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
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