Mohamed "Mo" Alkassar — a 2023 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur and a partner in Ghee Indian Kitchen, a multi-year Michelin Bib Gourmand honoree — runs CHŌ as his first solo project, opened in 2026 in the former Paya space on 17th Street near Sunset Harbour. The pan-Asian menu pulls across Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and China into shareable plates: Korean fried chicken with confit-garlic kewpie, a Vietnamese shrimp roll with nuoc cham, crab curry with jackfruit and spaghetti squash, and a pani puri turned dessert. Co-designed with Cuban-American artist MokiBaby, the room is crimson-lit and mirror-layered, with a pagoda-framed open kitchen facing the street. The Infatuation calls the cooking consistently strong at fair prices. Come for the late-night cocktail program and a menu built to pass around the table.