Dining and drinking review: Choripan by Asado

Several weeks ago an Esplanade resident stopped me in the lobby and asked why "The Esplanade News" had never reviewed Choripan, the cafe at the Museum of Glass. I said that I didn't know - it's close by and rumored to be quite tasty, so I asked Kurt Kwon if he would mind taking the request. I still have not visited Choripan, and Kurt didn't seem impressed, but I know there are lot of people who rave about Asado, which is Choripan's sister establishment on Sixth Ave.

Choripan by Asado is located in the Glass Museum, at 1801 Dock Street

Review and photos by Kurt Kwon

The Asado chain has a presence on the waterfront at The Glass Museum. I like Asado overall and thought the sister restaurant would deliver similar flavor and quality. I've given this place a try a few times now and I'm just not overly impressed. 

The idea is to choose your protein like chicken, steak or tofu and put it with a bowl of quinoa, salad, or sandwich. They recently changed the menu and the popular braised pork is no longer on the menu. That's unfortunate because that seemed to be the best dish. 

Argentinian food is supposed to be full of robust flavor and great sauces. Unfortunately, the flavor I had with the buttermilk marinated chicken bowl didn't live up to my expectations. The chicken was cooked well, but lacked seasoning. Choripan is basically only open for lunch, but their portion size is a bit small. If you have a big appetite, you'll be disappointed and hungry a few hours later. Prices are proportionate to the location. Service can be slow, especially if they are busy, but I've found it to be slow every time I dined there, whether it was busy or not. Overall, Choripan is just OK in a pinch if you want to grab lunch. Otherwise, skip it and go on Pacific Ave and find dining options up there.