Chiya Chai Cafe

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1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 16, 2020

   overall5food5service5ambience4

   Food was fantastic and despite the fact that both the restaurant and cafe were very busy we were more than well taken care of the whole meal. Foolishly forgot to grab my credit card after the meal and the server ran out and and across the street to give it to me. Overall, couldn’t have been better.

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2. m

   mikef

   Chicago

   13 reviews

   4.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on February 16, 2020

   overall4food5service3ambience3

   Amazing food - OK service - noisy but good vibe

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3. P

   Paml

   Chicago

   7 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on February 9, 2020

   overall3food4service1ambience2

   There was only one server in the area of the restaurant which took reservations and all were seated at the same time. That was the main problem. It was unfortunate and hopefully just because someone else did not show/was home sick but never received explanation. Felt sorry for the waiter. Also had run out of several dishes . Felt disorganized generally but food is great and great value.

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4. AS

   AleidaS

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 21, 2020

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   I come here every week multiple times. I order the same foods all the time and being vegan there's not a lot of options here to choose from. More vegan options please

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5. NS

   NSquare

   Chicago

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on January 11, 2020

   overall4food4service5ambience4

   More of a cafe, as mentioned in the name itself. The momos and Chicken Balti pie are delicious. The cocktails are great too! The main course/entrees weren’t as good as the appetizers. Service was great.

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6. S

   Singeli

   Chicago

   18 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined on January 1, 2020

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   We love the food and cocktails at Chiya Chai, especially the backroom for sit down service. New Year’s Eve was a perfect early dinner before a concert.

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7. BR

   BR36

   Chicago

   7 reviews

   3.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on December 28, 2019

   overall3food1service3ambience3

   Yes I would recommend them for their tea. I thought the selection was wonderful. My favorite was cardamom pistachio flavored.

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8. M

   Mary

   Chicago

   15 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on November 30, 2019

   overall4food4service5ambience4

   We tried this restaurant for the first time out of a whim- we heard overall very positive things about it! We dined with David, as our server and he was so friendly, vibrant, and hard working! The food didn’t settle completely with our stomach afterwards since it’s rich in spices and cream but it was SO flavorful and delicious. We had 2 orders of dumplings, a chicken and pork one (we liked the pork ones better). We also had a chicken balti pie, it was good and filling! Our favorite was the creamy chicken masala. AMAZING. I had a flight of 3 chai’s; a salted caramel one, coconut cream & a vanilla nutmeg. Personally, I thought I’d like the vanilla nutmeg the best but the salted caramel one me over. Overall, wonderful dining experience, we will definitely put up with a little stomach pain and dine again the next time.

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Chicago

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 20, 2019

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Cute server, cozy and Everything was Delicious! Will be going back hopefully sooner than later!

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10. G

    Grammy

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 17, 2019

    overall4food4service2ambience4

    Service was slow in the back room for dinner. Very snippy waiter.

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11. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 28, 2019

    overall4food5service5ambience5

    Delicious food, great waiter. Just a little hot since the AC wasnt working very well.

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12. AS

    AliS

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 28, 2019

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    The coconut creme chai was really really good. It was sweet and flavorful.

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13. m

    mollyc

    Chicago

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 16, 2019

    overall2food5service1ambience1

    I got a reservation at the backroom at Chiya Chai Cafe for a celebration with my sweetie. The backroom has sit down service and the front of the house is more casual with counter service. When we got there, though, they had closed the backroom because they didn't have a lot of people there, so we were invited to eat in the front, but order off the more expansive dinner menu in the backroom. OK. Disappointing, but understandable. But, then we had all sorts of glitches. Didn't get our full order, so ended up getting the appetizers after the main entrees. Were given plates that were dirty. Had to go up and get serving spoons so that we could serve our food. Took a while to get anyone's attention to get boxes for takeout, even though I was standing up at the counter. I will say that the food was delicious. And, under normal circumstances, we would have rolled with it. But, this was a special occasion, with a reservation made in advance. Ended up not being quite the special dinner we had hoped. Oh, and at the end of the night, we went to the bathroom, which is past the back dining room, and there was another couple seated there, just getting their meals from a server! WTF?? I will go back, cause the food was good. But, the experience was definitely a bummer.

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14. KP

    KimP

    New England

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on June 2, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience3

    This is a fun, modern, cafe style Indian food restaurant. The menu choices are diverse, with several small plate options and curry bowls you can share. Good beer selection, and some interesting cocktails. We would go back.

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15. AN

    AnkurN

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    3.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on April 28, 2019

    overall3food2service4ambience4

    Although this place is pretty far from where I stay but I wanted to eat at this place since a long time. So I, along with 3 other friends dined here on Sunday. The place is pretty nice and upbeat. Everyone was nice and kind, and the service was top-notch. And that is what the 3-stars are basically for. Starting with the menu, Its terribly confusing. Confusing to a level where their won people didn't understand it (regular or large or dinner size or curry bowl). Either explain it or have picture references. They have 3 different menus (one on the wall, one in hand and one for the backroom) with different prices and size variations of the same item. It was not helping anyone. Please make it simpler! We ordered the fries with extra curry sauce (Curry sauce OK, fries were nice and crispy). Never expected such a place to make mango shake out of canned stuff (Should be mentioned on the menu as 'Not Fresh'). And it tasted like that. The traditional beverage 'lassi' with salt and cumin was bland and avoidable. Cutting chai was nice. Samosas was the only saving grace! Good amount of stuffing and well made. We also ordered a $16 Creamy Masala Chicken, which in my experience was overtly expensive. I understand you are selling the whole package of a modern millennial style indian food place but the packaging is no good if the product itself is average. The Veg Jalfrezi was better than the chicken but again the pricing and sizing makes it all very confusing. My biggest pet peeve with an Indian restaurant, charging upwards of $2 for rotis that are not freshly made. We inquired about that and were told that all rotis are made at one time and then re-heated and served. Not cool! The rotis were in my opinion, were frozen and not made on the same day, very powdery, and disappointing. I was planning to visit this again to try out their momos, but I think this place was a one-time visit for me or unless someone forces me to go along.

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16. W

    Wencap2

    Chicago

    14 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2019

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Innovative and delicious food at a good price. Great Chai Tea as well.

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17. J

    Jeff

    Chicago

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on February 10, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Initially discovered Chiya Chai Cafe by chance. Now have returned. Very well prepared food. Samosa, dumplings pies are spot on. Great cocktails and teas. Wait staff is great.

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18. VM

    VanessaM

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 4, 2019

    overall5food4service5ambience4

    Good food. Back room for reservations is a better option for an intimate experience.

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19. CF

    CarrieF

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on February 3, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Enjoyed trying a flight of flavored chai. Cardamon Pistachio was our favorite. Excellent spicy crispy potatoes!

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20. u

    urbanpln

    Chicago

    12 reviews

    4.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2018

    overall4food5service5ambience4

    Pleasant surprise. Everything we tried was tasty and spiced just right. We go back soon.

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21. TK

    ToniaK

    Chicago

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 9, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    This place is great. The food was fantastic the service and ambiance was amazing! We will definitely be going back!!

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22. AM

    AggieM

    Chicago

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 2, 2018

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Our group definitely agreed that trying a variety of the appetizers since it was our first time was a great idea. Loved them all!

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23. ER

    ErinR

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on September 8, 2018

    overall5food4service5ambience5

    It was my first time there, and the server couldn't have been more informative or helpful. She explained everything, was very accommodating and amenable. All the staff we encountered seemed friendly and extremely willing to help, which added to our positive experience. We ordered a chai flight, as well as a bunch of things to share. I'll definitely be back.

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24. JW

    JamesWillbanks

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 3, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    I love this place. Everything is delicious! Cocktails ate good too. I've been here over 5 times and plan on returning a lot more. Thank you

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25. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 18, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Great flavors and variety. Samosa Chaat and the Chicken Masala Pie were stars!

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26. CI

    CozyItalianFind

    Chicago

    44 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    44 reviews

    Dined on July 19, 2018

    overall2food2service1ambience3

    I may have gone here on an off night, but it was really a poor experience. They were apparently “out of” lassi, which isn’t a good sign. There is no signage that differentiates between the cafe and the dine-in portion of the restaurant. Also, they were down staff members so our server was also the bartender and that slowed down the overall dinner tremendously. Once we got the food, I was less than impressed. The chili tofu wasn’t cooked enough so that wasn’t a good start. The biggest issue I had was that the spinach and paneer dish was extremely bland and there was no flavor of garlic on my parata. The server proceeded to tell me that they “never salt their food” and that’s why the paneer dish was bland. I had to send it back. While it was better the second time around, it was a very disappointing experience all around. The vegetarian dumplings were also not very flavorful and not fully cooked. I had high hopes of this restaurant and almost nothing made me want to return again. The server did give us a complimentary order of the masala fries for our troubles, but that wasn’t enough to make up for an overall poor dining experience.

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27. f

    foodgirl

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 27, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    Everything we ate and drank was delicious. Can’t wait to go back and try rest of menu!

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28. a

    arpitp

    Birmingham

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 8, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Amazing food and event better service. Got the wings and shrimp to start and goat curry and pork vindaloo for mains. Everything was delicious, very well seasoned and flavored. You can tell they grind all the spices in house. Their Golden chai Russian cocktail was unreal. One of the best cocktails I’ve ever had.

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29. TG

    TedG

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 28, 2018

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    I highly recommend. The food and drinks were great!

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30. LN

    LeslieN

    Washington DC

    12 reviews

    3.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2017

    overall3food3service3ambience3

    Goat curry great. Other dishes average. Bread sub par. A little overpriced relative to quality/service.

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31. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 15, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    Great food. Women's bathroom needs to be cleaned better

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32. BF

    BrianF

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 1, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    Glad I finally listened to my wife and made it here for dinner! Will be back again for sure.

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33. D

    Davidt

    Grand Rapids

    14 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on June 15, 2017

    overall3food2service5ambience3

    Half the "bone in goat curry" was bone. Dangerous and difficult to eat. Restaurant offered a price adjustment for the meal though. Spicy shrimp was very good

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34. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 28, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The best restaurant in Logan Square. Delicious Indian/Nepalese food - freshly made, not greasy. Good for lunch, dinner, organic coffee, array of teas, and a large selection of Chai options. The place is immaculate, the owner cares about his customers, the staff helpful and accommodating. You can actually have a conversation without screeching to be heard. Highly recommend this restaurant.

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