Cho Cho is the newest arrival in Chinatown, a playful, hybrid cafe-restaurant-bar from the team behind Gico, but with a personality all its own. Where Gico introduced modern Australian brunch threaded with Asian flavours back in 2022, Cho Cho leans further into fusion, bending fan favourites with curiosity and the occasional creative oddball.
The space has been redesigned by Anthony Sirocco Design, who gives it a warm, contemporary feel that matches the venue’s all-day intentions – breakfast soon, dinner now, and drinks that blur from coffee to cocktails to milk-tea slushes.
Owner Gavin says Cho Cho was born from wanting to bring Gico’s energy into the CBD, while acknowledging the different expectations of Chinatown diners.
“We started from Gico a few years ago, a modern Italian restaurant. It became popular in the community, so we wanted to bring the restaurant to the busy Chinatown precinct,” he says.
“We understand that customers coming to this area may expect something different from a traditional Italian restaurant. So we thought it could be a cool and exciting idea to add something ‘different’ to Gico.”
At ChoCho, that “different” shows up everywhere, especially in the drinks. Alongside espressos and classic cocktails are Asian milk teas, matcha lattes and an entire family of Cho Cho “special drinks,” which range from cheese-foam jasmine tea to crushed-lime guava fruit sodas. There’s Thai-style boba, brown sugar boba, taro lattes, tiramisu lattes, and a signature sticky rice yogurt drink topped with raw honeycomb, kale (yes), sticky rice and Biscoff crumbs.
Breakfast, when it launches, will be similarly cross-cultural. Expect smoothie bowls, congee, omelettes, and sandwiches that take little detours around the globe, from a Korean-style crispy chicken sandwich to an Italian fresh roll with prosciutto (and a pork-and-crisp-chilli-oil version that’s a guaranteed flavour bomb.) There’ll also be classics like eggs on toast if you want to keep things simple.
Lunch and dinner are where Cho Cho really stretches its stylistic wings. Pastas anchor the offering, with the option to choose your preferred shape. There’s Cho Cho Signature, a bone marrow pork and wagyu beef ragu, a Korean pork belly cream pasta, and a chilli crab number with real punch. Risottos appear beside a chilli honey burrata apple salad, salmon tataki sitting in a bright ponzu, and a crunchy prawn nori taco that’s crisp, fun and gone in three bites.
Then there are the burgers – wagyu cheeseburgers, deep-fried kimchi wagyu burgers, soft-shell crab versions, and plenty of sides to keep things casual. Even kids get their own menu.
“We want to create a venue for customers to relax and catch up with friends from morning to night,” Gavin says. “Currently we’re open for dinner only, but breakfast will be coming soon. Menus will change seasonally.”
With its mix of comfort, experimentation and a few delightful curveballs, Cho Cho feels like a natural – if slightly more chaotic – sibling to Gico. It’s the kind of place that makes sense in Chinatown. It’s expressive, colourful, and hybrid by nature – and leaves you wondering how the kitchen team manage a menu that reads like a novela, but somehow they do.
Currently dinner only, official opening and extended menu coming soon
Cho Cho
Where: 98 Gouger Street, Adelaide
When: 8am – late, daily
@chocho_adl
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