The much anticipated pan-Asian spinoff of Tacolicious, Chino, in the former Andalu space at the busy corner of 16th and Guerrero, opens today at 4 p.m. for cocktails, and 5:30 p.m. for dinner. The concept is a dumpling house, taking varied inspirations (and recipes) from Kingdom of Dumpling, Chinatown dim sum, former Nombe and current Bar Tartine chef Nick Balla (with his famed spicy wings), and Filipino and Taiwanese cuisines. And there's a full bar with drinks from former Alembic barman Danny Louie, including a boba version of a pina colada, a sesame-infused spin on a margarita, and a classic Singapore Sling.

Eater has a bunch of photos of the space, as well as the food and drink menus, which are of course subject to change as the restaurant works out its opening kinks.

The Tacolicious/Chino crew have been testing things out on Ferry Building farmers' market crowds for a couple of months, and though originally announced chef Brandon Jew is no longer involved, the menu looks intriguing. There's chef de cuisine Dale Arcalas' mom's recipe for lumpia (he's Filipino-American), a selection of dumplings, pot-stickers, and bao, and a bunch of salads, noodle dishes, and fried rice dishes too.

The best news: They'll be open for lunch/brunch and late-night eats too, with daily hours from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. As Tablehopper notes, initial hours through the weekend will be dinner only, starting at 5:30 p.m., with those regular hours kicking in on Monday, June 2.

You can expect big crowds from the start, I'm guessing, just like Tacolicious had, with no reservations.

Chino - 3198 16th Street at Guerrero - 415-552-5771

[Eater]
[Tablehopper]