CHŌ Funky Asian Bistro

CHŌ Funky Asian Bistro Miami Beach opened in May 2026 at 1209 17th Street. It sits in Sunset Harbour, on the bay side of South Beach. It took over the former Paya space, a Hoodline story on the opening notes. It serves shareable pan-Asian plates in a red-lit, maximalist dining room.

Chef and restaurateur Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar runs CHŌ as his first solo restaurant. The menu pulls from Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia, as Miami New Times noted at launch. The contrast between those regions is the idea behind the menu.

What CHŌ Serves

The official menu has five food sections: Snacks, Raw, Dumpling & Friends, Wok, and Mains. It also lists sides, desserts, cocktails, mocktails, sake, wine, beer, and tea. The kitchen plans dishes for sharing, so a table orders several plates instead of one entree each.

• Snacks: chicken satay, chicken liver pâté, pork ribs, and a beef broth.
• Raw: scallop crudo, miso beef tartare, and mango coconut and wasabi cabbage salads.
• Dumpling & Friends: Vietnamese shrimp roll, mushroom dumpling, duck bao, and shrimp wonton.
• Wok: beef basil, kung pao chicken, pad Thai, pad see ew, duck fried rice, and shrimp nasi goreng.
• Mains: Korean fried chicken, crab curry, green curry, banana leaf steamed fish, khao soi lamb neck, and a bone-in short rib.

Desserts include ube cheesecake, a chunky monkey, coconut and chocolate pani puri, and Vietnamese pour-over coffee. The menu draws on Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indonesian cooking.

Prices and What a Dinner Costs

Every dish on the menu carries a printed price. Snacks run from $12 for the beef broth to $23 for the pork ribs. Raw dishes run from $15 to $28. Dumpling & Friends plates cost $15 to $18.

Wok dishes run $25 to $34 on the official menu, and mains run $26 to $84. The duck fried rice costs $34. The crab curry and the khao soi lamb neck each cost $42. The bone-in short rib is the top price at $84.

Sides help round out a shared meal. The menu lists scallion pancake at $9, shishito peppers at $11, Chinese broccoli at $9, and jasmine rice at $7. Desserts cost $14 to $16, and the Vietnamese pour-over coffee costs $6.

Cocktails range from $16 to $45, and mocktails cost $16. Beer runs $8 to $9. A table that orders four or five shared plates plus drinks should plan accordingly. The menu page also lists a Miami Spice dinner at $50, with an optional three-course sake pairing for $25. Check the menu page for the dates that offer applies. Confirm the current Miami Spice terms with the restaurant before you book.

The Room

CHŌ looks more like a nightlife venue than a quiet neighborhood bistro. Red light washes over the dining room. Backlit shelves hold Chinese and Japanese curios, including lion figures, opera masks, and ginger jars. A long banquette runs beneath them, and woven rattan pendants hang over wooden tables.

The bar has a marble counter and red leather stools. Rattan lanterns hang above the back-bar shelves. Green neon and paper lanterns fill a corner by the service pass, next to a CHŌ poster with a kaiju on it.

Miami-based artist Mokibaby co-designed the space,. Expect a loud, high-energy room. If you want a hushed dinner, pick a calmer spot from our list of best restaurants in Miami Beach.

Hours and Reservations

Dinner starts at 6 p.m. every night of the week. Closing time is 10 p.m. on weeknights and Sundays. It moves to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Plan a dinner that fits inside that evening window.

CHŌ serves dinner only. It has no lunch or brunch service. CHŌ is open Sunday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m.

Reservations are available through OpenTable from the restaurant’s official site. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday, when the dining room stays open an hour later. The same site has a private events page for groups. Call (305) 281-9328 for questions the site does not answer.

Parking and Getting There

Valet parking is available Wednesday through Sunday. Valet is not offered Monday or Tuesday, so plan another way to arrive on those nights. A rideshare is the simplest option.

The address is 1209 17th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139. The block sits in Sunset Harbour, on the bay side of South Beach. Plan on an indoor dining room.

How to Order for a Table

Order across the sections instead of picking one dish each. Start with something from Snacks and something from Raw. The chicken liver pâté and the scallop crudo make a good contrast. Then add one dish from Dumpling & Friends and one from the Wok.

The duck fried rice makes a sensible anchor for the table. For a larger group, add one of the two $42 mains: the khao soi lamb neck or the crab curry. Choosing dishes from different regions shows what the menu does best.

A diner who wants one plated main course will find this format less suited to them. The menu works best when everyone shares.

Who CHŌ Suits

Snacks and Raw dishes suit a table that wants a light start. The Wok and Mains suit a table that wants a full dinner. The menu has dishes at every price level, from a $12 beef broth to an $84 bone-in short rib.

The dining room seats guests at wooden tables, along a long banquette, and at the marble bar. The bar works for a drink before dinner. The cocktail list runs from $16 to $45, and the menu also lists sake, wine, beer, and tea.

CHŌ suits groups of three or more who want to taste widely and split dishes. It also works for a celebration, because the room is loud and theatrical. A couple can still eat well, but will sample fewer dishes. Anyone who needs a lunch or a late-night kitchen should look elsewhere, since service runs only in the evening.

The menu page lists no vegetarian, vegan, or allergen policy. Guests with dietary needs should ask the restaurant before booking.

For more places nearby, browse our South Beach guide. Visit the CHŌ website to book.