilis and long banana peppers, to name a few.
Fresh and made-to-order seemed to be the prevailing theme around the joint, and I heard it over and over again. "You may end up waiting a few extra minutes to get your fix," Na said, "but that's just how we roll!" Pun intended?
I don't often find myself if that neighbourhood, but I'm a man who likes his burritos and can confidently say that the next time I'm rolling by, I wouldn't be surprised if my palate pulled me towards Chino Locos like it did today.
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If was was awesome I could see going back but for cold tough pork and bland noodles rolled in a wrap? Better get the kinks out of the operation guys. Don't believe the hype on this page.
Friendly service. Interesting take on the fish burrito. Subtle flavours. Very fresh!
The second time was today and it was truly terrible. I ordered take out and went to a neighbouring store while they made my order. I came back and the young girl working handed me a bag and said my here you go and said my name. I walked home and discovered both burritos were totally wrong... again. I called and they said that I had taken someone elses order. I told them I would quickly drive back and make the switch. When I got back they not so subtly scolded me for taking the wrong bag. I explained that the girl handed it to me and said my name but they clearly thought I was lying and again repeated that this was basically my fault. Now I was pissed and told them that before I leave again I want to check to see if my order is correct as they had also made a mistake last time I was there. The guy behind the counter then got angry with me and said I should have told him that they had made a mistake last time so he could ensure they didn't make one again with the same customer. You would assume they always try to get orders correct, but I guess not. So it turns out one of my burritos was in fact wrong and I told them that. The guy who takes the orders showed me the order -- and he had actually written it down wrong (which is what I think happened last time too) and used this as evidence that I had "ordered wrong". So no apology for giving me the wrong order, no apology for making my order incorrectly and instead scolding me for causing all of these problems myself somehow.
Not a good sign for their future success. It's too bad because it was a good idea and they seemed like nice guys at first, but they just don't know what they're doing. I'll never be back and I'll be warning my friends in the neighbourhood to steer clear as well.
If they would have just said sorry and maybe offered me a discount for next time or even just been nice and friendly, I would have felt totally differently -- but instead they decided to blame their customer for their own stupid mistakes.
i have ordered from Chino Locos 5 or 6 times and have had a pleasant experience on all of these occasions. im not saying problems may not arise in the future, we all have bad days, right? i tend to go there at around 5-6 so ive yet to experience the lunch rush. with waiting times around 10 minutes i could see how some could find this a nuisance, but i have no problem waiting for something is made fresh to order. the food is abundant, flavourful, reasonably priced and the staff are friendly and sometimes chatty while you wait. my favourite has to be the pollo loco with rice but be sure to check out the weekly specials.
As a relatively young business progression takes time, and the fact that they have survived this long and managed to open a second location proves they have done some things right and many people love what they have to offer.
So readers, these negative comments are a result of impulse and overly high expectations because they live in a spoiled country (we need to stop expecting to be waited on hand and foot) and need look at things from a less self geared bias. People who run businesses are humans too and have their shortcomings. Chino Locos has proven they have created a business that has attracted many regulars and I hope they keep it up. It is a shame that customers with positive experiences do not express themselves as much as negative.
the food is fresh and packed with flavour...tough to pick a favourite between the pork and the fish...but the noodles are always a must!
keep it up guys...
btw, always get the chow mein noodles. So delish!
I feel for people that have problems with how long things take, but it is small and it seems like they can only make a certain number of burritos at a time.
The option would be to expand.... but to where?
I will keep going back and I expect continue to be happy with the food and the experience.
The originators in TO using Lo Mein.
I've found the customer service pretty good - last time I was interested in their special, so they gave me a sample of the jerk chicken they'd been experimenting with, after I'd already ordered my usual choice.
I've never been in peak times though, I guess it would get a bit stressful for the cooks as there's not a lot of space and they're limited in how many they can make at once. That said, the burritos I've had there would totally redeem a half hour wait or some rude service.
I'm not big on eating out for lunch - but the pulled pork calls to me often. It's that good.
Only thing I would change is more seating area at the greenwood location.
But honestly, TRY this place, Its AMAZING!