Chaya Brasserie

First things first: run, don’t walk, to this place before it closes tomorrow night if for no other reason than to try that ridiculous chocolate croissant bread pudding dessert. The absolute best dessert I’ve ever had, not exaggerating. Just… go to the bar and try and order from there if you have to. *That* good!
And everything else here is really good, too. The farmer’s market cocktail is a really cool idea, the persimmon martini was what was available when I was there last week. The tuna tartare is sensational, and is very pretty to look at as well. The miso sea bass is the signature dish here, and it does not disappoint. Perfect.
Best of luck to all the employees of Chaya Brasserie — I had a wonderful experience and no less than 5 absolutely stellar people were a part of that! Cheers.

Whether you are looking for a nice, romantic dinner or a tasty, reasonable Happy Hour, look no further than Chaya Brasserie. Unless you are «looking» after December 31^st, then keep looking because they are closing their doors after 30 years on December 31^st. I’m pretty bummed about this, especially since I didn’t even know about their amazing Happy Hour until last night! I always just thought of them as a special dinner place!
You can still get your Chaya fix at their other locations. .. But I’m sad this location will be no more much too soon.
In the mean time. .. For happy hour I got the Spicy Tuna roll and the Tuna Sliders. I haven’t had a spicy tuna roll here in years, and I guess I forgot how good they are here. Just when you think, it’s spicy tuna, how much better can it be? Well, come try this one and see for yourself. Fresh, great flavor, I don’t know how they made this so much better than the usual but they did! The Tuna sliders came with some really tasty fries, but next time I would probably rather just get more spicy tuna rolls than order the sliders again. Spicy Tuna was only $ 6 or $ 7 on HH, sliders were $ 11.
I got some spicy margarita that was amazing! I tried my friend’s first, which was a little too spicy for me so the bartender toned it down for me. (I think it was hibiscus or something. It was made with a chili infused tequila so for mine he used half of the chili tequila and half regular. So good, still thinking about it!) The Happy Hour price was just $ 7! (Or $ 6, can’t remember 100% but it was one of those!)
If you are eating in the dining room I don’t think you can go wrong with any of their fish entrees. I tend to order white-​fish type dishes and I have always been happy. Their sushi in the dining room is very good, large portion, kind of pricey.
So hurry up and go, or check out another location. :(

We were looking forward to trying the food here for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to it… Im glad we waited, maybe we should have kept waiting… For starters: Our server took 10 minutes to even acknowledge us, and when we got her attention she looked at us and told us to wait a second!!! More like another 5 minutes! We waited another 20 minutes for our food to arrive after we ordered… I got the seafood paella and my fiancé got the ribeye… Sadly one was worse than the other! My paella was watery and had no taste at all and his ribeye was chewy and bland. I’ve never chewed on plastic, but I imagine that’s what it would feel like…
There are so many wonderful restaurants in LA, don’t waste your time or money here…

This is a nice restaurant for good food and service with a decent happy hour.
The bar sort of hits you in the face as you walk in — it would be nice if there was a bit of separation from the front door. It is a smallish bar with a few bar stools and several tables. Happy hour drinks are limited to select wine and cocktails for $ 7, beer for $ 5/​6, and small plates/​sushi at a discount. Happy hour is available all night, every night, in the bar, lounge and patio areas (5:30PM to close).
The spicy margarita with prickly pear purée is perfect and delicious! However, bar service from the bar server was horrendously slow, as she was busy in the dining room as well. I’m not sure if they were short-​staffed or if this is their usual practice to go back and forth serving both dining and bar patrons (although the drinks we had during dinner were served by our waiter)
The restaurant has mostly small (2 – 4 top) tables scattered throughout. Service was very good and attentive without any pretention. To start, the crispy brussel sprouts are nicely charred and tasty and the wagyu beef rolls are very good. For entrees, the miso sea bass is very buttery and melts in your mouth, but the accompanying rice is forgettable. The salmon is equally as good, if not better, and may be the best salmon I’ve had in a long while. The sunchoke purée and baby kale were complimentary to the dish. I substituted broccolini for the asparagus, and there was no issue in doing so and no additional charge. For dessert, the chocolate croissant bread pudding was recommended by the server and it was quite good — not heavy or too rich.
Other than bar service, the overall experience was very good. The food and service is pretty solid, but that spicy margarita is fantastic!

Dont Have much to say about this place, The food was good but average.
the service was very good, I just think that the prices are too high compare to the quality of food… (I guess the prices are «linked» the location).

Had a Travelzoo deal for a full dinner at Chaya. We got a nice value since they are much more expensive at full price.
We started with the wagyu beef cut roll, which was delicious. I tried their Moscow Mule as well, which comes in a branded rustic metal mug. Cute! The drink was a bit weak, though.
For entrees, we shared the miso sea bass and the Scottish salmon. The sea bass was incredibly buttery and tender, while the vegetables on the side were bland and unseasoned. On the other hand, both the salmon and its accompaniments were incredibly flavorful. I would recommend the salmon over the sea bass.
Service was great at first, but once the restaurant started filling up, we were ignored. Our entrees took a LONG time to arrive, and my boyfriend was getting frustrated at how long it took for the food and to get the server’s attention for a drink. She would stop at the table next to us and rush off without even glancing. Oh well. If we had been paying full price I would have been miffed.
Overall I was glad I finally tried Chaya and I would recommend it if you’re looking for an upscale restaurant.

I’m not a fan of fancy-​ish restaurants in theory. You know the whole expensive entre thing, small portions, and uptight service and surroundings. Usually, I prefer the whole taco truck or happy hour dive. But, certain friends of mine have expensive taste and if I ever want to see them outside their homes, I have to hit up places that normally are not my scene.
We came around 9:30pm on a Friday, without reservations and were seated right away. They at first offered us a table by the bar to dine on their happy hour menu, which in hindsight would have probably been more up my alley, but we instead settled at a table in the main dining room.
I cannot say enough nice things about our waiter Edwin. When I asked where the bathrooms were he escorted me there himself. When my friend asked 10 minutes later and I began to tell her, there was Edwin again who made another trip to the bathroom with my friend. Now that I’m typing it, it sounds weird, but it wasn’t like that. NO sexual favors were exchanged, even if that would have been a great idea on our part in light of the large check we racked up.
I ordered the black and white spaghetti with shrimp. It was awful, though it looked amazing, it tasted like I was licking the ocean floor and a rotting fish carcass. I HATE to complain and never do, normally I would have done one of the following, eaten the entire bowl of pasta, alternating crude sloppy mouthfuls and large swigs of my beverage, and we will call this the rapid swallow technique. Or, take the second option of eating a bottomless supply of bread. Since I’m coming off a 3-​week wedding holiday of binge eating, I couldn’t afford the repercussions of the carb overload of the bottomless breadbasket.
Luckily, my more outspoken friend told Edwin my pasta dish tasted like rotten sardines and he was more than happy to give me anything I preferred in exchange for the smelly seafood I was cursed with. He said it was probably the sea urchin in the pasta. I guess I totally missed that part on the dish’s explanation, but I’m pretty sure the seafood word of thumb is if it tastes and smells like expired canned tuna, you’re going to be hurling chunks of cast members from the Little Mermaid all night and the next day.
Which, though I only had a few bites, is exactly what I did later that evening and the next day. I will say Edwin and the kitchen got me a second item off the menu, basically a spaghetti Bolognese. It was good, but at this point I’d already started a margarita slash bread basket binge, so I had little room left in my churning stomach, which was about to erupt from all sides in a few short hours.
My girlfriends got the sea bass and the branzino fish dishes, which were both much better than what I ordered. Like I said this was not exactly my style of restaurant, but it was very nice. I would go again to have a drink and to see Edwin, but that’s probably it. Drinks are $ 12-​$ 14 range for specialty cocktails, which is about average for the area, but there is a happy hour menu, so that may be a better option.
All in all, I had to subtract a bit for the seafood food poisoning (self diagnosed, but I’m not a barfer, so it had to be something I ate– see rotten sea floor above) but I did add for Edwin, who was a delight.

Came here because we missed it on DineLA. We got the travelzoo deal where it was I think 60 bucks for two people. You get an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and two drinks. From the looks of the menu, 60 dollars would buy you two entrees and that’s it. Sounds like a legit deal to me. They have a few restrictions like the drinks can be up to 14 bucks, or the entrees up to 32 dollars but the server Toni was nice and let us pay the difference because we wanted a more expensive entrée
Moscow Mule: kind of sweet, but comes in a cool copper cup
Farmers Market Cocktail (pear martini): SO good. Strong enough without having that harsh alcohol taste. Subtle pear taste with pear slices in it.
Pan Fried Louisiana Shrimp: SO GOOD. 4 pieces of shrimp served on mashed potatoes with crispy onions. I wish there were more shrimp!
Miso Sea Bass: My favorite of the night. Melts in your mouth and the seaweed rice compliments it so well!
King Salmon: Very tasty but not as tasty as my sea bass!
Fallen Chocolate Cake: ooey gooey goodness that comes with vanilla bean ice cream.
Everything was AMAZING. I heard Chaya was good but I didn’t expect it to be THAT good. No complaints other than when we walked in the hostess and server were gossiping and failed to notice we walked in for a minute or so. Other than that, I would definitely come back here on that travelzoo deal. I don’t know if I could afford it otherwise.

Came here for DineLA with my boyfriend and our bestie. Immediately, I love love loved the décor and ambiance of this place. We got a table right next to the bamboo display that is in the center of the restaurant. So relaxing, with beautiful natural night from the skylights and through the patio doors.
Food was delicious. We had complimentary bread and butter, soft and fluffy goodness. Between the three of us, we tried all of the DineLA appetizer options. I loved the softshell crab and cauliflower panna cotta with uni. The sashimi was OK, but nothing stood out that much about it. All three of us opted for the lobster risotto. Delicious with nice chunks of lobster throughout. For dessert, I had the toffee pudding. It was actually more like a toffee cake, so I was a little disappointed not to have that pudding consistency. Nevertheless, it was tasty. Boyfriend had the chocolate flourless cake — again, nothing really stood out there. My bud had the Moscow Mule and really enjoyed it. It came in a cute copper cup that actually was engraved with a Moscow Mule on the side, cute! Boyfriend had a lemonade, it was wonderfully fresh tasting and not too sweet!
Overall the food was good, especially the appetizer and main entrée choices. I loved the atmosphere of the place. And it’s nicely tucked away from the craziness of Beverly Hills proper.
Valet parking is $ 5.50.

I thought when I first walked into this place: oh no, another stuff pretentious LA restaurant filled with who’s who of the Entertainment business, but alas I quickly saw I was wrong. It instead turned out to be a super classy, chis cozy place to hang with girlfriends, visit with a friend or a first date!
We found a corner by the window, it gave a superb view into the massive high ceilinged room giving way to the giant bamboo tree growing in the middle of the restaurant up into the sky!
The menu was a simple flip page of paper, with one page housing wines and the other some light ape. I chose the flatbread sans bacon.
It was very tasty.
I didn’t care for the HOUSE PINOT GRIGIO (the only one they had) and sent it back and got a CHARDONNAY instead, no problem.
for dessert (as pictured) I got, and yes THIS is the name: BANANA, BANANA, BANANA, it was quite banana’ish. IN fact, the Banana x3 namesake came from banana ice-​cream, with a banana torte, topped with a chocolate dipped frozen banana! It was OH SO VERY GOOD! In fact, my friend and I argued over the last piece. I told him, if we come here again, YOU can get your OWN!
I would def come again!
Other than the left half closed of for a private bday party, it was cozy and the service was on it!

Restaurant décor was nice, everything was spaced out and open.
Appetizer Special
Peach salad with Burrata ³⁄₅
Main Course
Lamb Chops (Chef Special) 3.5÷5
Lobster and Rock Shrimp Ravioli ⁵⁄₅
Dessert was amazing!
Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding ⁵⁄₅
From the Bar
Chaya Moscow mule ⁵⁄₅

Had the Popcorn Shrimp sandwich with vegan corn soup. The corn soup was amazing and I would highly recommend it. The popcorn shrimp sandwich was delicious but could have used additional dressing or flavoring.
Came for lunch and would recommend them for a quick casual stop. Don’t be bothered by the valet. Park on the street.

came here with my girlfriends tonight using a travelzoo voucher, and its def worth it (with the voucher, without it EH, its pricey). the ambience is casual but cute for a work drink, or date night, or just casual outing with friends (on the pricier side).
We ordered:
— oyster shooter: good, though I felt like the ponzu overpowered the oyster & uni.
— beijing duck: my favorite, everything just tied together so nicely.
— branzino: good, the fish just falls apart (is that good?) i dunno, first time having this. sort of bland to me.
— the chaya steak: good, a little bland in my opinion.
— duck breast: melt in your mouth duck. YUM.
— banana, banana, banana: yes! banana!
— artisanal cheese plate: YUM. delicious compote, delicious cheese!
— the avenue: i like, strong but good.
Overall, everything was pretty delicious. Though some things were better then others. The service is super attentive, friendly, and informative. I’d recommend to check out there happy hour, they also have a downtown location for those who are from the SGV area (closer). :)

No more $ 1 oysters during happy hour! Sad face.

Gosh, this place was fantastic. Came for Happy Hour. Ended up spending $ 80 for two people anyways… because it was so good. In any case, here was the breakdown:
Drinks:
1 lychee martini ($ 7, very strong)
1 rose ($ 7)
Food:
Won-​ton Pulled Pork Tacos ($ 6)
Escargot ($ 8)
Arare Calamari ($ 8)
Chicken Karaage ($ 8)
Chaya Sliders and Fries ($ 9)
Dessert:
Chocolate croissant Bread Pudding ($ 9)
So, drinks were amazing. Escargot was among the best I’ve had. Chicken Karaage had this really thin layer of breading and fried to perfection — slight crunch on the outside and tender on the inside. Chaya sliders and fries were just juicy and yummy. BUT, the most impressive item I though in the entrees section was the Calamari. It was super-​creative because instead of the usual breading around the squid, they used these little crunchy rice balls. It maintained its crunchiness for over 30 minutes! My favorite entrée by far.
Lastly, the bread pudding. The BREAD PUDDING. I was dying it was so good. Made me want to order all the other dessert items were it not for the diet I’ve been trying to maintain (while I’m not Unilocaling, that is).
Ambience is also fantastic. I came around 6pm, when it was still light outside. Flowers on the patio, bamboo in the center of the restaurant, comfy booths. Everything is A+.

Service: friendly, attentive, professional, polite.
Ambiance & lighting: check!
I was dismayed by the food.
Great selections on the menu but something was amiss.
Monkfish liver & Pork tongue were the better dishes of the meal.
Salmon suckeddddddddd
Risotto was standard
Complimentary sour dough bread was the big hit of the night.
Desserts were not overly sweet. Cream & berries were yummy.
Biscotti had no sweetness at all to it — tasted like bark but I enjoy bland, rustic, natural flavors. No lie.
Parking: valet, street metered (if you can find any)

Another disappointing DineLA experience this go around. With the good ratings, I expected good food, but I didn’t get it. Maybe the trick is to order off the regular menu? Or come to happy hour and get so sloshed that everything is wonderful?
Anyway, for starters we had the Oden (pork tongue, daikon, shrimp ball, chikuwa) and the Hamachi Napoleon Sushi (ooba leaves, serrano chili, masago, yuzu pepper soy, ginger). The pork tongue wasn’t too bad. Each element was placed on a single skewer and the tongue was soft. The sushi came with two pieces. It looked like a sushi sandwich with two pieces of fish sandwiching the rice and leaves. The fish didn’t taste the freshest and there was nothing special about this dish.
For the entrees, we had the sea urchin risotto, braised short rib, and lamb chops (extra $ 15). The risotto didn’t taste like a risotto at all. It tasted too much like regular rice disguising as risotto (not al dente). I didn’t find enough sea urchin in the dish either, which I suppose I can forigve since it could be a pricey item by itself. I’ve definitely had better sea urchin dishes at Japanese places. I only got to taste a few bites of the short rib, but it was very soft and tender. It had a good flavor to it. The lamb chops were done medium rare and tender as well and had good flavor (not gamey and seasoned right) though they were not the best I’ve had. The accompanying brussel sprouts were more cooked than I prefer, but just ok (hubby makes it better).
For dessert, we had the mont blanc. It was a giant heap of chestnut cream with a tiny macaron on the very bottom and vanilla ice cream in the middle. I was eating more cream than ice cream.
All in all, average meal. Not sure if I’d return. Service was spotty though our water glasses were filled very frequently. We also got steak knives that felt cheap and were loose. They felt as though they would fall apart at any time.
Tips: Street parking is free after 8 p.m. on Robertson. Watch the signs as there are a few spots where 2-​hour parking is enforced 6:30 p.m. through midnight M-​F. Valet parking is $ 5.50 at the restaurant. There is some street (metered) parking on Alden right across from the restaurant.

The 30^th Anniversary Tribute Dinner by Chaya Chefs Kozuka & Tachibe 18 October 2013
Chaya Brasserie went whole hog in celebrating their three decades of existence in highly competitive Los Angeles where about 50% of newly established restaurants go belly up within the first two years. For a restaurant to be here for thirty years is a feat of endurance and proves something is done right.
The table setting was elegant, but at the same time Shibui (quiet & simple). A menu was rolled into a scroll tied with a simple gold ribbon. Commemorative Hakkaku Hashi or Octagonal Sided chopsticks was wrapped with auspicious color of White & Red to symbolize purity & celebration.
The number 8 is a most auspicious number in Japanese culture more than the number 7. (Yamata no Orochi, an 8 headed giant serpent was killed by the Wind God & within the body of the snake was the Imperial sword. Ancient Japan was refered to as «O-​Ya Shima» or The Great 8 Islands.)
Origami cranes folded with decorative paper & a modified Origami crane for a Hashi rest. The crane is another auspicious sign since it lives for a long time & supposedly symbolizes loyalty since they are thought to have one mate for life.
This Menu de Gustation avec Association de Sake, Vins et Mets impressed me as being a form of Modern Japanese Kaiseki which is a multicourse menu using mostly foodstuffs that reflect a certain time segment in the season. Theoretically, if one is well versed in the rhythm of the seasons in terms of what comestibles are at their peak, one can roughly figure out what is the time of year give or take 2 weeks.
1) The first course was «Chilled Sta. Barbara Shrimp & Abalone, Okra, Sake Gelee» but the Japanese description was «Sta. Barbara Uni & Steamed Abalone.» The slight mix-​up in the translation was to our benefit since there were both Uni, Sweet Shrimp, & Abalone in our chilled Salad. The gastric was the gelee since it was infused with a touch of Japanese Rice Vinegar & Umami was upped with probably a Kombu Dashi or Kelp broth. Needless to say, the extravagant combination of the velvety, soft sweet shrimp & sea minerality infused funky, sweet freshness of the Uni offset by the gelee was an exercise in the glories of the sea.
A nice subtle yet effective touch was putting a bit of the sweet shrimp roe on top of the sweet shrimp which upped the sea Umami. This would be considered «Oyako» which means parent & child. (You might have heard of Oyako Donburi or Chicken & Egg Rice Bowl.) Unfortunately for me, the steamed abalone was cooked too long so that it was rather tough.
1a) The pairing was a Sparkling Nigori Sake (sah keh): Dassai, Junmai Daiginjo, Japan. Bouquet was of ripe Japanese Pear with a touch of watermelon. Flavour was again of sweet Japanese Pear with a touch of raw almond seed bitterness & tingly raspy tongue liveliness.
2) «Seared Scallops with Julienned Seasonal Vegetables of Myo-​ga, Wakame, crispy Wonton» The scallops were seared ever so slightly so that the soft, sea flavoured velvetiness was retained. It was close to a Su no Mono or Japanese rice vinegar salad with Wakame, soft green seaweed but enriched with julienned Myo-​ga, a variant of the Ginger plant which yields to a crisp, crunchy herbal wateriness. Pine seeds were added for a touch of nutty, unctuous note.
2a) A Cote du Rhone Blanc by Charpoutier which might have included Rousanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier had dry, chalky minerality, grapefruit/​tangerine inner peel with light musky sourness & clean, sweet tartness.
3) Arare (ah rah reh)-Crusted Sesame Agedashi To-​fu: Classic to-​fu coated in batter & fried, but the coating was unusual in that it was not Tempura batter, but powdered Japanese Rice Crackers called Arare. The fried to-​fu was extra smooth & creamy topped with a creamy white Miso infused with Yuzu (Japanese Citrus). For me, this was a bit too bland & didn’t hit any high notes in flavour. A subtle dish, it may have escaped me.
3a) Sauvignon Blanc by Kenzo– Estate Winery called «Asa Tsuyu» or Morning Dew. This was more like Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Lush, tropical passion fruit bouquet, musky & skunky in the most pleasant way. It reminds me of a delicate armpit fragrance given off by the rare individual who can exude that sexy aroma. Flavour is more restrained with a dry bitter-​sour yet sweet fruitiness.
Remainder of the critique is in the following section:

This has got to be one of the best happy hours in BH. Although the regular dinner menu at Chaya can be quite pricey, their happy hour menu is a better deal. The portions are small so expect just some light bites.
My friend and I shared the calamari, escargot, and tuna dome. I really enjoyed the escargot. The flavor was amazing and they give you lots of soft bread to eat with it. The best part had to be the tuna dome. It is small but packed with flavor. I have been craving another tuna dome ever since.
I had the lychee cocktail and it was delicious. They have a lot of wine and alcohol available for happy hour at very decent prices.
The service was just okay. The servers didn’t come around very often and it was hard to get someone’s attention.
The restaurant itself is quite beautiful. The lighting is dim. I would say that this would be a good choice of venue for a romantic date. They also have outdoor seating.

I’ve been here on multiple occasions and haven’t been disappointed whatsoever. This would be my first experience with the fusion of French with Japanese cuisine.
Petite Chaya Menu aka Happy Hour 5 – 10
A bunch of side dishes at cheaper prices such as Sliders, fries, calamari, mac & cheese, etc…
Ambiance: 5 stars*****
I love the atmosphere here. You can come here for happy hour (Petite Chaya menu) and have a good time with friends. It’s also a great date spot. I highly recommend making a reservation.
Food: 4.5 Stars ****
— Calamari was one of the most uniquely battered calamari I’ve ever tried. It looks like onion rings covered in tiny pebbles. It’s not the best, but it’s still pretty delicious!
— Both the Miso Sea Bass and Cedar Baked Soy Glazed King Salmon were spectacular! The ingredients were fresh and high quality. Chaya is the place that got me into ordering fish entrees at restaurants.
Dessert: 5 Stars *****
I had my first bread pudding experience here and it spoiled my tongue. No bread pudding from anywhere else has even come close to the chocolate croissant bread pudding here! I would have to put my stamp of approval on this delectable dessert and say it’s the best bread pudding in LA. If you disagree, then I would like to hear some alternatives.
Service: 5 stars*****
Impeccable service! Everyone is so friendly and efficient. Every dish comes out in a timely manner. They make sure that the plates are cleared before the next course and check on you regularly to see if you need anything, so I never had to flag anyone down.
Parking:
Over $ 6 for Valet or minimal metered street parking if you can manage to find some.