With established restaurant locations in Indiranagar, Koramangla and a new location in Whitefield, Chinita Real Mexican. Fellow expat boss lady Chef Candice Lock and her team have been serving classic Mexican flavors to Bangaloreans for the past 8 years.
The Vine was recently contacted to see if we would be interested in reviewing some of the items from the Chinita menu. Sí señor, of course we would be delighted!
ORDERING
Find Chinita on Swiggy or Zomato open from daily 12 PM to 11 PM
LOCATIONS:
Indiranagar
218, Double Rd, Near BDA Complex, Indiranagar
9686551896 / 080 4163 7107
Koramangala
25, 5th Cross, 5th Block, Near 100ft road, Koramangala
9591038009 / 080 4371 1400
Whitefield
5B, Miraya Rose by UKn, Varthur Road, Whitefield
9008111898 / 080 4992 7884
THE REVIEW
Chinita is the gold standard in Mexican food in Bangalore (some of the best across India) and after sampling the menu for a recent lunch, I am sure we all understand why.
The popular restaurant has been able to successfully maintain their quality and consistency over the years, avoiding the subtle “indianizing” of the menu that so often happens to international cuisine here.
The food is fresh & fabulous and it is truly a menu fashioned around all the Mexican favorites -tacos, beans, pico y más!
THE FOOD WE TRIED
Tiggy – Prawn Tacos w/c Tomato Salsa, Grilled Corn + Chocolate & Chilli Cake
PRAWN TACOS WITH TOMATO SALSA
These arrived slightly damp from being encased in a sealed foil box, so I popped them in a hot oven for 5 minutes to crisp up. They were delicious – not too spicy, plenty of prawns and filling, the right amount of cheese, and a cute little tub of tomato salsa that was the perfect accompaniment. Two was the right number with my side & dessert, and I was left feeling like I had eaten a healthy and wholesome lunch. My only issue was the dampness of the taco – maybe an aerated container for tacos to travel in would be a nice touch in future – but the quick blast in the oven made all the difference, and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone!
GRILLED CORN
I hadn’t known this was coming, so it was a great surprise when I opened up the delivery bag! I love corn, and the cheesy flavouring was a new pairing to me – and absolutely delicious. I munched down both pieces without any trouble, occasionally dunking them in tomato salsa for an extra kick of chilli and squeezing plenty of the accompanying wedges of lime all over them.
CHOCOLATE & CHILI CAKE
The name of this dish does not lie! Take a bite, and the chilli immediately hits the back of your throat, which is then soothed by the chocolatey gooey goodness of the cake. It is not too sweet, very chocolatey, and refreshingly different – mixing the heat of the chilli with the smoothness of the chocolate. I would order this again in a heartbeat (maybe even a whole one for a grown-up birthday party?) and I wolfed down the whole portion easily, rounding off a delicious and well-chosen lunch.
Aarti – Pulled pork burrito bowl, tortilla chips with roasted red tomato salsa and pico de gallo + flan
PULLED PORK BURRITO BOWL
Having eaten at Chinita before, I’d always steered clear of the burrito bowl as I’d been disappointed in the past with the rice to meat ratio. I needn’t have worried this time! The bowl was balanced to perfection. The pork was mouth wateringly tender and the balance of flavours was just perfect. I’m not a huge fan of spicy food so I removed the jalapeños, leaving just a delicate hint of chilli which wasn’t overpowering. I’ll most certainly be ordering this next time, it travelled really well and tasted fresh and healthy.
TORTILLA CHIPS + SALSA/PICO DE GALLO
My son’s favourite! The tortilla chips are perfectly crispy and I was happy to see the accompaniments arriving in separate containers so as not to cause any sogginess!
A great side to any of the tasty dishes as they help cleanse your palette with that salty crispy taste profile.
FLAN
The word flan doesn’t really excite me. The flan from Chinita is extremely exciting though! The most delicious caramel-ly, rich, perfectly cooked flan. Sadly for my waistline, this will now be a staple with my order.
Overall – I would love to see more eco friendly packaging and perhaps the ability to choose spice levels but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
Nicole – Chicken Chinita Salad with a side beans, pico de gallo + corn chips
CHICKEN CHINITA SALAD
A generous portion of marinated chicken that is grilled to perfection served over crisp Romain lettuce with cherry tomatoes, white beans, cucumbers, grilled sweet corn, queso dressing and Parmesan cheese.
This salad is full of flavor but low on carbs and calories, and considering that I ate my way through two covid lockdowns, it is exactly what I have been looking for!
I added my side of pico de gallo directly to the salad and loved the extra seasoning! The queso dressing is delicious and it’s sugar and carb free which is a bonus!
Vine Tip: Following a Keto diet? Call the restaurant directly after placing this order and you can customize the additions in the salad. Ask them to hold the corn and white beans to make this a keto-friendly option.
BEANS
These are your staple Mexican style pinto beans that are found as an accompaniment to many Mexican dishes. The beans were perfect and it was great to see that they were not overly spiced.
OUR VINE TEAM TESTERS
Nicole – American by birth and now a long-term Indian resident, Nicole loves the diversity and adventure that living in India has brought to her life.
Aarti – A born and bred londoner who has lived in Bangalore for the past 2.5 years for work. Aarti loved travelling around beautiful India, sampling all the smells, tastes and joys!
Tiggy – Originally from the UK, and been in Bangalore for 7 years now – loves exploring all the world has to offer, especially delicious food, baskets and textiles!
