Food Drink

Loco Chino popping up around Adelaide with Asian fusion birria tacos

The eatery, which prides itself on being Adelaide’s first birria destination, adds Asian flare to its Mexican food offerings.

New eatery Loco Chino has started popping up around Adelaide, and people are already going loco for it!

The pop-up business serves up mainly Mexican food, specialising in elotes (Mexican street corn) with Hot Cheetos, queso, or butter, and birria tacos, a Mexican-style beef stew taco with slow-cooked beef cheek. However, Loco Chino, which loosely translates from Spanish to mean “the crazy Chinese” or person of Asian descent, has an Asian fusion element to their dishes. 

“We named it Loco Chino because it’s a bit crazy that three Asians in Australia are making a birria taco business,” co-owner Isaiah Do says. 

“But we’re all massive foodies, and Asian fusion differentiates us; It’s more pungent and with a lot more flavour.”

The eatery, which prides itself on being Adelaide’s first birria destination, adds Asian flare to its menu, serving Asian drinks, birria ramen (with noodles in birria broth), and homemade salsa with a zesty Asian influence. 

Do, 20, and co-founders Tommy Huynh and Hung Do, also in their early 20s, founded Loco Chino after getting inspired by American ASMR and mukbang videos, which show creators eating all sorts of food, often “internet” food. Do, who got her footing in hospitality at dessert bars and cafés, wanted to bring that style of food to Adelaide.

“I saw people going to taco trucks and dipping tacos in this incredible soup on TikTok and YouTube, and I decided to do it for myself,” Do says. 

Loco Chino will soon be housed in a food truck, cruising around Adelaide’s beaches and the CBD come October. In the meantime, they’re hosting pop-ups around West Croydon and the city, so make sure to keep an eye out!

To follow along with their journey and stay up to date on their whereabouts, follow Loco Chino on Instagram.

More News

To Top