China Latina

I am usually very leery about a Latin-​China taste, as I have been to a couple of places, even though I am open to trying different flavors! We were in New York for 4^th of July and found this great find! The menu sounded tasty, and when we ordered the food, the hostess was extremely helpful in figuring out what would be good and helped in picking each of our dinners, including my two boys, who are 7 and 9. She was knowledgeable, and a genuine help. I ordered a bunch of sides as I couldn’t decide. and each one was better than the next… We got the Surf and Turf, Devil Chow Fun, Szechaun, Baha Fish tacos, Choclo, Yucca fries and the Latino Fried Rice… all the food was fantastic!
They did not push the drinks menu at all. They only brought it to me when I asked for it; and the Pear Capirinha was amazing with fresh muddled lime!
Great China ambiance with tasteful Latin music!
We all had a great meal, and a great night!

The living social/​groupon king has a 5 course and wine deal… beside it being freezing in the restaurant, the only thing good about this place was the wine and the service. The food was so not remember at all… to me the only china thing in it was some sesame seeds and hot paste… the rest was just latin flavors.

Quite possibly the WORST service ever… food was mediocre. I would say the sauces were the only thing that made the meal worthwhile.

I was really looking forward to loving this place. My co-​worker and I had the prixe fix lunch (one starter and one entrée) for $ 14.95. This particular area of midtown is a barren wasteland for delicious affordable food. So I was really looking forward to yummy eats, considering the creative menu.
The ambiance: kind of dark. I imagine this place would be good in the evening.
We ordered and shared the following:
— Chicken Wings: only four pieces of wings, but so delicious. They were sweet, sticky, well flavored. The peanut dipping sauce left a lot to be desired but what upset me the most was the tiny amount of wings!
— Chorizo shumai with three dipping sauces: 4 tiny pieces of shumai. Again delicious and flavorful but absolutely tiny portions.
— Wonton Tacos with Chicken: two tiny half sized tacos with a yummy sauce. SO DELICIOUS but so so tiny
— Fish Tacos: This was not good. The fish was crispy but not seasoned. The guacamole inside was okay. But just bland. Again only two small tacos.
We let our server know that we were on lunch break and she responded by being very prompt and having our food ready for us quickly. That was a plus.
Summary: Aside from one bland entrée the food is creative and tasty. But the portion sizes are simply unjustifiable. I’m definitely willing to drop money on good food but this was just TOO MUCH FOR TOO LITTLE. The saddest part is that just as we left the restaurant still hungry and unsatisfied we discoverd a well priced ramen place across the street :(

Went here with a couple of buddies. The food was pretty good but small portions from what I remember. The atmosphere was decent, and not too crowded. Nothing wow’d me, and nothing made me not want to come back. Worth checking out for some asian/​mexican fusion.

I had a great night at China Latina and would certainly dine there again.
I went with a good friend and used a Travelzoo offer. They did not snub us using a coupon which some places do. Reservations were easy. We came on a Saturday night at 7p and it wasn’t too busy.
It is in the lobby of Hotel Indigo.
Scott was our server.
5 course. Not rushed. Each course came a bit after the prior finished but not too soon and not too long. Great for a night of catching up.
We started with a bottle of wine. We got to pick from all their bottles, not just a house. We naturally picked the Malbec which was opened at the table. Lovely.
we had chips, guacamole– fresh, house salsa– fresh and good, ceviche– was OK. Shrimp was a bit warm which was weird but good flavors and portions. Duck– great. Beef tacos– nicely seasoned (and I am not a big steak eater). Steamed vegetables and fried rice– both very nice. Dessert was a brownie– very nice and also wontons and chocolate ice cream. Very good everythiong.
The service was very professional and friendly. Scott was wonderful and we could not have asked for more.
I think it was the manager who came by to see how things were after the meal.
Bathrooms are downstairs. Nicely kept.

When I heard this place had a Chorizo burger on a Brioche bun, I had to get me that in rapido-​formation!
The burger was very good, but the chorizo was surprisingly cold, which was odd because it was underneath a piping hot fried egg; IDK if that was the way it’s supposed to be prepared or if that was a chef’s gaff, but the burger still tasted great overall.
We also had the China Poblana Lo Mein and the Salmon-​Crab Maki Burrito: both were
The lo mein was so salty & so oily, I thought I was back in the gulf during the BP spill. The burrito was cut to look like pieces of sushi, which is cute as hell. Unfortunately, the cuteness aint help the taste-​factor; that burrito was so bad I wanted the US to wage war with Mexico & China!
The décor is nice and so was the service so I may give this place another shot.

Hidden gem. Wonton tacos were out of this world! Wonderful fusion food and great drinks. Definitely going back.

This place is not even worth one star.
Nothing pisses me off more than false advertising. The PULSD deal advertised «$ 28 for two cocktails, one appetizer, and an order of tacos.» There was no statement in the fine print that we would be given a different menu to order from — different from the website.
After informing the waitress we had a voucher, she gave us a completely different menu that did not include the pricier appetizers. Lame-​o! Dishes such as fried plantains, stir fry asian vegetables, yucca fries, and peruvian choclo were considered ‘appetizers’ for the deal but these were side dishes on the regular menu. The regular appetizers such as spring rolls and ceviche periano disappeared from the selection.
There were four choices for the taco. Why didn’t it say MINI SIZED? The order was 2 mini tacos (nothing like the 3 regular sized ones on the photo posted on their website) that we finished in two bites.
Service was extremely lacking. We had no service at all. After requesting our check, we waited 30 minutes for it. They conveniently charged us 20% tip as company policy. Since when is it standard to charge 20% tip for a party of two?!
Never again.

Be sure to add the wasabi to the guacamole … It makes it go from good to freaking fantastic and the shrimp chips that go with it are divine!!!

I went there for dinner. It is located in a hotel which made it kind of difficult to find.
The coctails were amazing and so was the food but the portions are way too small and a little overpriced.
The concept is rather strange but it works. If you’re looking eat something different go to this place but you’ll still be hungry after especially if you have a big appetite.
The chicken wanton tacos and the plantains are amazing but the portions are way too small.

So what happens when you put me and Eva Longoria together? Ta-​da! China Latina!
A lot of times, people are very skeptical about how fusion restaurants don’t work and how things just don’t taste right. I will put your skepticism aside about this place because this is one of the few restaurants where a fusion of ingredients from two completely different cultures actually work harmoniously together. In this case, Asian and Mexican food. Let me give you a few examples.
Edamame w/​Chile Ancho salt: Some people love their edamame steamed with a little bit of salt. The chile ancho salt provides a mildly spicy punch to the edamame that blends in without it feeling like it overpowers the edamame.
Surf and turf burrito: This is not your ordinary surf and turf that you would see at a Red Lobster or at some steakhouse. The surf part here is the red tuna that you would normally eat for sushi or sashimi at Japanese restaurants. The turf portion is chorizo. I know it sounds like a strange combination, so I asked the waiter how is this dish. He said that he highly recommended it. It always helps when you have a waiter that can give you an honest opinion rather than the waiter saying, «Everything tastes delicious here! You should try everything!» I’m glad I took the waiter’s recommendation because it tasted muy delicioso. The tuna and the cooked chorizo are wrapped in a burrito tortilla and then it is deep fried for a little while so that the outside of it is lightly crispy, but the inside of it is still the same texture prior to the deep frying. On top of that, the presentation of the dish was like sushi and it was topped with a wasabi aioli sauce.
This place is great for small groups or dates since it has such an intimate setting. I will be back at this restaurant at some point in the future.

Mexican + Chinese? Interesting concept, poor execution.
I really wouldn’t describe the food as Mexican + Chinese fusion cuisine… It’s really more like Mexican food disguised as Chinese… chorizo in wonton form, burrito that is cut into sushi size pieces is a maki burrito, fried rice with guac… you get the drift.
Nonetheless, the food is pretty tasty. How can it not be when you fry everything or top it all off with guac? It’s a bit on the pricey side thought, not sure if it’s worth the $$

I was scouring on Unilocal for a lunch near my office that wasn’t an old standby and looked interesting. This one came up and the pictures really got me hungry…
I ordered a lunch special (app and entrée for $ 17.95) to pickup and braing back to my office a few blocks away. They were friendly and had obviously only just started doing takeout orders.
I had the Chorizo shumai and the Chicken Wonton Tacos. Both sounded innovative and delicious.
Well, meh. The chorizo shumai may have been good right out of the kitchen. I couldn’t tell. The flavor and consistency of the chorizo was about right but the shumai were dry and unappetizing overall. I believe there were 4 or 5 in the order. The «entrée» was the real disappointment. First, there were only two mini-​tacos. Two Mini Tacos. Entrée. Second, there was what I assume was guacamole in them. You may like guac, but I don’t and here was the menu description of the tacos:
Choose between Szechuan Skirt Steak or Adobo
Chicken Crackling, Pickled Onions, Cilantro
Would you assume guac in that? No, me neither. But I was so hungry I ate them anyway. Moral here, restaurants, is list out every major ingredient in your dishes. Don’t assume that your customers love whatever you think goes well. Espeically when you list enough ingredients that one reasonably assumes everything is mentioned.
They did include some tortilla chips and what I think were spicy shrimp puffs with some sauces (although one was congealing) which was a nice touch and I filled up on the tortillas.
The two stars are for the concept, some good flavors, and a friendly host. I’d *maybe* give it another try for a sit down meal, but, eh, maybe not.

Unilocal check in and we got a % off the bill, lovely. We started off with the Guacamole, tacos and wings. flavors were spot on and great. For apps the portions are small so be warned. 1 taco could be eaten with 2 bites, 1 if you open your mouth a little bigger. For dinner the rest of my group had the rice and noodles dishes. Its not rice or noddles, it’s rice and noodles. Everyone’s dish was great when I sampled but my sea bass sucked, it had this smell to it. The waiter noticed and glady exchanged it for something else. By then I was so full from sampling, they were nice enough to let me take it home. The service was great, very prompt, they noticed if you needed a fork, spoon, water etc. They also made great recommendations and were super friendly. The bill was still somewhat high even with the good Unilocal discount, I don’t think I would be back but I’m glad I tried it.

We paid too much money for the meal and service we received here. Everyone left underwhelmed, and one of us had to grab a slice of pizza afterwards because they were still hungry. Our bill for 4 people was $ 120 and that was without the drinks we got at the bar beforehand.
The drinks at the bar were really good! The bartender was very friendly and helpful, and gave us drink suggestions based on our preferences. My favorite drink that we ordered was the Lychee Margarita. There were flavorful chips and crisps to snack on too. The bar experience was great!
The China Latina Fried Rice with Argentinian Beef was pretty good, but not very filling. The China Poblana Lo Mein was the winning dish of the night. It was delicious and had a wonderful subtle Mole sauce mixed into it.
The Asian Pear Green Salad Wrap was very plain, and the BBQ Plum Ribs were a little dry. The Plum Ribs were one of the most expensive items on the menu at $ 27, so we expected them to be very tasty.
Everyone left feeling a little bit sad that we spent so much on such a lackluster meal.

Overall, I’m rating my experience three stars, nice and neutral. That said, the wonton tacos alone make this place worth trying.

Cool space. Good place to bring a group after work because it wasn’t busy at all. I tried the Lychee Margarita and loved it. Don’t really recommend for dinner, but totally love for cocktails and apps.
For starters, we tried the ceviche. Really good, fresh fish and interesting flavor combination. I would have liked to test out the guac and I bet the chicken wings are good too.
For his entrée, my boyfriend ordered the Szechuan Beef and Peking Duck Wonton Tacos. First of all, they looked delicious! Two per order would make a good plate to share if you order a few different plates.
I ordered the Gordita Scallion Pancake and I had no clue what to expect. I was pretty surprised it was more like an empanada than the scallion pancake I was thinking I would get. I thought the lobster and pork belly were a little overcooked so the flavors kinda all melded together and it wasn’t really that great.
Bottom Line: worth another go as a cocktail and app spot but move on elsewhere for dinner.

Julietta Ballestros’ China Latina will be one of the next go to restaurants for sure.
The cocktails are clever and delicious and fun.
Things to try: Chorizo Dumplings, Sushi Burritos, Devil Corn Chow Fun.
They also had a great playlist with various artists from all over the world playing.
The interior is very open yet at the same time intimate.
Looking forward to going on the roof once it gets warmer.

Caveat. This review is for China Latina, inside the Indigo Hotel on 28^th Street, Chelsea, that has just (as of 10−5−12) replaced the former Blu in the same location.
The Hotel comped us free drinks, so we checked the place out. They were open but still in the middle of transitioning over. They were doing interviews in the dining area and serving diners and had the outgoing fixture piled up in the corner. They did not have a staff person to greet or seat us, but they lady who waited on us was very nice and attentive, good service from her. The food (Chinese– Mexican fusion) was not what we were coming in for but tried it none the less. The Tempura Fish Tacos were decent and the Edamame and Chips with their unique salsa were good and interestingly seasoned. Overall the quality and portions were OK.
At point during the meal the «manager» took a phone call near the bar and began swearing at the sub-​contractor who was obviously failing to comply with his end of an agreement. This was done within clear hearing of the three couples in the dining area, a major Fuck –up (don’t worry he used more colorful verbiage — so he won’t be put off) he really should have taken that call in the kitchen or outside, not in the open area for everyone to hear.
Went back again for more hotel comped drinks two nights later, no maitre-​de, sat ourselves at the Bar and were given inattentive service that bordered on complete disregard. Did not stay around to buy drinks or food.
Prediction: rough start, and likely death within a year.