Chaya Brasserie

05/23/11

uninspiring and overpriced food

by romulus19

I was not impressed. the food really didn't taste great. we ordered a variety of small 'bite' dishes since the main dishes were overpriced and didn't sound that appetizing. we tried the mac & cheese (it was ok), the sushi (it was average - if you want sushi, go to a real sushi place), the beets (probably the only good dish of the night), and the shrimp wrap (average as well). Both my wife and I also felt 'heavy' after the meal, even though we didn't eat a lot. The service was good but nothing to write home about.

Overall the experience was average and I don't expect to be back.

05/21/10

Totally over-hyped

by United54

Outrageously expensive, ordinary food and service. I personally think it's just the hype that got the people there. Heard good stories about it, went there. I don't feel anything special about it, just a regular restaurant with regular "ok" food. But the price is much higher compared to similar quality and choices in other establishments.

Basically, you do not get your money's worth.

• Pros: Can't think of any
• Cons: Outrageously expensive with mediocre quality of food, servic

05/04/10

Downright horrible service and food.

by kevinjoe2010

Recently visited the restaurant for dinner with a couple of close friends, we were all extremely disappointed, both at the level of service and the quality of food. Not friendly at all, have 7 people, they tried to sit us at a 6-people table when there are a lot of big tables available around, and we made reservations prior to arrival. All of us needed to squeeze in before we can fit at the table, not until we complained about it before they put an extension for the table.

Worst of all, you would not expect a restaurant that is trying to brand themselves as high class to serve you bread that is totally burnt! NO EXAGGERATION! IT’S TOTALLY BURNT, with dark burnt bits coming off the top and the whole loaf was basically charred. You can even smell the burnt odor. When we brought the issue to the waiter’s attention, and said that it is both wrong and unhealthy to serve burnt food to guests. The waiter said arrogantly, “LOS ANGELES HAS AN AIR QUALITY THAT IS WAY WORSE AND MORE UNHEALTHY THAN BURNT FOOD.” The waiter even said that the bread is free, implying that we should not complain. The water we had on the table is free too, I wonder if Chaya will serve sewage water to people and use the excuse that water is free to justify it. The manager does not seem to care either, just horrible service and downright disgusting. At the end, they even had the guts to charge us 18% tip automatically without feeling sorry at all about their mistakes.

If you are going to spend hundreds of dollars for a dinner and a good experience, there are a lot of choices out there. Even a common restaurant chain will not provide this low, crude level of service. I was recommended to this restaurant by my World Elite Mastercard concierge, and they are notified of the issue and will not recommend them to other clients again.

FYI: the server I had named David, I did not have the name of the manager. The restaurant is located in Beverly Hills near Cedar Sinai.

• Pros: Good Location
• Cons: Poor Food and Service

02/17/09

okay food, terrible service

by socalipa

My friend and I decided to take advantage of the restaurant's DineLA menu. Upon arrival, we waited about 10 seconds (not a truly terrible thing) before the hostess placed her call on hold and acknowledged us. She then led us to a small, circular AND WOBBLY table at the back of the restaurant next to the kitchen. When we took a look around, we noticed that there were literally 4 PEOPLE in the restaurant dining area (both couples had much better tables than we did). We asked to be seated somewhere else, and our only other option was the small circular table right in front of our original table. Apparently, the 4-person table next to us was out of the question. Disgusted, I pointed to a table with bench seating. After the waiter went to ask the hostess if that was okay, we were finally seated. Dinner itself was so-so. I understand that perhaps ordering from a prix fixe menu during restaurant week may not be the best indicator of the restaurant's true quality, but it should be similar, no? My short ribs were a bit dry, but my friend did enjoy her risotto. What made the evening worse was when the waiter, Raphael, placed the bill on our table WHILE WE WERE STILL EATING DESSERT. (The restaurant, by the way, was only about half full. And the seats two tables down from us - undoubtedly his territory - was empty.) He even had the audacity to check on it a few minutes later. I only get to see my friend about once a month, so our dinners together are usually a couple hours long. We've never had an experience like this before. We felt so rushed and uncomfortable that we hastily paid our bill and cut our conversation short. So unless you want to eat mediocre food at a table in a subpar location while getting the evil eye from the waiter, by all means, don't try Chaya. In the vast city that is LA, I'm sure you can find a better food experience in a better atmosphere with better service.

• Cons: SERVICE/WAIT STAFF

01/09/09

My Favorite restaurant

by Anna2009

Food, service, ambiance - everything is flawless. I've been to many places, but Chaya is the best by far. You get your moneys worth here.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: Can be a little loud.