La Chinesca — Restaurant in Philadelphia

This is a properly hyped restaurant! The atmosphere is fun, but relaxed. The menu is curated and intentional. The service was attentive, not rushed. Every bite of food was delicious - not one bad bite. I was blown away. I went with a pescatarian friend, so I did not eat a meat dish. We ordered the wonton chips and three dips (red salsa, salsa verde and duck sauce) the chips were crispy and salty, and the dips were so well done. We ordered the tuna tostada which was a great mix of texture and flavor. The macha crisp had great spice and the tuna was delicious. We ordered the fish tacos and the avocado tacos - both different and delicious. The orders had three tacle each of small corn tortillas, the fish was lightly spicy, and the avocado was fried but refreshingly light. For drink I had their take on a dirty martini which was an elevated and interesting experience for a simple cocktail. Finally we ended with 3 church's and chocolate sauce, the churros were light and airy on the inside, crispy and sugar coated on the outside and the chocolate sauce was great quality. Altogether our meal was $55 per person and the portions were filling. I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant meeting it's very highly hyped expectation. I'll go again and you should feel compelled...

We arrived on a Sunday during happy hour. We seated ourselves without a problem. Our server came over offered waters and gave us menus. As we checked the menus we noticed there were no happy hour options, we went to their website to confirm the happy hour hours, then asked the server if there was a happy hour menu. She responded with oh yeah I'll grab that, it seemed she was unhappy about our asking. We ordered, the food came timely and was good. We were disappointed with one of our drinks and it was replaced without issue. When we asked for our check we paid in cash, the server went to the register did whatever she needed to do then walked away (we were due change) we waited a few and I guess another server seen the confusion on our face and came and asked if we were ok, we told her we were waiting for our change. The original server overheard came over and said to the other server "it's only $2", pulled the money out the tip jar and gave it to her to give to us. We are tippers and were prepared to tip, however you don't decide to tip for us, and please offer all menu at the start of service. The original servers attitude throughout our visit was very...

I'm usually a bit skeptical about fusion foods, but the food and the vibes were just too good to not recommend.

This is a great place to go for a chill, laid back family style meal with a kind of tropical retro, Southern-Cali mixed vibes? The dishes come out hot and fresh (and quick). At first glance, they're a bit pricey, but they're also meant to be shared with a huge of friends and/or family. I went with a group of 4 (including myself), and we ended up spending about $30/person, which included about 10 dishes + dessert + 1 drink per person.

On top of that, they have a great music selection, beautifully designed indoor and outdoor spaces, and friendly service. You're in for a cozy dining experience.

If you're not sure what to try, I recommend the Fried Wonton Chips and Esquites to snack and share, but if you're looking for a heavier dish, the Queso Birria Tacos is ✨ top notch ✨ . And you really can't go wrong with the Choco Flan 😋 I do wish they had a bigger dessert selection, and the drink selection weren't really appealing to me, but I don't think that should be any deterrent.

Enjoy...