Chino’s Rock & Tacos

This was a good place to eat. Unfortunately it went out of business…

The thing that gives this place three stars is the awesome beer specials. 4 dollar 40’s and 1 $ Shock Tops.
That’s legit, especially for a college town but the food is not good whatsoever.
The tacos start to taste good after 7 or 8 shock tops???

The only thing these guys have going is cheap beer. The food was ghastly.

I’m definitely a fan of Chino’s because where else can you get free chips and salsa with $ 1 tacos and $ 2 Coronas on a warm Tuesday afternoon while people watching on the outdoor patio with your amigos? NO WHERE ELSE :)
Here are my pros & cons:
Pros:
+ $ 1 tacos (chicken or beef) on Taco Tuesday
+ $ 2 bottled beers (Corona or Shock Top) on Taco Tuesday
+ Free chips and salsa
+ Outdoor patio
+ Clean bathroom
+ Bottomless mimosas on Sundays
Cons:
— Does get busy on Taco Tuesdays with a line out the door
— Does get crowded also but the cons are bound to happen because it’s Taco Tuesday lol

Carne asada was way better than the carnitas taco.

Great Asada Steak Burrito… Great service… Great looking staff… Nice breeze… great view… Rock and Roll… Perfect across the board!

Taco tuesdays! $ 2 beer?! Yes.
The $ 1 tacos weren’t too good, but I wasn’t really there to eat and you can’t really expect too much for a dollar.
Sidenote: all I saw were waitresses in short black shorts working there

I recommend Chino’s if you want to mix it up and it’s a nice day outside, but you shouldn’t make it your go to taco place.
Pros: The outdoor seating is great in the spring/​summer for people watching. It’s right on Pardall, so plenty of people going to and from class. Grab a burrito and a pitcher and you’re bound to run into someone you know during your meal.
Cons: The food just really isn’t that great. It’s alright, but in IV when there’s amazing Mexican food just about everywhere Chino’s just doesn’t compare.

Their $ 1 tacos are a great deal and they give you free chips and salsa. But other than that, the food here is absolutely awful and very expensive. Never go except on Tuesday nights!
(However the girls who work here are super nice. I’ll give them props for that.)

I think its only good for their beer because its cheap. Other than that, its just another mexican place in IV. But its a bit classier than other places.

the dollar tacos are delicious! Maybe i was hungry but i definitely enjoyed eating their cheap tacos! Also had their salad with pesto sauce. It was gooood. I would come back again. it wasn’t so busy when i went. the people are nice and service is fast! IT does get loud though!

The food isn’t great. The main reason why people come are for their Taco Tuesday special in which taco’s are only a dollar and bottled bears are 2. Honestly… I would rather get Freebirds across the block… but the super white mexican food here isn’t that good. I’d rather go downtown for decent mexican food.

Foods good. not great. great beer specials n cute/​polite servers. enough for iv. i would recommend going during happy hour or sumthin. free chips n salsa is always good for bonus points in IV

I went there for Lunch today. My beer was warm, my Flour Tortilla Salad bowl was stale, and my friends Fajitas were 95% Bell Pepper and 5% chewy and tough unseasoned meat.
The only redeeming quality was being able to sit and watch people on Pardall but that got hot. No umbrellas and Black bar top.

I wouldn’t normally go to Chino’s for the food. It’s a little overpriced and there are plenty of better Mexican restaurants in IV. (NOT Super Cucas) What really makes it for Chino’s is that its a place where you can get your drink on for cheap. No other place in IV can you get a 40 oz of Shock Top for $ 4. You also get chips and salsa for free.
I have gotten the carne asada burrito with green sauce on top. It was definitely good but wasn’t quite worth the price. But yes check out the deals before you go. Chino’s deals are perfect for college students.

I’m just glad Chino’s is here to compete with Freebirds. I officially started boycotting Freebirds last year because their prices just keep getting higher and their portions are getting smaller. But anyway.
I like Chino’s on Taco Tuesday, when tacos are a dollar and bottled beers (Pacifico, Corona, and a couple others) are $ 2. Yeah, the tacos are more lettuce than anything and usually cold, but with free unlimited chips and salsa and a $ 2 beer in hand you really can’t complain much.
But then, it gets better. On Wednesday, you can get a bean-​rice-​cheese (BRC) burrito for $ 2 and draft beers (Bud, Bud Golden Wheat, Coors, Coors Light, Shock Top, and a couple others) are only ONE DOLLAR! And there’s still free chips and salsa. Yeah I’m a fan.
I’ve been here on regular nights for regular food, and I’m not overly impressed. Had the asada burrito, and it was pretty dry and chewy. The macho burrito with chicken was alright. I got the red sauce on the side (they charge you extra for red or green sauce) and it was pretty good. I’d still say, though, if you’re going for decent Mexican food in IV to go to Super Cucas.
Chino’s is definitely a fun place to hang out with friends and grab some food and beers on a weekday night.

Everyone in I.V. was buzzing about the fact that Chino’s was coming to town, especially after the building was under-​utilized after Eclectic I.V. moved out. I never really went when the restaurant opened, and to this day still haven’t been there on Taco Tuesday. So let’s start with the positives about the place:
1. Free chips and salsa… seriously? That’s AMAZING. College kids know, anytime you get food served before you even pay a cent goes a long way.
2. Patio seating — It’s always fun to people watch on Pardall, and with this place that’s no different. Grab a 40 oz pitcher and proceed to enjoy the view.
Now the cons:
1. Small pitchers — I know, at least they have them (looking at you Woodstock’s!), but they’re tiny! Also, the beer selection isn’t the best, but that’s just one opinion.
2. Food is average — Not that I expect a lot from the establishment, but every time I have gone the food has been mediocre at best. Sometimes it’s been cold which makes me sad…
Overall I am ok with Chino’s, and would definitely go again, especially for the LOOP!

Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad, served in a Tostada Bowl. Includes lettuce, tomato, ahi tuna, balsamic dressing.
What’s there to complain about. It was a satisfying, moderatey healthy meal. If I was a student at UCSB, I’d probably come here often for their $ 4 pitchers of beer, or $ 1 taco days. Their deals are great for college students.

I come back home to SB and hope to try a new take on SoCal Mexican food (which is the best Mexican food in america… CLEARLY), but instead end up with trashy attempt at Mexican food with the douchey overload of Rockstar energy drink (no joke, this place is run by rockstar or something by the amount of rockstar products around). It just smells of douche.
The only redeeming factor is that the taco tuesdays is dirt cheap ($ 1 a taco). But these tacos aren’t fantastic, and it must definitely be downed with lots of alcohol to make the meal seem good. They also have good happy hour drink specials, but the variations between days just makes you confused with their nonsensical ads. The dollar tacos made taco bell look fancy, except the meat is of better quality.
I also ordered the ranchero tacos, which is simple carne asada but the steak was very overcooked with small portions for $ 7.99!!! The cheap deals lure you in and make you pay for overpriced meals that are supposedly better.
Oh and a soda is $ 2, a little too much for fountain drinks. So you’d think, well atleast its free chips and salsa, but the chips are just plain odd…
I can see this place being a perfect «get drunk and tacos» place, which is perfect for a night in IV, but no more than that!
Hit up freebirds instead (i know its overrated, but its better than this)

I just went to this Chino’s for the $ 2 bean-​rice-​cheese burrito deal that they have on Wednesdays, and I have to say, with the free chips and salsa on the side, it was worth the $ 2. Chino’s is all sparkly and new right now, so it had a nice feel too … the places I go usually don’t play Creedence Clearwater Revival while I’m waiting for my order, so it’s definitely kind of novel in that way.
I’ve also had a chicken burrito from Chino’s in the past, and it was exactly what I expected (in a good way), so I know they don’t just make stuff with a bunch of filler. That being said, I can’t give them five stars because I did get some chicken tacos from here that really just didn’t do it for me — seriously, they were too juicy.
But that’s part of Chino’s charm. You probably won’t be totally blown away, but I don’t think they’d make anything truly nasty, and all of their prices are pretty reasonable.
Edit (⁴⁄₆): The Taco Tuesday beef taco isn’t that great… not sure if it was worth a dollar. On the other hand, the Cerveza Shrimp burrito was pretty good — I’d never had beer-​battered shrimp in a burrito, but it turned out well. Certainly tops the shrimp burrito from Rosarito’s around the corner.