Chin’s Maui Bistro

Had a BOGO coupon so we decided to try it out. It’s a fusion type of place. Hawaiian flavors and thai flavors are mostly seen on this menu.
I ordered a mixed seafood dish with peanut sauce and my husband ordered some type of orange chicken dish. My dish came with salad. The salad was nothing more than a huge amount of lettuce with some carrots, but the dressing was really good.
Our dishes were enjoyable, but after a while, the peanut sauce was just too much.
It’s an ‘a-​ok’ place.

Sadly the food is just above average.
I think this place could be WAY better with just a couple tiny changes. Its basically a 2.5, but I rounded up because the server was so pleasant, and we took our time talking and weren’t bothered, she was low key when we wanted her to be and available when we needed her to be.
The menu was creative, but not spectacular. I ate chili on a hot Saturday. And Val ordered a dish with shrimp even though she is allergic to shellfish.
They were both a little above average on the taste scale, and a little below average on the portion size scale. Good outdoor seating, nice staff, decent food, and ok pricing.
There are better places in the resturant row, but this one is a good niche, I’m gonna try it again and let you know if it’s truly deserving of a higher than 2.5 rating.

I don’t think Chin’s has much time left on the planet. We arrived at 6 pm on a Friday night and we were the only customers for about an hour. That should tell you something about how popular this place is.
It’s not that it’s terrible. It’s just not that great. I ordered us a couple of Mai Tais. That was the best part of meal. Like a lot of oriental restaurants the wine list is terrible and not worth bothering about.
I ordered the short ribs which were on special that night. The ribs were reasonably well done with a sauce but they were supposed to be served with fried yams. What I got for yams was a gooey chewy stuff that had been lumped into paste and fried. Very strange.
I’m not sure what this restaurant is trying to achieve. There isn’t a clue from the outside that this place serves Hawaiian food. The signage refers to Mongolian BBQ but that isn’t featured on the menu. There is a lot of outdoor space but nothing seems to happen with it. Maybe if they had Don Ho and his band out there it might draw a crowd. The interior has a strange layout and I get the feeling that this wasn’t originally designed as a restaurant space but was some retail space that got converted.
I think the problem is that this restaurant can’t make up it’s mind what it wants to be and then doesn’t do any of them particularly well. Our server was the one mentioned by someone else and it seems to be her first waitress job. She didn’t know about things on the menu and had to go ask.

I took my Mom to Chin’s on Mother’s Day. The atmosphere was great, very relaxed and pleasant considering it was a holiday. My mom ordered the Calamari Steak but didn’t want the Spicy noodles or sauce that came with it. The owner, Mr. Chin, was very accomodating in having the Chef make a milder sauce with rice. I had the Mongolian BBQ, (Heat level 3), it was outstanding. I would definately go back!

Service was fine.
Food…not so much… I understand paying a bit more for eating out but doing the math, I ended up paying $ 1 per gyoza on my appetizer order. Again, that would’ve been fine if they had tasted better. The sear ahi tuna sandwich was just alright. Basically, it seemed like there wasn’t any flavor to any of the dishes I ordered including my chicken, which was part of the lunch special. It felt like everything was just heated up and that was it. =(
Meal was almost $ 30 and I walked away feeling like I hadn’t even eaten anything… wasn’t satisfied.
Maybe it was just because of what I ordered but I won’t be returning to this restaurant.

Service was horrible. Some of us ordered the dinner combo plate and the waitress screwed that up. The dinner combo came with soup, rice, entrée and dessert. Let’s just say, we had to remind her about the soup, and then she argued that soup did not come with our meal… which I had show her on the menu. Then she argued with my sister in law and stated that she wanted a salad rather than soup and she said only soup came with her entrée choice when it clearly stated on the menu that she had the choice of soup or salad. My brother had ordered a virgin margarita and they brought out one with alcohol. We asked for no sprouts in the kids soup and they were there. Then when she was taking dessert orders, she had forgotten that she had already asked 3 us for ours. She never came to refill water glasses and when asked if they had child friendly glasses she just looked at us and said «uh no» SERVICE SUCKS. food was okay.

Oh Chin, you so crazy. My family ate out here for my mom’s birthday. My brother had been here before and suggested it. I suggested another place (Vigilucci’s), and left it to my bro to ask my mom which she would prefer. No surprise, his choice was the winner. Located in Restaurant Row, which is chock-​full of good eaty places (though perhaps not as much as it was in the past), Chin’s Maui Bistro is very spacious on the inside and out. It has a nice relaxing island vibe, and was comfy and clean.
It was a bit slow the night we went, but at least we had our choice of tables. We were sat inside, and took a look at the menu. They have a nice selection of items, and I would have been happy to try one of several plates that night. Our server was nice and courteous. She was also very new. So new that I wouldn’t doubt that this was her first gig. Ever. So new that I wouldn’t doubt that Chin himself hired her because she was a niece/​cousin/​daughter that needed work, and he needed the help. It was a learning process for all. We had a few questions about some of the entrees («What is the soup of the day? What salad comes with this entrée?»). These proved to be too taxing, as our server had to check with the kitchen several times. At one point, she came to our table with a head of lettuce to better illustrate what kind of salad we would receive. I will not begrudge her if it was a simple matter of a language barrier. English may very well have not been her first language, and that’s okay. Certainly she was trying her best. However there was a communication disconnect and unfamiliarity with the menu that made the whole process a bit long. By the time we got our order in and settled, I think we were more familiar with the menu than she was. Considering how long it took to order our food, I could see restlessness begin to set in among the rest of the family. It was all I could do to hold back a big ol’ I Told You So («bet Vigilucci’s doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?»).
By this time it was Chin to the rescue. Right when it seemed as though some of us were ready to give up on this meal, Chin swooped in, and being an affable guy, diffused the situation with some light banter and reassuring words about our food coming out shortly.
As for the meal itself, I’d say meh. We shared an appetizer salad, and some version of a shrimp firecracker roll. Both were good — not great, but good. I ordered the braised short rib with taro root, while the rest of the table had miso fish (roughy I think?), Poke (Ahi sashimi salad), and an entrée salad. Unfortunately some of the dishes were overdone. The salmon was overwhelmed by a salty sauce, and the fish itself had lost quite a bit of flavor. The Poke was good, as other reviews have attested. I was happy enough with the Shortrib itself. It was tender, and had a tasty mushroom and wine reduction. The taro root was not to my liking, but I will chalk that up to unfamiliarity. As for my side salad, that disappeared into the void. But then it cam to the table eventually. Chin came back with more chit chat and charm. He offered us free ice cream dessert, as well as a coupon to return to one of his other restaurants. So all in all a 2.5 rating would be the ideal rating, due to off-​kilter service, and ultimately uneven food. But that Chin is so damn charming, that I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they are better suited for lunch. Furthermore, he mentioned that this location is going to be part Mongolian Barbecue, so who knows what lies in store for the menu we had tried.

couple weeks ago i went to Maui where i found myself sipping on maitais and keeping warm from the fire next to me while watching the sunset. Hawaiian music playing beautiful food on the table. I was in heaven and i didn’t even have to spend $ 600 on the plane ticket!
the ambiance of this restaurant is absolute adorable. they have the patio seating indoor seating and two private rooms if you have a large group.
The waitstaff is very attentive but not overbearing. As we entered the restaraunt we were greeted by a loud ALOHA by the entire staff which made it feel even more like i was on a vacation.
The food prices and quality are excellent as well.
for dinner you are given free sweet hawaiin rolls (mmmm with butter) and for a while they did complentary soup (not sure if they still do)
my lunch favorites are
the pork loin ($ 8.00 you can get a big piece of deliciously prepared pork loin over rice and spinach)
seafood salad ($ 9.00!!! with plenty of scallops and shrimps)
the salad are a meal in itself or perfect to be shared.
appetizers i found yummy were
ahi poke (delicious with rice)
soft shell crab
entrees
SPICY SEAFOOD NOODLE! its noodles mixed in a peanut garlic.
sauce with LOBSTER/​shrimp/​scallops tossed in. super filling too!
I also enjoy the braised short ribs. seriously falling off the bone tender.
anyhow im going to stop with this review now because im making myself hungry and its 2:30am. ahhsdkgsdlgjdl but yeah, if you haven’t been to Maui Bistro, check it out!

This place gets 3 stars for roominess of seating indoors and outdoors, and for the friendly staff that definitely exude aloha from the moment you walk in. This is a good thing, since the neon aloha sign is the first thing you see from the curb (I could have used that info when I was driving around restaurant row trying to find it!).
The ahi poke appetizer was the best part of the dinner in my humble opinion. I could almost close my eyes and feel like I was resortside in Wailea while enjoying the fresh and flavorful poke… the grilled chicken salad was fine but evoked more of the flavors of Italia than da Islands… the spicy seafood noodles had an interesting curry flavor that I thought would be more effective over yam noodles or rice noodles, rather than egg noodles. But the lobster in this dish was plentiful and really made it come together.
It was a great place to get caught up with one of my gal pals — we were not rushed in any way, and we certainly enjoyed the outdoor seating surrounded by pretty flowers and listening to Hawaiian music. All in all it made for an enjoyable meal, and you will find this may be about as close to da Islands as you can get in San Marcos (short of plate lunches and shave ice, of course!). Shaka!

Dinner Review.
Most of the stars are probably for the service than the food.
Our server was very friendly, and came around our table constantly to check on us. Granted, there weren’t really all that many people here this particular night, but she was still very friendly nonetheless.
The restaurant offers a daily lunch and/​or dinner special (I think it’s daily), which consists of one or two of the regular menu items at a $ 3 – 5 discount (average dinner entrée price is ~$ 15 – 18). On top of the «special» come a complimentary beverage.
I got the Seafood Curry special. The seafood consisted of lobster, shrimp, scallops (and maybe some other seafood?) I thought it was good. Not great. But good.

This restaurant is pretty nice.
They welcome you with a nice warming aloha when you walk in through the doors.
The staff here is pretty nice and they are all warming with the help that they offered. I went on a Tuesday night and the two best servers were there. Kevin and Kait were working and they were the best servers there. Whenever they were free or not too busy, they would come over and talk to me and keep me entertained while I ate my meal.
The nights here are amazing. They have their tiki torches lit up and the bon-​fire pits on to keep all the customers outside nice and warm.
They don’t really have an alcohol license here, but they have their make-​shift liquors that they put into the drinks to make it better, i guess.
The food here is tasty as well. Their Seafood Waikiki is nice but not too overpowering.

The waitstaff was nice enough… but honestly — HOW do I let them get away with making me a piña colada that isn’t even blended?
…man, that made me sad.
On top of that — our food was pretty salty and I wasn’t exactly impressed .
Don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere was likeable… but seeing as it’s in restaurant row — I’d definitely go someplace else.

I found Chin’s Maui Bistro here on Unilocal while travelling to the San Diego area for New Year’s.
I am usually not a fan of fusion, but I am almost always a fan of Hawaiian food, I was cautiously optimistic that Chin’s might just make the combo work.
The restaurant’s setting is nice enough, smack in the middle of the San Marcos restaurant row. That in itself is a little deceptive, however. The buildings LOOK nice, but when you read the restaurant names, you realize you’re dealing with the likes of IHOP, Tony Roma’s, etc. I’d say Chin’s Maui Bistro is worlds better than the former, and maybe a slight cut above Tony Roma’s.
We visited during lunch, and honestly I think we were the only 3 people in the restaurant. The hostess doubled as our waitress, and was pleasant enough, albeit not very personable or interested in making our stay fun.
Shortly after our drinks arrived, a casually dressed older asian man showed up to our table, welcomed us, and recommended some menu items. I figured he was likely the manager or owner, but waited to make his official acquaintance until I got a chance to try the food.
Appetizers were fairly good! The calimari was good by itself, served in fried slices of thick calimari steak. The plum dipping sauce was a little too «fusion» for me, however, and overpowered the subtle, slightly garlicky taste of the calimari that I was enjoying. Everyone agreed that the Poke, on the other hand, was great! The fresh tuna was mixed perfectly with white and black sesame seeds, seaweed and a dash of soy sauce. The portion was also generous for the price. About mid way through the appetizers, the casually dressed gentleman showed up again and made a big deal of telling us that the tuna was «sashimi grade.» As it was served raw, I would certainly hope it was, and in my opinion that should go without saying.
A few moments later, the entrees arrived. The presentation on all of the dishes was very nice, with colors, shapes and tastes grouped well. One of us ordered the pork tenderloin atop rice and mushrooms. According to him, it was excellent. It must have been, as he stopped talking about it and promptly made quick work of the entrée. In order to try a variety of items, a friend and I ordered the hawaiian combo plate lunch. It was literally ONE of each of the following:
— BBQ beef: Tasty, tender, but a little too drenched in soy — even compared to L&L standards.
— Fried shrimp: Good, moist, but done tempura style with batter, not panko
— BBQ chicken: Stringy, moderately flavorful, but overall not too enticing.
— SPAM slice: How can you go wrong? It was probably the most authentically Hawaiian item on the plate!
— Fried ahi: Here’s where things went down hill. The ahi was TERRIBLE!!! I am hoping this was an anomaly, but seriously something was wrong here. The fish looked fine, but literally tasted like dirt. Yes, dirt, like the ground. It took a lot to finish the one bite I had but thankfully I had some SPAM and iced tea left to wash the taste away with!
I don’t know if the man saw my face when I ate that fish or not, but he stopped by again and asked how everything was. When I told him about the fish, he seemed very surprised, and was instantly apologetic. He then revealed that he was, in fact, Mr. Chin himself.
Mr. Chin, you’re nice enough, and I appreciated the free ice cream and reduced bill, but I’ll never be able to eat fried ahi at your restaurant again.
All in all, I have to say that Chin’s Maui Bistro tries hard to make Hawaiian food a little less down-​home and more fanciful, but some things just don’t need fusion to be good. That being said, and the ahi aside, I felt like I got my money’s worth and generally enjoyed the food. Would I go there again? I wouldn’t say no if someone wanted to, but I probably wouldn’t suggest it either.

I’ve always liked Chin’s chinese (especially their eggplant dish!). When I heard that they had a hawaiian fusion place I had to try it out. My boyfriend and I stopped by for lunch on a friday. I was pleasantly surprised when we walked it. I liked the tastefully done décor and the cozy setting. It’s not cheap looking like an L&L or even the Loft in Torrance (which is still my all time fav hawaiian sit-​down hawaiian restaurant for their island style fried chicken).
We open the menu and even more surprised at the prices. None of the entrée’s were priced over $ 10. They could add some appetizers for the lunch menu but the dinner menu did show appetizers. My boyfriend ordered the lunch combo (chicken, bbq beef, shrimp) and I ordered the seafood combo (scallops, grilled shrimp) both over rice and vegetables. We were both really happy with the rice and sauce over both plates. I was completely surprised at how many large scallops were on my plate. At other places I pay more and get less. I do love my scallops. Everything was delicious. we will be coming back again and try out dinner. (dinner menu: all entrée’s priced under $ 20).

This was my first Chin’s Restaurant experience and I was amazingly surprised!!! Let me point out the positives (no negatives experienced):
1) In the outside eating area, there was a Hawaiian guy playing Hawaiian music to complete the Hawaiian fusion experience
2) The orange ruffi, deep sea perch, (found off the coast of Chile and South Africa) was cooked to a tender flaky perfection and my father’s spicy noodle dish came with large scallops and a nice amount of lobster.
3) We met Chin himself in person!!! Such a nice guy and he came by our table to ask how our food was and spent a good 5 – 10 minutes talking with us. A very down to earth person and he explained to us that he used to reside in Hawaii… hence the inspiration for this kind of restaurant. He also mentioned to us that he just took over Peking Palace at UTC near UCSD so I’m definitely going to check that out sometime when it changes ownership later this year!!!
It’s gratifying to know that owners still take time to check up on their investments and make sure the customer is happy and what improvements can be made.

Ok, so I went here late (8:00 ish) on a Friday and the place was dead, compared to the other nearby restaurants.
None-​the-​less, we had a friend in town from Las Vegas and this was a convenient meeting point.
I had something called Shrimp Waikiki and it was truly, sadly unmemorable. The menu claimed something about shrimp and having coconut somewhere in the dish. Sadly this «shrimp» consisted of four rather small shrimp, about four sweet potatoes, and ten scallops served in a bland batter with a slathering of the house mayonnaise (with no warning about the mayonnaise).
I ate the shrimp and left the rest. Thus, I left a very hungry boy.
The server was attentive, even if she lived up to every SoCal valley girl stereotype (sweet sugary talking — she was brunette but sounded like the very stereotypical blond of many blond jokes.)
I wasn’t very impressed.
A party of five left the place at $ 120 with only soft drinks and no dessert. This was before tip.
The restaurant is laid out in a weird U shape. It can be nice or you can be easily forgotten. Parking, while a spacious lot, can still be tight unless you park in the boondocks on busy weekend nights.
I wasn’t impressed and wouldn’t be going out of my way to eat here agin real soon, despite the friendliness of the staff.