Chino Latino

Excellent food and cocktails but slightly-stingy portions. Our waiter was arrogant - kept pushing his ideas and asking us to commit to the set menu. Atmosphere noisy and raucous - offputting when all you are up for is a catch-up with friends.

Would return on a quieter weekday night as our food was exceptional.
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Sajini - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Saturday, July 31, 2010

Have eaten here twice now and been impressed with the food and service. Staff went out of their way to be helpful and suggest menu options - and I only drank sparkling water.
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9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, November 07, 2009

I had literally the worst experience at this restaurant. Our waiter insisted on patronising and insulting my fellow diners at every turn because we ordered the house wine and didn't order the £40 a head taster menu, really ruined what was meant to be a great night out. The food was exquisite. The atmosphere felt like an upmarket brothel and load screams and shouts from the bar oppostie out dining platform made us feel as though we were in a hen party. The rest of the experience was ok. It's a classic example of some trumped up idiot treating you and your friends like dirt just because you're not dripping in furs or splashing the Veuve. It's not even that upmarket. Oh - and turn the lights up.
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Angry Diner
2 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 24, 2009

Went to Chino with a friend for celebration dinner and was pleasantly surprised with the decor and ambience, very funky but pleasant enough to not be overpowered by music or conversation of other diners.

The Jurassic prawns we ordered were succulent and larger than usual as expected (even though we hoped for the lobster size variety..if they exist).

The best however was the mango Mojito which was prepared to perfection! All in all we came to conclusion that it would be a great first-date venue.
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Karlene
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 09, 2008

I generally sympathise with restaurants in hotels as drumming up interest is especially difficult for them and passing trade is virtually nil. They therefore mostly rely on word of mouth reputation or offers. I suspect it is only the latter that is keeping Chino Latino afloat. We arrived a armed with a 50% off food offer initially only mildly disturbed by the quasi-luxury of the bar area and the number of women of dubious repute at the bar.

Sure that the restaurant could only improve on the chrome pretentiousness of the bar area, I was disappointed not by the food or the atmosphere (both of which were fair to middling) but perhaps by the worst service I have ever encountered. Normally when service is this abhorrently bad one can usually put it down to a new or inexperienced waiter. In this instance however we were attened to by the Manager of the restaurant. While the rest of us were forced at pracitcally gun-point to take the set menu option one of our number was forced to go off-piste due to her being a vegetarian was told the following:

"We have a certain way of eating here. Its all about sharing - normally when people come in and want to order separately off the menu we show them the door..."

An interesting take on restaurant service I think you'll agree and one which did not improve throughout the meal as he became increasingly fawning (probably due to the realisation he had been unforgivably crass at the start of our meal). The food was reasonable with some interesting dishes but only the 50% off voucher made it palatable in the context of our end bill.

All in all, a terrible meal which goes to prove that it does not matter how good your food is (and it was by no means superb here), bad customer service will ruin any dining experience.
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Nick
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Monday, November 05, 2007