Some restaurants take themselves seriously. Others know how to have a good time. CHŌ Funky Asian Bistro manages to do both, pairing an ambitious pan-Asian menu with a dining room that looks like the eccentric love child of a Hong Kong nightclub, a vintage curiosity shop, and someone’s wildly imaginative living room. It’s colorful, a little trippy, unapologetically funky.
The brainchild of restaurateur Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar, CHŌ is the first concept from his Mo Momentum Group, built around a deceptively simple philosophy: Vibe – Eat – Drink. And while plenty of restaurants promise an experience, Mo has gone all in on creating one. Think moody lighting, crimson-lit bookshelves overflowing with curious collectibles, hand-painted tabletops hiding personal Easter eggs, and bathrooms that look like they might have been designed during a particularly colorful fever dream.
The whole place has personality to spare, but the real surprise is how seriously CHŌ takes its food. The menu draws from Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia without getting too hung up on borders. It’s an ambitious collection of familiar Asian favorites and a few unexpected detours, backed by quality ingredients like B&E chicken and Niman Ranch meats, with sauces and preparations all made in-house.
Start with the Mala Fries, a spicy, tingly introduction to the kitchen’s playful side. But the Chicken Satay is where things really click. Perfectly prepared chicken with a house-made Thai peanut sauce that’s worth scraping every last bit off the plate.
Then there’s the Wasabi Cabbage Salad, which might just be my favorite thing on the entire menu. Crunchy cabbage, Korean pear, and an apple-wasabi vinaigrette with shallots come together in a combination that’s bright, sharp, refreshing, and ridiculously addictive. It’s the kind of salad you find yourself thinking about days later, which is something I never imagined saying about a cabbage. The selections continue with a Mango Coconut Salad dressed in tamarind vinaigrette, herbs, and cucumber, alongside a Scallop Crudo accented with red curry oil, pandan, and kaffir lime. Both reflect the kitchen’s fondness for balancing sweet, sour, spicy, and aromatic flavors.
Under “Dumplings & Friends,” Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls arrive with peanut hoisin sauce and nuoc cham, while Mushroom Dumplings come with yuzu ponzu and sesame chili dips. There’s also a Duck Bao featuring honey-soy glazed duck and house-made pickles. But the new Beef Lumpia is an absolute must. Stuffed with Niman Ranch prime beef and served with pickles and beef jus, it’s one of those dishes I’d order EVERY SINGLE TIME.
From the “Wok” section, Pad See Ew brings together stir-fried beef, Chinese broccoli, and rice noodles, while Duck Fried Rice combines snow peas, sweet corn, and eggs. The latter arrives in a ceramic Chinese takeout box, another example of CHŌ having a little fun with the presentation without losing sight of what’s inside.
Of course, a restaurant this committed to the evening’s energy needs a proper cocktail program, and CHŌ enlisted Miami’s Unfiltered Hospitality to help deliver one. The Golden Triangle combines gin, Thai basil, yuzu, and prosecco for a bright, aromatic drink that is a nice twist on a French 75. For something with a little more depth, the Silk Thai Manhattan reimagines the whiskey classic with rye, Thai tea, vermouth, banana, and cardamom bitters. Both drinks had familiar foundations with personality to hold their own against the food.
Dessert keeps the kitchen’s playful streak going. There’s an Ube Cheesecake with coconut graham crust and salted ube cream; there’s a sweet interpretation of Pani Puri that swaps the traditional savory filling for coconut and hazelnut praline, with dark chocolate milk poured into crisp semolina shells. But for me, the Chunky Monkey was the move. Vanilla ice cream, caramelized peanuts, and caramelized bananas. Nothing particularly complicated or avant-garde about it, and absolutely nothing wrong with something that’s just plain delicious.
What makes CHŌ work, though, goes beyond the kitchen and the eclectic decor. As the evening progresses, the music picks up, the lighting settles into its sultry glow, and the dining room takes on the feel of a party that hasn’t quite decided how late it’s going to go. Just as importantly, the hospitality delivers. Our server, Sofia Ivone, deserves a huge shout-out for being attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to talk to. In a city where service can sometimes feel like an afterthought, it’s refreshing to encounter someone who makes the experience feel personal. Mo talks a lot about putting the human touch back into hospitality, and Sofia is a pretty compelling example of what that looks like in practice.
Miami has no shortage of restaurants with beautiful rooms, ambitious menus, and elaborate cocktails. Finding one where the food, atmosphere, and service all seem to be having the same good time is another story. CHŌ gets it. And crossing the bridge feels like part of the fun.