Senor Baja-Closed

Senor Baja
3908 Grand Ave
Unit A
Chino
909-902-5110

A few years ago, I reviewed a restaurant, Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo, that had undergone a name change. To show how quickly things can change, the building that held the Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo I reviewed, has been demolished and is currently a parking lot for a Fresh & Easy Market.

I found out that the owners El Taco Nazo/Senor Fish had a dispute. So, to settle this dispute, one side kept the El Taco Nazo name and the other side opened up Senor Baja.

So I decided to try both and see who had the best fish tacos!! I first went to El Taco Nazo, then tried the Senor Baja in Chino!!

Unlike the El Taco Nazo, Senor Baja does have fish tacos for 99 cents on Wednesday. The fish tacos are regularly $1.59. I asked the cashier what type of fish they use and he told me mahi mahi. But, the fish here was just too greasy. It was clear the oil they used to fry the fish, wasn't hot enough and just soaked up all the oil. The fish wasn't mahi mahi, I figure the fish they use is either pollock or basa. It may have been good, but the oil soaked through the batter and into the fish.

The cabbage and tomatoes were fresh and the white sauce good.

Service here was good. While the guy did give me wrong information, he was nice and friendly.

So, who was better? El Taco Nazo or Senor Baja; I'll call it a mediocre tie!! Neither was great or even good. Honestly, I would only go to Tacos Baja in East LA, for fish tacos.

Chopsticks House

Chopsticks House
3938 Grand Avenue Ste C
Chino
909-590-3688

Chino isn't exactly filled with lots of Chinese food options. Most of Chino is "Panda Express" fast Chinese food or buffets. But, Chopsticks House is a good Chinese restaurant in Chino, though it's a bit Americanized.

When you walk in a sign greets you, telling you to wait to be seated. But, the minute you walk in, you are greeted by the owners/servers. The night I went, there weren't many people so they said pick where I want to sit.

The menu is pretty basic, beef, chicken, chow mein, rice, seafood dishes. We got the orange flavored chicken, pork and vegetables, and shrimp chow mein.

Check out a review of their location in San Dimas!



Shrimp chow mein,$6.95 with shrimp, celery, carrots, and onions. The only thing I didn't like about this dish was the small portion size. Otherwise a great dish, that was well seasoned, the noodles well cooked and a good amount of shrimp-about 6-8 medium sized shrimp, even if they are hidden under the noodles. The shrimp were cooked and seasoned perfectly, but the weird thing was, some were deveined and others were not. I would order this again, but I do wish the portion size was bigger.



Orange flavored chicken, $7.95. This was a good dish, but this tasted more like a honey walnut sauce, than an orange flavor sauce. The chicken was covered in a thick batter, most of the chicken was white meat chicken. But the entire time eating this dish, I kept thinking I was eating honey walnut shrimp.



Pork with vegetables, $7.65, with broccoli, carrots, baby corn, cabbage and zucchini. I loved the sauce and fresh veggies in this dish. I didn't like how the pork was cut into such small pieces, you could barely see the pork. But, a good dish that was well seasoned.

Service is good. The owner/servers were nice and friendly. The thing I liked about Chopsticks House is they have signs!! Many people ordered take out, and they have a sign that says Take Out Orders, unlike other restaurants where you don't know whether to sit down or go up to the counter.

I would go back to Chopsticks House, again. Good food and service at good prices.

Papachino's Grill & Green's

Papachino's Grill & Green's
14501 Ramona Ave
Chino
909-393-9904

Readers of The New Diner, may wonder how I pick out about restaurants, that I have reviewed. Mostly it's word of mouth, other food bloggers I follow, even if some are MIA, and writers like David Allen.

I never know that Papachino's Grill & Green's was even opened. I don't go to that area of Chino Hills that often. But when I saw David Allen's review, I figured I would give them a try.



Grilled mahi mahi, with mild chipotle sauce, with mac and cheese and rice pilaf, $8.99. The mahi mahi was seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper but I thought it wasn't well seasoned, very bland. But I think they do that on purpose because they think their mild chipotle sauce will cover up the lack of seasoning. The fish itself was fresh, flakey, and had a nice texture. But the lack of seasoning really hurt this fish.

The mac and cheese, was really shells and cheese. I loved the very creamy cheese sauce-well mixed, good flavor but there wasn't enough of it. There were shells that had barely any cheese sauce on them.

The rice pilaf was served warm, but had a good flavor. It would be better if served hot.




I have to try the fish and chips, with cole slaw, $7.99. I was impressed. The fish is white roughy, which I never heard of, but it was pretty good. It's not cod, which makes the best fish and chips. But pretty good. The white roughy isn't as dense as cod but had a nice texture and flavor. The beer batter was very crunchy. I would say batter to fish ratio was about 90% fish to 10% batter. The tartar sauce is on the table with the free chips and salsa. So you can get as much as you want!! Nice tangy tartar sauce, that I just found out is made from scratch.

I found out that white roughy is considered by the FDA to be a misleading name for basa fish which is the official name of the fish. Basa fish is a catfish like fish.

Service is great. From the moment I walked into Papachino's, everybody was nice and friendly. Papachino is order at the counter and your food is brought to you. The cashier was helpful and nice. I found some tables outside, on their patio. I went inside to get water and free chips and salsa. The servers, would hold open the door for me. One even said sorry when the door closed in front of me but the interesting thing was; I wasn't close enough to the door for her to open the door for me. So, I wasn't upset at all. But it does show how friendly the servers are. While sitting down, I was greeted by a nice server and he asked if I needed anything!

When my food was brought to my table, that server was great; answering my question about the fish and chips and nicely telling me, she would bring silverware for me. Then about five minutes later, another server came up and said she will bring me silverware, I told her thanks but I've already got some. But, again, that shows how great the service is at Papachino's. Finally, I asked another server for a box and he came out quickly with a box. Then he said thank you and have a good night. I had interaction with 5-6 servers and all were great. Nice, friendly, helpful. I don't get that kind of service from restaurants that charge $50 a plate for entrees.

I would go back to Papachino's any time. Great prices, nothing over $10 and good sized portions. But more importantly great service. Seriously, many servers that I've dealt with, could come to Papachino's and learn about good service.

El Rey

El Rey
4547 Riverside Drive
Chino
909-590-0129

A friend told me that El Rey has the best tacos and burritos in Chino. She was bragging about how great and cheap everything is at El Rey. So I decided to see for myself. Now I compare all tacos places to Taqueria De Anda because they have great tacos at great prices.

Well first thing I noticed was El Rey's tacos were $2.09. A bit pricey I thought. Ok I haven't been to Taqueria De Anda in over three years and I understand prices have gone up everywhere. But tacos for $2.09? And these tacos weren't that good. The tacos just come with meat, there is a large table of salsa and a few other veggies to top your tacos.

I got the chicken and carnitas tacos. The chicken was very interesting because the were onions and peppers in the chicken, like a fajita. But the chicken was dry, lacked flavor and just not good.

The carnitas tacos was the same; bland and flavorless.

I got a carne asada burrito, $5.99, with beans, rice, clinatro, and a good amount of tough, chewy, carne asada. The carne asada was so tough and chewy, it might as well have been beef jerky. It may have been good when it first came off the grill but it had been sitting on the steam tray for way too long. This burrito was just OK, nothing great and pricey!!

Service was OK. The girl was pretty nice when I got there and looked a the menu. But when I took my order she was a bit standoffish and really a bitch. But then when I was waiting for my food, I asked the cook what meats were on the steam table and he called that young woman over. When I asked what meats were what, she was nice and friendly.

I would not go back to El Rey again. The food is below average and a bit pricey. Give me Taqueria De Anda anytime!!

Pizzaioli

Pizzaioli
3920 Grand Ave
Ste A
Chino
909-590-5454

Pizzaioli is an Italian restaurant that serves fake neapolitan pizza. The best example of neapolitan is from Bollini's.

I got what Pizzaioli calls roustica, $13, with Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, mozzarella and marinara. Why is this fake neapolitan pizza? For one thing, to be neapolitan pizza, the pizza must be cooked in a wood burning oven. There isn't a wood burning oven at Pizzaoli. Also certain items must be used on the pizza. None of these items were used. This is just a thin crust pizza being sold as neapolitan pizza. Don't fall for it.

The thin crust pizza was just OK. It had a very thin, runny marinara sauce which was a bit sour. Not good. For the meats: the salami had a good flavor, the pepperoni was salty and burnt at some places, and the little amount of sausage on the pizza, was ok.

Service was below average. The hostess was too busy talking to the couple in front of us. Another hostess came up and asked "How many people?" Normally that wouldn't be an issue but the second hostess was standing at the bar talking to the bartender. Now it is bad business to make people wait when both hostesses are busy socializing, instead of doing their jobs. While it wasn't a long wait, it was not a good way to make a first impression.

The server did the bare minimum. Came by to take our orders, dropped off the food, asked if we wanted dessert and came by for the check. He wasn't friendly or helpful. I noticed he was like this for the other tables too. This guy needs to find another profession.

I would not go back to Pizzaioli. This is not a good example of neapolitan pizza or an Italian restaurant. But a great example of poor service.

Phillips Barbecue - Chino-Closed

Phillips Barbecue
11748 Central Ave
Chino
909-517-3500

Back in July I did a review of Clark's BBQ, which is now closed. In it's place is the answer to my prayers; a Phillips BBQ closer to me than any of their other three locations, Phillips on Crenshaw, Phillips in Inglewood, and Phillips in Leimert Park.

The Chino location, has been open for about a week now and has seating for about 30 people in their dining room. Always a plus since the BBQ is so good, you can't wait to try it.

I got my usual, half slab of spare ribs, $13.48. Again a wonderful bark, smoke flavor, and meat ribs. Phillips knows how to BBQ ribs and they do a great job. There is no doubt that Phillips has the best BBQ ribs in LA.

Service was very good. I was greeted promptly and they guy behind the counter was nice and friendly.

There are a couple other choices for BBQ in Chino, but the best choice is Phillips.

Update Sept. 20, 2009.



I went back to Phillips and got the three item combination, $17, with pork ribs, chicken link, and sliced beef, which is tri tip and mac salad and cole slaw as the sides.

You already know about the how great the ribs are. This time was no exception. One look at the picture should tell you how great the ribs look.

But the chicken link is awesome!!! The combo comes with two sliced chicken links. The links have a great casing and wonderful flavor. They use good quality chicken for these links.

The sliced beef was only OK. It was bland and lacked flavor, I had to use BBQ sauce to add flavor. The only good thing I can say is that it was tender.

Service was OK. The young girl taking orders must have just started working there because she was very slow and asked the guy in the kitchen a ton of questions. The food came out quickly.

I now have two favorites at Phillips, pork ribs and chicken links!!!!!!!

Update Nov 2, 2009

Thanks to The New Diner reader, S. Britchky, for mentioning that The New Diner's review of Phillips BBQ was mentioned in the The Daily Bulletin The written, David Allen, has his own blog, David Allen Blog. Here is Mr. Allen's blog post on Phillips BBQ.

Clark's BBQ-Closed

Clark's BBQ
11748 Central Ave
Chino
909-210-3030

Clark's BBQ is located in a strip mall behind the EZ Takeout Burger in Chino. I can't believe that a BBQ restaurant has been open for almost three years and I didn't know about it.

Clark's smokes their meats with oak. As I have mentioned before, smoking with oak wouldn't be my choice but if the pitmaster is good, he can make some real good BBQ using oak.

I got the half rack of ribs, $11.50. The ribs were smoked and had some of that smoke ring, but it was clear the ribs had been in the warmer too long. The meat was a bit dry, chewy, a little too much fat, and lacked flavor. The BBQ sauce was much needed because it added some flavor. I did like the sauce, about a medium spice with a good kick. The ribs were meaty and if they were right out of the smoker, they might have been very good. But like I said, the ribs had been in the warmer for too long.

Service is OK.

I wouldn't go back to Clark's BBQ because BBQ smoked with oak has to be done to perfection, otherwise it is just bad BBQ. Clark's does a decent job but there is no need for me to go back.

EZ Takeout Burger-Closed

EZ Takeout Burger
11712 Central Ave.
Chino, CA 91710

EZ Takeout Burger was started in 1969 by a former In N Out employee. They have about 12 locations. They are different than In N Out because they have a chicken sandwich and they also serve breakfast. But everything else is basically the same. Though I did see frozen fries being taken into the kitchen.

Every Wednesday and Sunday they have have a 99 cent burger special. So I decide to give their burgers a try. I ordered two burgers with no onions. I'm not sure if they have a secret menu but I figured I'd try a regular burger first. Well the burger was very dry and overcooked. The meat was practically burnt. There was very little lettuce on both burgers, though the tomatoe was huge, juicy and fresh.

Service is below average. I must have waited at the window, I didn't go through drive thru, for 5 minutes before somebody took my order. And only because she was in the storage room and came out to the kitchen.

EZ Takeout Burger trys to be like In N Out but nothing comes close to the original. For 99 cents the burger isn't bad. For regular price, I would drive to an In N Out. I don't think I would go back to EZ Burger.

Mr. Berry's BBQ-Closed

Mr.Berry's BBQ
5670 Schaefer Ave.
Chino
909-902-5222

Mr. Berry's is in an industrial area and it would be very easy to miss their location. As you can see the only sign is a BBQ sign so look for tables with umbrellas and you should find Mr. Berry's. Mr. Berry's used to be another BBQ place called Blake's Place. Blake's still has a location in Anaheim which will be reviewed soon. Blake's Place Review


I get there about 1pm and I take a look at their menu. Lots of items are crossed out because they sold out. So I said what the hell, did somebody forget to fire up the pit? Luckily a batch of pork spare ribs were ready but for whatever reason, they didn't tell the cashier.

So I order the pork rib plate, with beans and cole slaw, for $12.99, only later would I realize how stupid that was. The plate had three huge pieces of ribs and one tiny end piece. While it maybe hard to tell, there was a small smoke ring. There wasn't an overwhelming smoke flavor and the ribs were on the dry, tough, chewy side. They also had a lot of fat and was average at best. The sauce had a very strong paprika taste and was on the mild side.

Serve was OK but if another lady didn't tell the cashier they had pork ribs, they would have lost a sale. What I meant by how stupid it was ordering the pork plate was as I looked on the menu a half rack of pork ribs al carte was $7.95. Let me tell you the beans and cole slaw wasn't worth the extra four dollars.

China Super Buffet-Closed

China Super Buffet 5440 Philadelphia St. Chino, CA 91710 909-627-0992 China Super Buffet is a place for good food and great value. If you consider most Chinese fast food places like Panda Express cost $5 or so for a two item combo, for an extra dollar you can either try more items or just load up on your favorites. As with any buffet if you go when it's busy the turnover rate of the food will be very high. So go during the lunch or dinner rush. I went for lunch since I was in the area. Lunch was $6.45 First picture shows beef and broccoli, chicken and snow peas, and Chinese BBQ pork. The beef and broccoli was good. A nice crispy broccoli and tender beef. The sauce was light and not salty, which it can be. The BBQ pork was cooked just right with a slight crispness on the outside. The pork was tender and didn't have much fat. I loved the snow peas but the chicken was pretty flavorless. Second picture shows seafood combo with shrimp and imitation crab, greenbeans and fried crab legs. The seafood combo had mostly shrimp and a few pieces of imitation crab. Pretty good as the shrimp was tender and sweet and the sauce had a hint of garlic. The fried crab legs were terrible. The claw was just for appearance. The batter up a fish paste and deep fry it. This lacked flavor and crunch. But the good thing about a buffet, if you didn't like something you can try something else. Third pictures shows teriyaki chicken, corn, orange chicken and pork with green onions. I had the teriyaki chicken plain. No teriyaki sauce and it was pretty flavorless. No spices no taste, nothing. The orange chicken wasn't much different with only a hint of orange. I enjoyed the pork with green onions. A nice spicy flavor and tender pork. The corn was awesome. A very nice sweet and tender pieces of corn, cooked just right. I had third helpings of the corn. It was great. Not sure exactly what it is but the chicken items were the worst. But overall good food and a great value. All the items were fresh since I went during the lunch rush.

Royal Buffet-Chino-Closed

Royal Buffet
3911 Grand Ave.
Chino
909-590-8420

This Royal Buffet isn't owned by the Royal Buffet in Long Beach. Royal Buffet is housed in a building that used to be a Fresh Choice, in the Walt Mart shopping center.

Mon-Thur all you can eat buffet is $11.99. They have the usual Chinese food like fried rice, chow mein, beef and broccoli etc.

The first picture is their fried rice and beef and broccoli. The brocooli was mushy and had been on the steam tray for way too long. The beef was pretty tender and the gravy added a nice flavor to the meat.

The next food pictured is the shrimp cocktail and fried shrimp. The shrimp cocktail was nice and fresh. The cocktail sauce had just the right spice. The fried shrimp was nice and crunchy on the outside and cooked just right on the inside. I've been to way too many places where the fried shrimp was crunchy on the outside but undercooked on the inside. Good thing Royal Buffet isn't one of those places.

The next plate pictured are the crab legs and ginger and pepper crab. The crab legs were a little on the salty side but had good amount of meat. The ginger and pepper crab had a lot of flavor and the meat was very good.

The last plate pictured is their steak that is grilled while you wait. They have a Mongolian BBQ and grilled meats included with your meal. The steaks lack any kind of flavor, they do not marinate the meat at all. Adding A-1 steak sauce is a good idea. But they have a Hawaiian short ribs, chicken and beef that is marinated and is very good. Marinating the steaks with the marinate for the Hawaiian short ribs would make a very tasty steak.

Overall I think Royal Buffet is good. Good fresh items, the brocolli being an exception. I would go there again