Great martini! But I felt really nickel and dimed! I ordered hot green tea which is normally free or inexpensive (like a $1), and then looked at the menu and realized it was $2.50 per person. So i cancelled it. I find it nice to have but didn't need it. Sushi was pretty good, not mind blowing. Then when I got my bill they charged me $2 for a side of spicy mayo with my sushi! WHAT!?!?!? I could understand if you had an up charge of $.50 which is still silly, but $2 just made me feel ripped off. I would have at least appreciated the heads up about the additional charge. We went out for lunch so I try to keep my lunch bills reasonable. I probably wouldn't go back when I can get better sushi across the street at Wegmans.
(3)
Julie K.
Wow this place is pricey for sushi! Plain tuna rolls start at $5? Joss' spicy tuna is $4.95 (and most likely more delicious). Try not to get stuck with a table in the back in the winter. The back door must have kept opening, but we were freezing at the table. I got the: *garden roll - known as summer rolls at some places, this was NOT good here and came with duck sauce instead of peanut sauce. The veggies in it must have been just iceberg and beansprouts, don't get this here! *spicy yellow tail roll- This was just ok. It was kind of mushy inside and I still like my spicy rolls to have chunks of fish rather than mashed. While this was better than the garden roll, I wouldn't order this again. *Incredible Roll- This roll had shrimp tempura, asparagus and Thai basil. It was supposed to have spicy mayo, but I absolutely despise mayonnaise and was able to get siracha instead. This was really good and reasonably priced ($6.95). I consider this the only thing worth getting. My sister got the Tuna Boy platter and said her tuna tasted funny. She also got the pad thai, which apparently tasted like it was drowned in sugar. The brother-in-law ordered Osaka combo and confirmed that something tasted funny about the tuna. He did however say that the white tuna was very good. We also got the "American Dream" roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, and we asked for no caviar) because it was another roll priced reasonably. We didn't know this would have eel sauce on top. It isn't worth ordering again. I do like that Cha-Ya was accommodating to a few changes in our order. I'd go back for the Increditble roll, but that's it.
(3)
IH K.
I don't know how Tony P. beat me to this review, since this restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and I estimate that nobody (I mean nobody lives nearby). Anyway, the food's okay. I wouldn't say that it's authentic Thai or very good for that matter, but it's good enough when your only other options are a cheeseburger or pizza -
(2)
Jennifer S.
I live in the neighborhood and have had take out and now eaten in at Cha Ya. It's a pretty cute place to eat in. It's pretty small but provides a nice alternative to the huge chains that are available on McGaw road. I went with my family and everyone pretty much liked it. We got two appetizers, the shumai and the spring rolls. The shumai came out ice cold in the middle but when I told the waiter he happily brought it back and it came out steaming hot. The spring rolls were great! We all enjoyed our food dishes which were drunken noodles, pad see iew, and pad woonsen. Very tasty and all the meats were really juicy and delicious. They also had a great happy hour deal going, buy one beer get one free, so my husband loved that. The service was very good, our waiter was very attentive, although my husband did remind me that it was a little odd that our dishes came out several minutes after each other. Overall it was good, while we had some hiccups the staff was great and did what they could to fix it and the food was really good!
(4)
Allison L.
Not the largest place but it is reasonably priced the service is wonderful and I LOVE their creative rolls. You must try the mango roll. it's shrimp tempura topped with strips of mango and a mango glaze. This is definitely our first choice of sushi in the area.
(4)
Hikari K.
Ah. One of the few places that you can get sushi between 2 and 5 pm. My friend and I went here yesterday, after being indecisive for over an hour about what we wanted for lunch. After searching Yelp for somewhere in columbia that was open, we found Cha Ya. I'm really glad we decided to give it a try. First off, the menu won my heart. When you open a menu, and have to stare at it for 20 minutes because everything sounds delicious, you know you've stumbled across a winner. Its not just their sushi that sounded good, they have Tai, Chinese, and Japanese entrees that I bet would be tasty. I had my heart set on getting sushi that day though, and its always a pleasure to find a long list of specialty rolls to choose from. The creativity makes or breaks how much I love a place, and whether or not I'll return. My friend ordered some sort of soba noodles and salmon roll. I've never been to fond of cabbage, so I wasn't too into the soba when I tasted it, but she loved it. The salmon roll was great. Just its heavenly arouma made me want to drool. I ordered a Beef Negimaki appetizer and two specialty rolls: the Dynamite Roll and some sort of Crunchy Tuna roll. My friend and I loved both of them. It was a lot of food. Granted, a little pricy, but it was definately worth it. I had to dare myself to finish it. It wasn't just the food that was nice, the place had a nice decor and the staff was very friendly. Now, I'm not sure whether this beats Aji-Nippon as my favorite sushi joint, but its definately somewhere in my top three. It was just that good, and such a pleasant new years experience with a friend. This is definately one of those hidden gems that you only know about if you accidently find the place or have the fortune of hearing about from a friend. Those kind are the best. Will I return? You bet. Again and again and again.
(5)
Jennifer H.
Food was ok, nothing special. Service was iffy. My sister wasn't too hungry and asked if she could order a small item off of the kids meal, and they said No. She wasn't interested in the appetizers they had and decided to just not order anything. I decided to let her have one or two pieces of the sushi I ordered and the waitress and the sushi chef were giving me evil looks. Give me a break! My friend and I ordered a good amount of food because we were hungry and my sister just wanted something to nibble on. We weren't trying to be cheap. It's a cute place, but that one experience sorta ruined it for me. Not sure I'd want to give this place another shot.
(2)
Neda F.
After eating here a few times, tonight we had a really disappointing experience. The food was flavorless and mediocre overall, but most alarming was that the California roll that came with my dinner bento box was actually rotten. The cucumber had gone bad and tasted terrible. We let the servers know; there was no apology, just blank stares and later a curt reply of "do you want me to make you a new one?". We then waited for a long time for any service, so we had to flag someone down to ask for the bill. We expressed our disappointment in our experience and that nothing had been taken off the $55 bill when our sushi was rotten. The manager then brought back a new bill saying "there, I took $3 off". We can deal with one bad dish or some bad service, but everything that happened tonight was too much of a turn-off. We won't be coming back.
(1)
Laura H.
I love this place. A hidden treasure in an unassuming strip mall. Staff are friendly and sushi is Awesome!
(4)
Jaimie K.
Cha-ya Sushi and Thai (as it is called, perhaps they changed the name in the move to Columbia from Laurel?) is our go-to place for sushi when we don't feel like paying for Sushi Sono. Pros: The fish is always fresh and delicious (we order nigiri sushi mostly, only occasionally getting maki), and it is reasonably priced. The service is good, fairly quick and they are always friendly. The thai dishes, while not necessarily authentic, are indeed delicious. We have had the green curry, creamy red curry and shrimp pad thai- the pad thai was a little too sweet but the texture was good, and both curries were so YUMMY. We ordered them hot, and the spice was definitely there. Slight drawbacks: The cut of the fish is sometimes a bit inconsistent. They also seem to think that raw mackerel can't be served...which we get at SS all the time. They only have a smoked version. They also never have uni or toro (fatty tuna) even though it is on the menu. But toro is usually what drives our bill through the roof so maybe it's ok that they don't serve it :-) Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone. They do deliver for free but only within 3 miles (maybe they charge but still deliver further away? not sure). It's a nice casual atmosphere and they have happy hour specials. Give it a try. It is better than Hanamura, right around the corner.
(4)
mark w.
I don't know how good you can really say this place is. Negatives.. -Wait is long. Place is way too small. -Sushi was just terrible. Mine was cold and icy. -Pretty expensive. -Menu is confusing. They don't have a direction for their cuisine. -Outdoor decor is sparse, and beer bottles and cigarette butts are abundant in the bushes. -Service was horrendous, too few waiters who are either snobby or just plain out don't understand english. -Presentation on dishes both cold and cooked is very bland. Positives..(not many) -Cozy? -Good if you want a decent meal even if expensive -That was only for the cooked food. 1/5: I would not recommend going here. I will not go here again! (I said not good for kids because there are: a) not enough waiters and b) not enough space :P)
(1)
Jimmie R.
The lunch menu prices are very reasonable. The food is only mediocre though. I recommend the basil or Ginger chicken dishes. The drunken noodle is decent too. I do not recommend the chef special fried rice w/ jumbo shrimp. Portions aren't very big so don't come here if you are starved.
(3)
Dave Z.
I went here for the first time recently, and the lunch Thai dishes were quite good and flavorful (and reasonably priced). The ingredients tasted fresh to me, and the dish had enough complementary flavors to make it interesting. You can get your dish spicy from 1-5; I found that 3 was perfectly spicy for me without masking the flavor of the food, but I could see even that being a little spicy for some. I would also love to try their flat noodle dishes, which looked really good. Sushi and Thai seems like an odd mix to me, but based on the Thai I had for lunch, I'd be willing to try out their sushi sometime too. My only complaint was that there seemed to be an odd smell in the place that day that was kind of off-putting. I'm glad the food redeemed things. :)
(3)
Andrea M.
Don't do it ! There are no redeeming qualities at this restaurant. The food is not good,the owners and staff are pushy, unwelcoming and will try to cheat you out of your ability to use your already paid for coupon. Our experience was awful!
Folks, when Pei Wei and PF Chang are considered 3.5-5 star restaurants, it is time to raise the bar. Cha Ya far outstrips these "Asian" restaurants with a pan-Asian cuisine that pleased us, our Chinese & Korean-American friends, and our Thai exchange student. Authentic dishes with flavorful, aromatic sauces -- not the gummy, Americanized fare you get at other local Chinese restaurants. Current faves include a basil seafood dish (think Thai bouillabaisse) and an eggplant entree that never disappoints. You can ask for any dish to be made not spicy to full-on #5 (not for the weak). Don't go above 2 if you are heat averse as even three is powerful. Come for the entrees but don't pass up dessert -- in case you still need a slice of something Western to please your palate, the homemade chocolate-peanut butter mousse cake will never, ever disappoint (just be sure to leave us some). Finally, the owners and staff are so friendly -- this will become your family's favorite restaurant. True, it is not crowded but that is absolutely not a reflection on the quality, quantity or price of the food -- all of which are very good to excellent value. The sushi station/bar is styled to look like a pagoda topped by clouds - kitschy but pleasing. The seating is an eclectic mix but all options are comfortable and they will be happy to move you if you prefer another style. Lots of seating for larger groups and cozy booth areas, too. Kids are welcome here and due to the segmented layout, won't disrupt diners without kids. Today's live music was a lovely jazz trio, professional and not loud -- made for a very nice evening. The non-live music is a quirky mix -- like an entire family's musical tastes were on iPod shuffle....but don't hold that against them -- there is something for everyone. Our family highly recommends this restaurant.
(5)
Vi L.
I see why it's so empty here despite the somewhat clean and new decor. Service was good and attentive but the food had much to be desired. Cold noodles were decent. Sushi is super overpriced. Lobster cha cha roll was meh. The mayo on top was too much. Cha ya philly roll was pretty gross. TONS of mayo on top. The smoked salmon was also on top of rather than in the roll, which was odd. Pretty unappetizing. Note: for both these rolls, it does not say they're topped with mayo, and yet they are. Why?? That being said, I probably will not be back.
(2)
Leanna H.
First time at Cha Ya, and despite some reservations because we were bringing my 7 and 12 year olds (sushi places can be notoriously bad with kids), we decided to try it out for my birthday. Could not have been happier with this choice! We were seated quickly, and the waitstaff went above and beyond to engage my kids in conversation, and were smiling and attentive throughout the evening. I got a spicy tuna handroll which I loved, and my husband and I shared the sushi boat for 2- fresh and tasty, and filling! My girls enjoyed the Singapore noodles and shrimp tempura. The only criticisms was there could have been a little more shrimp in both, and the tempura was a bit bland, even for tempura. That being said, the range of options was a plus for us, and "basic" was good for the other Asian cuisines (always a plus for kids)! Last plus: I also got an appletini (which could have been a real fail- sometimes Asian restaurants get really heavy on any mixers so drinks are super sweet and hardly worth the cost): not so here! This bad boy was high octane! I had to nurse it through the whole dinner! And, was good- just be aware if you are a lightweight! :) Final pluses: Groupon of 20 for 40, and right next door to the Yogicup. Can't go wrong with that...
(5)
Ann Z.
Avoid this place at all cost!!! The food is ranging around so-so (sushi) to horrible (other Asian cuisine). There are so many other better sushi restaurants in the area, don't go to this one!!! Similar to what other customers have experienced, they will cheat you out of every penny from your already bought groupon! The fine prints are not so cleared, they said u can't order from special menu, but where is the special menu??!!.. Of course whatever it is expensive, they won't let u order. Plus the waiter + manager are not very nice to customers.. Wait isn't groupon's purpose is hoping customers will come back?? They certainly don't get that when they treat their customers, NO ONE will EVER COME BACK!!! Don't do it!!! Even for the 20 for 40 dollars on groupon!! Get a refund while you can!!! The experience at Cha Ya sushi will make you regret ever coming in!!!
(1)
Carolyn J.
Good sushi nice staff
(4)
Hien P.
Stopped by here with my mom and sister because we all were craving thai cuisine but our regular spot was closed that day. So why not try something new? The decor is a bit weird and awkward. They have a lot of high top tables and chairs that were hard to get on and off. There were booths and other seating arrangements available but it was in the back and it looked dark back there... We ordered the thai iced teas and green iced tea. You get a good amount of thai tea and it was quite delicious. We ordered the sashimi and sushi lunch combo, the tiger roll?, singapore rice noodles, and the drunken noodles. Everything was good (not great) but we could have gone without the sushi and sashimi combo. The sashimi did not taste fresh and it left a weird taste in my mouth. We will probably never come back. I would have given 2 stars but the service was awesome so it made the experience a little better.
(3)
Harriet M.
It is excellent. My favorite fusion restaurant in the area. The food is fresh and prepared perfectly and the sushi is decent.
(5)
Jim S.
Between classes at HCC a group of us decided that we wanted sushi. So off we went. It is right by the new Wegmans. We sat at the counter and talked with the sushi chef; his name is Ming Zing. He seemed very reluctant to give advice on what to get. So each of us ordered something different and shared. I don't remember the exact names but we had 4 very different rolls. I honestly liked everyone of them. I like sushi a lot and must tip my hat to well made rolls. Everything tasted fresh, The rice was on point, and the rolls were nice and tight. They were also the right size, I hate when they make the rolls so big it takes 2 or 3 bites on each piece. I have not tried anything else, but am very excited by 2 reviews that say you can get actual spicy hot food here as well. I always tell people that you can't get really spicy in Maryland. Thank you Courtney and Noralyn. I will definitely be back. If you go ask for Ming.
(4)
Chris M.
AVOID this place. The food was absolutely terrible. Incredibly pedestrian and I had the chicken teriyaki which was so dry, I lost my appetite. I told the waitress and nothing happened. She said she would talk to the cook but then made some excuse. Finally, when I talked to the woman who was the manager, I was told that "no-one else complains." They refused to make it right. I was so frustrated and my son was so upset when we left that we had lost our good mood from a film we had just seen. My son's shrimp dish was also not very good. Too bad, too, the atmosphere was nice but wow, I hope these people go out of business. I joined Yelp just to post this. I dislike spending $50.00 on a meal that was horrible and from a place that insults its customers. Also, I'm not really someone who complains at restaurants so please believe me when I say this was a really bad experience.
(1)
Ben B.
Best Sushi in Columbia. Frankly, this is as good as it gets in Columbia. I've been to almost every sushi joint in the area, and this is the one I keep coming back to. Their special rolls are absolutely divine - don't have enough praise to give to the Dynamite Roll / Twister Roll combo. I don't really understand all the love for Sushi King around here - Cha Ya does it better, without the crazy wait times of and with a nice, spacious interior. The high-top chairs in their renovated portion of the store could be more comfortable, but other than that, I have no complaints. If you're going for Sushi, Cha Ya is the place.
(5)
Cindy C.
Seaweed salad is good and im picky about it. Wish they would bring back monster roll but know one knows how to make it anymore.
(4)
C W.
Was craving sushi and decided to give this place a try. Their menu includes a variety Asian dishes (rice, noodles, and soups). We ordered: the Crunch Tuna Hidden Dragon, Tuna roll, Spicy Tuna roll, Spicy Scallop roll and California roll. Overall, the sushi was good; however, I will agree with others that it is a bit expensive compared to other places. The waiters and staff here were all friendly. We also had the mango and sticky rice dessert. I thought it was ok. I wish the rice wasn't as mushy or it would have been nice if they added toasted sesame seeds for texture.
(3)
Jess C.
I'm torn at what to review this place. My experience here could be divided into two parts: Sushi: 1 star Level Three Spice Shrimp Drunken noodles: 4 stars I was really hesitant to come here during lunch because I have qualms about fusion places, Thai and Japanese? My belief is that the best restaurants always specialize in something. Spreading yourself out to thin increases chances of you not being good at anything! But of course, the open-minded self in me decided to give it a shot. The interior was nice, it was a blend between modern Asia and antiquated Asia with its vivid colors mixed mixed with traditional architecture. That was nice. I opted for the 2 maki roll sushi for $9. That was when it all went downhill. There was no description for their rolls and the waitress had to call over someone else to describe it. When I inquired more about specific details of the rolls, I was given a quizzical look. Anyways, I decided on the Alaska and Philadelphia. But when it came out, the raw fish looked so pale and sick. I was not impressed. They also true to decorate it with some neon green streak on the plate, that was a little off putting. I decided to suck it up an take a bite, but the fish was so chewy. I decided not to eat it and take a risk with fresh that was not fresh and just enjoy my company. However, my friend insisted that I take it back if it wasn't fresh (as a yelper of 3-years, I never returned food! But then again, because of yelp and it's amazing recommendations I never had to--btw ironically I didn't use yelp this time). After much insisting, we called back the waitress/hostess (she seemed to be soon both) and told her I wasn't satisfied with my order. She immediately asked me repeatedly five times what was wrong with it. And we told her it didn't taste right, but instead she didn't seem to understand and kept asking me again what was wrong with it and if I wanted to take it home. After much miscommunication and a unhappy waitress, I told her I would just order something else, and that was when I ordered what my friend was getting : the shrimp drunken noodles for $9 at level three spicy. After a longer wait for my re-order, I must say I was super glad I reordered the level 3 spice drunken noodles. It was the perfect amount of spice. Just challenging and pleasurable enough to keep me satisfied. The shrimps were large and cooked to perfection. The noodles were perfectly seasoned. I could not ask for anything better! While I was enjoying my noodles though, the unpleasant waitress signaled me and told me that she tried my sushi that she took back and "nothing was wrong" it. I guess in her mind, the customer is not right. Anyways all in all, it could have definitely been a better dining experience with better customer service, but that drunken noodles helped bump this experience to 2 stars.
(2)
Joe H.
We went during a brief warm spell between snows this winter. When we pulled put to the restaurant they looked empty, but that was because they were seating everyone in the back room first - there were a number of tables occupied but the sound level remained reasonable. My wife got a chicken satay which was OK, but the peanut sauce was sweeter than we were expecting. I had the red curry spiced level 5 (out of 5) and it was quite tasty, with just the right spice level. My daughter's pad thai was somewhat bland and wetter than I expected and my son's fried rice was good but a little oily. I also had a piece of saba from their sushi bar and it was good. They make videos of their cooking on youtube which you can watch and learn how to make some recipes. If I was in the neighborhood and felt like Thai food or sushi, I would return. There are other Thai (Thai Aroma) and Sushi (Sushi King) choices in Columbia that I think are better though.
(3)
Y C.
I come here regularly with friends, not because I love it, but because for some reason they do. I like most of their Chinese/Thai dishes, as long as it's chicken or shrimp. Their prices are too high for the quality of their food, as they get mediocre beef and fish. Every time I ordered beef, it was chewy and full of gristle. And their sushi is only good if it's full of 'stuff' such as sauce. I stopped ordering sashimi and plain nigiri sushi because the fish was strangely stringy. If it weren't for the coupon deals they always have, they would not be able to stay in business with their prices. Oh, and if you do have a coupon deal, make sure you order the right dishes (check with the server to be sure).
(3)
Bob S.
We came here with the Groupon this restaurant was offering a month or so ago, with a group of 4. We didn't mention the groupon until the end, so we know the restaurant did not treat us differently due to the Groupon. If one word could describe our experience, it would be somewhere between meh and terrible. Everything we ordered tasted... off. Something none of could quite put our finger on. The miso soup, spring rolls, and crispy tofu included. Between all four people at our table, we ordered 6 different sushi rolls or dishes, and no one really liked it. The avocado in the Philly roll was browning. The Fire roll fish tasted odd, and again brown avocado. The brown rice on the cucumber roll was dry. The list is endless; there is definitely better quality and tasting sushi around. The service was decent throughout, however when ordering, the waitresses was trying to relay to us that she was out of mango SOMETHING. This was fine, you would think we could just order what we wanted without mango, right? Wrong. We were all perplexed when she kept denying our request to have XX but without mango/mango sauce/cubes/tree/who cares. At the end of our meal, the waitress was kind enough to remind us to tip off the total bill before the Groupon, not the amount after it. Thanks, waitress, my first experience at a restaurant had me confused about that.
(1)
Tracy P.
Went there with a living social deal. Only fine print said no happy hour special. Made sure not to look at happy hour and only looked at the regular menu. Because we got sushi deluxe they said we can't use the deal. But the sushi deluxe is not on the happy hour menu. I do not like being mislead by this restaurant and my Living Social.
(1)
Nick Y.
Decent food, nice new interior. They expanded their eat-in to take over the coffee store next to it, so now it has nice big windows while you sit. Thai is good, but not amazing. I go back for it, wanna try their sushi next.
(4)
Dhruv L.
Horrible service . Decent food. If you get the fat waitress, just leave because she is rude, slow and honestly weird.
(1)
D F.
Absolutely Horrible! Sat me near an open door in the back of the restaurant and only 1 other table had customers. Ordered lunch special and avocado was old and brown! Can not believe they served it. See pic! Beware!! Go to Wegman's across street, cheaper and better. No snotty wait staff either.
(1)
Russell B.
My wife and I decided to stop by on a Sunday night for dinner since I had just purchased the LivingSocial deal. When we walked in, the place was practically empty but this may not be unusual for a Sunday night. We were promptly greeted by very friendly staff and had a choice between sitting at a table or the high chair tables near the bar area. My wife and I started with sushi orders. She got the shrimp tempura dragon tail and I got the rainbow roll (because I like lots of fish). We both were impressed with the size of the rolls and the flavor...very good! I ordered something simple---teriyaki salmon. My wife ordered a curry chicken dish (can't recall the name). I thought the salmon was very good and well cooked. My wife, who has lived in several cities throughout her life, traveled extensively, and has tried lots of different Asian cuisine, was very impressed with her meal. And if she's impressed, trust me it's gotta be good! Overall I'd recommend this restaurant. The staff were VERY friendly, service was awesome, prices are reasonable, and the food was very good.
(4)
Shawn W.
The sushi rolls are great. Looking forward to trying some other menu items but right now I am hooked on their rolls.
(3)
Mary W.
I was reviewing my reviews in Columbia and realized that I had a very harsh review for Cha Ya...but I think it's since undergone some redecorating and maybe has new management? It looks fairly different then the 1st time I went--new TV screens with pictures of items on their menu, soon to come drinks menu etc. I've actually been here twice since last summer and both times I was pleased with how my sushi rolls tasted. I don't think the Thai food was quite as good (someone in my group got drunken noodles and I think the noodles were overcooked and turned out too mushy). Plus, this is one of the few restaurants in the area that's open late and has a pretty extensive bar, so it's a pretty nice place to hang out and have a few drinks as well. However, the last time I checked, they didn't have a formal drinks menu yet. Hopefully they do now! I'm putting this in my HoCo list because it's a unique restaurant to the area and it's something that Columbia needs--restaurants that are open later and target younger people!
(3)
Donna S.
So after a class one morning, a group if us student from HCC decided we wanted sushi. So our friend said this place was good. Located right down the road from the college, and across from the new Wegmans, it was in a good location for anyone and everyone. Me&my dad shared a couple things and, let me tell you, I loved it! I was use to nasty, Harris Teeter sushi, which made me sick&nausea's all the time, so the fact that I loved this, surprised me. Everything they make here is delicious and very well priced. If you can, see if Sushi chef Ming is there, cause he is the man!
(4)
Amy P.
We ate dinner there last night for the first time, opted for the Thai food and really enjoyed the meal. Drunken noodles and basil chicken, specifically, were good and even at a level 5 spiciness not too hot, just about right for two spicy-eaters. The lack of decent Thai in the area and the hospitality of the staff seal the deal and we will be back time and again!
(4)
Samuel C.
I am a fan of sushi. The food is pretty good. This place is nice and clean. I go there sometimes if i am hungry and leave early at work. The staff are nice and friendly.
(4)
Kenneth L.
I went to Cha Ya Asian Bistro yesterday because I was craving some Sushi. The atmosphere at this place was pretty stunning. They have red and blue lighting and is a perfect place for bringing a date night. The sushi there is pretty well made although it is alittle bit on the expensive side (10-20 per roll). They also have a mixture of thai and chinese food. When we went there, people started coming in, and they only had a bartender and 2 other waitresses working. Because of that service suffered a bit. But overall it was a decent experience and I would be willing to give it another try!
(3)
P W.
Awesome decor, excellent service, and great food. I had the drunken noodles with shrimp. I only wished I would have gotten them a little spicier. This is one of those dishes that I know I am going to crave soon. In my Terminator voice..."I'll be back" !!
(4)
Gwyneth J.
When Im Han K. says it's in the middle of no where ...not near where anyone lives i say...GREAT! but Wrong! It's right between Snowden River Pkwy and Dobbin Road...next to the Green Turtle....and about a mile from my house. YAY! Granted, it's small. Blink and you've missed it but i'm glad friends of mine on a Sunday coerced me to try it after Sunday football at Sonoma's. WOW! The Fancy Dragon Roll was amazing....umm yeah...can't go wrong with warm crunchy tempura shrimp, soft cool rice and wrapped with avocado and eel! OMG! i also had a bite of Debbie's Calimari (Squid) salad....and well that alone is worth the trip! The prices are more reasonable than Sushi Sono and though i'm no slouch when it comes to chopstickage you will be tempted to use your fingers here because you won't want to end up with rice wasabi soy soup! Mmmmm sushi goodness!
(4)
J. V.
Great cosmos!!
(3)
Chris S.
The best General Tso's chicken I've ever had--spicy, cripsy, not over done. Great atomosphere, wonderful service. The curry was also delicous.
(4)
Christian S.
The Cha Ya Asian bistro is better than these reviews let on, particularly if you get the sushi. While one is spoiled for options in Columbia (and Hanamura is my go-to for take-out), the ambiance in Cha Ya makes it one of the better choices for a casual date-night. Lighting and music are both top-notch, favoring jazz, though I do wish the TVs were not in every line of sight. The sushi is delicious, if a bit expensive, and the service has been good, but not great. Two of the waiters provided knowledgeable commentary on the menu, and recommendation, but one waitress was not my favorite, as she seemed disinterested. I wish it was a little more bustling, as the space feels slightly empty right now. In full disclosure, I've only eaten the Japanese dishes here, so I can't speak to the quality of the other Asian cuisine. If you're in the mood for sushi and a pleasant night out, choose Cha Ya.
(3)
Danny C.
First of all, this restaurant ISNT specialized in Thai foods. Its a fusion restaurant. Dont know what fusion means? Look it up. The ambiance of the restaurant, although small, is very pleasing and peaceful, which we all need in our lives. I ordered a few rolls of sushi and a green curry dish with chicken. They asked the what spicy level I wanted, 1 - 5, 5 being the hottest. I said 4. I got the curry dish first, and the spiciness was JUST right. The flavor was different, but still good. When i got my sushi rolls, they were amazingly fresh, tasty, and great. Various positive textures in each bite. The service was good.
(4)
Tony P.
Every time I come here, I've asked the sushi chef for his pick of the day and I've never been disappointed. Whether it's the succulent albacore tuna belly, or the refreshing tako soup or the wonderfully spicy clam tataki, there's always something new and interesting. I manage to try a new dish every time I visit and I leave contented and impressed by the culinary experience. I've upgraded my rating to 5 stars.
(5)
John P.
I went to Cha Ya for lunch with my mother and have a mixed review. There is so much right about this place and very little "wrong" but unfortunately the wrong will probably stop me from going back. We went at around one in the afternoon on a Wednesday and while there were about ten parties seated, it's a little quiet for that plaza which has five other extremely busy restaurants and serves many office buildings. The decor is very nice and we were greeted immediately. They have a really attractive bar with tall tables in front of a wall of windows, which was mostly empty, but they first tried to seat us in a dark back corner where we wouldn't have even been able to see a window. Fortunately we were saved by the fact they had already seated a couple of other suckers back there. Even so, we were not seated in the bar but in the back room, but at least we could see the bar area. It annoys me when restaurants do this, like I'm not good looking enough to be seated where others might see me but others have had this same experience so I guess it isn't me. The owners should realize it makes the restaurant look better if it's busy so they should seat from the front to the back. The restaurant was also freezing cold, we kept our coats on for the whole meal as did the majority of other diners. The food, however, was excellent. The General Tso's sauce is the best that I have ever had and the miso soup and sushi tasted exactly like they should. The prices were reasonable. The service needs help. They brought out my mother's General Tso's tofu and forgot to bring rice and then forgot about us. I tried to meet the eyes of any employee around to remind them of my dish and the rice but I was being ignored. Eventually one of them looked at me and woke up and brought my sushi, which I then had to share with my mom because I had eaten half of her food. They were apologetic about the rice and did take two dollars off the check for us. Overall I don't think I would go back and it's a shame because they are making some really good food.
(3)
David J.
Good Pad Thai. Excellent Mango & Sticky Rice.
(4)
Spicy Z.
I had lunch to-go and it was ok. The environment seem pleasant and inviting.
(3)
Christin K.
Honestly I think this is about 3.5 ish stars but I think they were really nice. **disclaimer** I'm a visitor, we stumbled on this place while driving around. it was empty when we came in, there was a couple having dinner, about 9 or 10 ish (either way about an hour before they closed). I normally don't like the high seats since my legs are short, but we sat at one of the high tables and settled on thai food. I had the drunken noodles with medium spicy and my brother had udon noodles veggie style. I'm glad they had a good variety of vegetarian options, not because I am, but because he is. I'm never sure how spicy restaurants will be, so I usually order medium and ask for some hot sauce (they have the chili oil sauce and sriracha). My portion was pretty big, the udon noodles were a little smaller. I could really taste all the spices and herbs, they tasted fresh and we were satisfied with our meal. I decided on some dessert (mochi ice cream) they were out of green tea so I tried the strawberry, it was a little too sweet for me (they cut 2 pieces in half and put whipped cream and strawberry sauce in the middle. Cute presentation but too sugary for me. I liked that the waitress was 1. asian 2. not pushy (she actually said, if you don't want to order dessert that's fine). I thought it was a little pricey (borderline) on the thai food. and I looked at the sushi prices which were a little high too. But overall it was very quiet, ambient in the evening, esp for a friday night, and the people were very nice, so if I lived in the area I would maybe revisit.
(4)
Adrienne W.
I want to like this place, I really do. 1. It is in a convenient location for those who live in eastern Columbia (Owen Brown). 2. It a cute place Unfortunately, the quality of the food for the price just doesn't dd up. We've gone here twice. They have both Japanese and Thai menu items. Our first visit was for the sushi. I have to preface this with the fact that my husband and I have high standards for sushi. So far, in Columbia, the only place we will return to when we really want good sushi is Sushi Sono. We were hoping for a closer alternative for evenings that we didn't want to have to wait forever for a table (that place is always packed!) but the sushi here at Cha Ya was only so, so. Second visit - Thai food. I got the chicken pad thai thinking it would be a safe bet as it is a widely known dish and therefore couldn't be messed up. When I took my first bite of "chicken" I spit it out thinking it was a really horribly mushy piece, only to find it was tofu! No, they didn't mess up my order. Their version of chicken pad thai also has huge chunks of tofu in it. It's not a bad thing, it just caught me off guard. Also, they didn't use the wider, chewier noodles found in most Thai places I've been to. In fact, it seemed like they used whatever noodles they had left over. Some were thin and round, while others were flat, but still not wide. Yes, all in the same dish. I can't say that I liked it all that much... it didn't satisfy my Thai craving. :( And to top it off, I can satisfy that Thai craving for a lot less $$ elsewhere. Like I said, I really wanted to like this place. The staff is friendly, and they seem like genuine people. Perhaps it would be better for them to focus on one cuisine instead of two?
(2)
Courtney C.
There are so many options, how do you choose?! I was really craving some sushi and spicy noodles so, Cha Ya was the place to be. We arrived around 7 on a Saturday night and were seated right away. This is a very small place, but it wasn't busy. Our waitress was friendly, but a complete idiot. We wanted to start with some sushi and placed our order. There was one sushi chef and apparently the table behind us had just placed a large sushi order. Instead of waiting to put our entree order in, the waitress put everything in at the same time. Needless to say, our sushi arrived a good 10 min after our entrees. Big FAIL! Normally, this wouldn't be a huge issue, but we both ordered very spicy noodle dishes so, the milder tasting sushi seemed flavorless. On the positive side, your entrees were a big hit. My husband had the chicken pad Thai spice level 3 and loved it. I ordered the drunken noodles with shrimp, spice level 3 1/2 with extra vegetables and no oil. Yes, I try to make everything a bit healthier. My nose was running and I drank about five glasses of water, but it was great. The big problem was my noodles were mush. The vegetables were fresh and cooked perfectly and so were my shrimp. Next time, I will ask for thinner rice noodles because these wide ones were just yuck. As for the sushi, take this review with a few reservations. First, I'm pregnant and my husband doesn't do raw fish so, we ordered a vegetable roll, Cali roll and avocado roll. The rice was great, but that's where it ends. My vegetable roll was not rolled tightly and the pieces were way too big to be one bite so, it was pretty much impossible to eat. It either fell apart or I looked like a chipmunk trying to chew a huge bite. The vegetables were different from the last time I ordered this and it wasn't anywhere near as good as I remembered. My husband ended up taking his to go after trying one of each. It just wasn't' worth eating something you couldn't taste to enjoy. His Cali roll had some mushy cucumber in it so, he might end up tossing it today. I'm not sure if it was just the sushi chef or the waitress who doesn't understand basic food timing, but I left without my sushi fix. I do not suggest you mess up the pregnant woman's order because she already walks a thin emotional line! Entrees-mostly great. Service and Staff-needs improvement and sushi-well, the non raw rolls pretty much failed. So, order your appetizer and wait for it to arrive before you order your entree. Lesson learned.
(3)
Kne C.
Very authentic and well-prepared Thai food. Their sushi is an excellent value - while not as elegant as, say, Sushi King nearby, the ingredients are fresh and of very good quality. The Thai entrees - which are really the standout at this place - are quite good, and can be prepared in a more authentic (read: spicy) manner for those who know the difference. The wait staff is always cheerful and attentive
(4)
C A.
I had a horrible experience at Cha Ya for the reasons listed below! Save your money and go somewhere else! For example: 1) The waitress was prepared to take the groupon, but later returned with the manager/owner of the restaurant, who said "we have a problem." The problem was we needed to present the coupon before we ordered, according to her. I pointed out that the fine print does not mention this, when the manager/owner snatched my phone out of my hand and read the fine print, which is as follows: "Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per table per visit. Must use promotional value in 1 visit. Valid for Dinner only, dinner starts after 4 p.m. Dine-in only. Not valid on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, or New Years Day. Not valid for happy hour menu, dinner special, or sushi bar special. Not valid with other offers or promotions." She then directed me to the groupon website and said that the rule involving presenting the groupon beforehand "is online." Our groupon was turned down, even though the large group behind us presented the groupon at the end of their meal as well, but had no problem doing so. It's clear that the groupon brought us into the restaurant in the first place-- if the manager/owner was willing to overlook our "mistake" and accept the groupon, they likely would have had a repeat customer, but instead, they have a one-time, and ONLY a one-time customer. I had to charge the full-price dinner on my credit card. 2) If they accepted our groupon, we even would have overlooked the iffy service which included: my boyfriend's meal being placed on another couple's table. Five minutes later the waitress noticed her error and attempted to give my boyfriend a meal which the other couple picked/stared at for a few minutes (as they correctly assumed it was not their ordered meal). I requested they make him another one because he is just getting over a cold. I also had to ask repeatedly for refills on water.
I had a sushi and sashimi for two and its a reasonable price at $40.95. The service was attentive but it took a long time for the food to come out...but I can tell its because the chef took quite great care in his work. My fiancee had an overpriced bowl of odon noodles. We haven't tried any of the terriyaki dishes.
(3)
Tara L.
Went back to Cha Ya with a group of 10 other people. Kirin Light was cold and refreshing and the Chicken and Shrimp Wonton Soup was zesty and hearty! I had the Fireman Roll and enjoyed the flavors. Staff was attentive and kept our water glasses full! This place is convenient and never too crowded. Their giant flat screens had Frozen and basketball. Fun atmosphere but a little pricey for a casual Asian fusion restaurant without a voucher or coupon. Living Social often has vouchers for this place. Will return soon!
(4)
Shayna F.
I ate lunch here with my friends a few days ago. The restaurant was empty so the service was great! Sushi was made quickly and tasted really good. The margaritas were very strong. The only thing I can complain about was the price. We paid 100 for 8 rolls. I think that is extremely expensive.
(4)
Joseph J.
Ok so I saw this place on YouTube demonstrating how to cook all kinds of Chinese dishes. Many folks commented how good the food is so I tried it out. The restaurant is very clean & well appointed. That was a clue for me it might be expensive. I ordered one of my favorites...Singapore Rice Noodles. Lunch special is $12.00! I was a little shocked. I can buy this dish almost anywhere for $8.99. This does come with hot & sour soup or a small bin of lettuce & tomato called a salad worth about 50 cents. There were big pieces of shrimp & chicken throughout the dish with the standard cut up peppers & onion. I must say the curry flavor was very different than I've ever had. It has a burned/earthy flavor to it. Very edible but just off in comparison to the norm. Overall I liked the noodle dish but I expected better for the price. It may be a nice place to dine in but I vote no for carry-out. Just cost too much!
(3)
Sandra N.
This place is excellent! Since we've discovered it, this has been our go to spot. My favorite is the duck salad, which is fried to perfection. And another great fav is the crispy shrimp walnut. Tried several of their sushi rolls and haven't been disappointed yet.
(5)
Chad B.
The restaurant was empty when we arrived, and I immediately got a weird vibe. The place tries to be "hip" by using some abstract design around the bar and the seating area. The music was weird - it seemed like moody lounge music. Our waiter was pretty funny, and I think they were just happy for some business. The food here is somewhat pricey, but I ordered about the cheapest entree which was the Pad Thai. The portion was definitely large and the presentation was nice. You can choose your level of spiciness, from 1 to 5 (I chose 2). There was a heaping pile of noodles, and the dish was a little bit spicy for my taste, even at a level 2 of spiciness. The chicken was kind of plain. It tasted good at first, but it got harder to eat when I got toward the end. I kind of got tired of it because it was such a uniform dish. My experience here was "okay," but there are several better Chinese/Asian restaurants in the area.
(3)
Emily K.
This a very good asian fusion restaurant. They serve multiple asian cuisines. Their sushi is actually very good. I love getting the dragon roll and fried banana for dessert ;) Nothing has ever disappointed me here
(4)
Victoria A.
Service was great. The ambiance was comfortable, clean and hip. Great for work meetings at lunch or an intimate dinner. They asked on a scale how spicy I wanted my drunken noodles and they delivered perfectly to my request. The crab dumplings were tasty and presented beautifully. A little pricey at dinner but the portions are substantial and the flavor is unbeatable. Cannot wait to come back for the sushi. And next time I need to save room for the fried banana dessert.
(5)
Jody M.
I enjoyed our late dinner here. I had the drunken noodles and I like how they ask you for the spice level you want before you order. I ordered a three and it was just right for me. My husband had a level five and he was happily sweating away.
(4)
Yimei W.
My last words before we migrated here from Jason's Deli (it was packed on a Sunday?!) were, "...maybe there's a reason that place looks totally empty?" So, contrary to the bad reviews-the food itself was fine-the chicken pad thai will be your cheapest option at $12. But I would say the major drawback is pricing and...weirdness. Let me count the ways: Weirdness #1: EMPTY-I mean, Royal Taj was packed of course, but even Jason's Deli, which isn't exactly gourmet eating--was packed, which was why we came over to give this place a try on a Sunday lunch hour. I theorize if one reason how they stay in business is feeding off the customers who wanted to eat at Royal Taj and got tired of waiting in line. Weirdness #2: ILLOGICAL SEATING-we came in, a bunch of pretty good-looking, well-dressed young professionals, and instead of seating us in the nicely lit window view (remember, it was EMPTY) in the center of the restaurant, they took us to this dark corner in the back...why!?? Were we not presentable enough to be considered for window seating?! Weirdness #3: KOOKY HOST-he was trying to be funny but I think his jokes fell flat. At one point he said I'll have to come back later, I'm kind of really busy right now and I looked around, thinking, "Busy with....?" (again, it was EMPTY) That said, their pad thai was actually decent and they offered spice "levels". For the price of $12 it was a good portion. They had a "5 spice" chili oil sauce by request too, which helped with the spiciness.The chicken was not bad too. I liked the crispy pork, and the basil chicken was a decent dish too. Some friends ordered a duck noodle soup and they seemed to like it. Everything else was more in the $15-$25 range which I felt was pricey for lunch. I might come back if someone else wanted to eat here, but I'd tell anyone getting antsy lining up for Royal Taj--just hang in there ;)
(3)
Tony M.
And in conclusion.... I don't see what everyone has against this restaurant. Sure, its never packed in the evenings but the food is good and its a lot cleaner than most Asian restaurants. Reviewer tips: If the only thing you can say negative about a restaurant is that the #2 spicy level is too spicy for your taste, you shouldn't give a 3 star review. What do you think that there is some ISO certified rating for spicy level 1-5? Or that #1 means completely devoid of spice? Derrrr If you have come to a moderately priced restaurant because the cheap family oriented sandwich shop next door is too full of rug rats running around farting all over the place, you probably shouldn't write a review. Obviously you are cheap and anything not cheap will not receive a fair review. If people would stop giving 3 stars because of the weirdness of it not being packed at 8pm, there would be more people dining.
(5)
Jay H.
I haven't stopped coming here for sushi since I first tried it a couple years ago. They have my favorite special rolls and the service is always good.
(5)
Alyssa G.
If it wasn't so expensive I would go here more than once a week. I am a huge sushi fan and their's are always amazing. The best Hot and sour soup I've ever had. I love love love this place. I've never seen bugs in here, I've always had great service. The food has always been spectacular. So from coming from someone who has been here more than 50+ times in the last few months. I'd say a lot of the comments are a little over-exaggerated.
(5)
Amy P.
The atmosphere was nice and clean. The staff was friendly and very attentive. We ordered three rolls (lobster cha cha, spicy md lump crab, volcano) and chicken curry. They were all pretty good. I believe curry came with side soup. We chose hot and sour. It was one of best we've tried in the area. We'll definitely come back to try other items on the menu.
(4)
Melinda W.
Wow - the best chicken lo mein I have had in a LONG time! And - the staff was so professional - and friendly. They made sure I was well taken care of but weren't intrusive. Highly recommend this restaurant. They have a sushi bar and it looked great. I am going to try that next time. I'm definitely going back!
(5)
Cyndi K.
Went here on a late snowy evening...restaurant was half full. we first got seated on one of the high chair tables but they were accomodating when we asked to be moved to a regular table . 2 carafes of warm sake on a freezing cold day does the body good. our waiter was charming, super friendly and helpful and joked with us the whole time. the service was excellent and the food was great. the cerviche seemed a little pale but ok. our curry dishes were delicious! my combo penang chicken and shrimp was sooo tasty...the chicken was surprisingly not chewy but soft and scrumptious. With a 30 dollar living social voucher the addition of coffee and dessert did not break the bank! we got another coupon with the check for 10 bucks off next visit. we really like this place and will be back. boo all the bad reviews!!
(4)
Amy B.
The food is so-so, but that's usually the case when an Asian restaurant doesn't focus on one type of cuisine. It was pretty empty both times that I went there for dinner. We were sat in the back and asked to move up front because it just seemed weird. You'd think they would want people to sit up front to look like people are actually eating there. One of the things I noticed was the choice of music. I felt like I was at a rave or something. It wasn't relaxing and it didn't really go with the ambiance that I think they're trying to go for- It made me feel rushed like I needed to eat my food fast! Maybe the music would work it if were crowded? The food didn't stand out to me- it wasn't bad though- if you have a craving and don't feel like driving to Ellicott City, this place may do the trick.
(3)
Vida O.
More like aye ya. This place has only gone downhill. Came with a LivingSocial deal and my goodness nothing was even half edible or what I would serve as Asian food. First of all their soups are terrible. It's a Chinese owned establishment so how do you mess up wonton soup?! Then the thai tom yum coconut soup was bland and totally didn't taste like what it should have. Ordered a Chinese take out dish and the best part of it was the non chinese part with the grilled shrimp in butter garlic. The general tso's chicken was tough and blah. Our mixed fried appetizer was underwhelming. I'm just so disappointed at the place. But it is in a good location if you want to look at the bright side.
(1)
Kerianne K.
Food I thought was of a good quality (thought it was a bit expensive for the Columbia, MD area) . The service folks were nice and responsive. They did however forget our wonton soup and we had to hunt them down for the bill- since they were helping said tables below. The only negative I had was really that we got placed by a huge table- and adjacent to us was also a super loud group of girls catching up, and it made it unpleasant to be dining with just a couple- nothing that was really of the restaurants fault, but it did make it a little less enjoyable. Ambiance was a little bizzare, but it was fun, something you wouldn't normally see at a sushi restaurant. I did use one of the groupons and even with the groupon it ended up being high for two people ($55 after groupon, so would have been around $75 before). And we ordered 2 soups, 2 specialty rolls, one standard roll and an appetizer. Other than that, if you want to pay a little bit of money, it was worth going to.
(3)
Trint F.
Vegan friendly. Waitress speaks excellent English. Menu is common Thai. They don't serve Peanut sauce, their sauce for rice rolls is chili based and it's delicious. Fresh Sushi bar. It's a bit pricy between $8.00-$12.00 for entree. My average bill usually $25.00 including tip.
(4)
Bob J.
What a great find! My wife and I had a wonderful evening enjoying good food, great service and a hip atmosphere. I enjoyed a kicked up (level 5) mango chicken dish while my wife had the salmon. Both dishes were well presented and delicious. We hit it right. Every other Thursday a jazz combo plays. How neat is that? To stretch the night of jazz we ordered two sushi rolls. Wonderful , well presented and tasty. We were stuffed. A spot of tea and we were done. Great service, wonderful food and the price is right. On our list of favorite places
(5)
Jackie R.
Loved this place. My husband doesn't enjoy sushi and there were plenty of options for him. the service was fast and the food was terrific!
(5)
Chuck N.
Imagine a nice, fragrant, tasty looking plate of your favorite Thai dish, sitting on your table, waiting for you to dig in. You are hungry, you want to eat it. Now, go find that dish somewhere, maybe in Wheaton, maybe in Baltimore, because you're not going to find it at Cha Ya. The food is pedestrian, from the pad thai to the curries, but you won't be able to tuck in to the food because the host/owner will be aggressively urging you to order some tacky flavored sake or to get some sushi. Or you will be distracted by the music. Or you will be distracted by menu spanning the globe. Or the roaches. We saw two in one sitting, and another limping wreck when we returned a year later. As Amy B. wrote, it's so-so food. With everything else considered, why not just let the roaches have this place?
(1)
Eudora G.
I love the Crispy Duck Salad. And their desserts are awsome.
(5)
Liza M.
Dirty fish tank that looks like the miso soup tastes. Prompt service and open on Sundays which is a plus since most Columbia sushi places aren't. A little on the expensive side (spicy walnut shrimp which ended up being 6 tempura shrimp doused in spicy mayo for 18 bucks).
(3)
Jojo Y.
Nice atmosphere, clean, but a little eclectic. It was quiet even with some lunch patrons. I came here because I was getting my car worked on, and it was going to take much longer than expected, and this was within walking distance. I sat at the bar area, which has 3 large screen TVs if you enjoy watching a screen. I was here for lunch and ordered their lunch special of 2 sushi rolls for $9. Which came with miso soup. I think the prices on the individual rolls (and some of the other lunch items) are a little high, especially for typically cheap items like veggie rolls. Each roll comes with 6 pieces. The sushi was so-so, as someone who grew up on and loves sushi. Service was attentive. Food- 3 stars Service- 4 stars Value- 3 stars Atmosphere- 3.5
(3)
Rob N.
I'm not sure I dig how they stuff their dinner seating into an isolated out-of-the-way corner while the majority of their open, vast bar remains unoccupied. Especially when it was just two of us - could we not have got a high-top and not been squirreled away in a corner behind a wall next to the kitchen door? The food - Not bad. Not awesome. My spicy fish was deep-fried, not pan-fried, and a little greasy. The menu leans heavily toward Thai and Americanized Chinese flavors. The missus had a dinner bento box, and ruled it hit-or-miss on the contents. Some bits were Thai-ish, some bits were Japanese-ish, and some bits like the corn-n-veg fried croquette were just better off left alone. All in all, there was little that we ordered that would make me sign up for a repeat visit. Food took a while to come to the table, and at least one party in the dining area walked because of the wait. Prices are moderate. However, there are better options all around for the types of food served at Cha Ya, and it would be in the diner's interest to go find them instead of committing to this middle-of-the-road jack of all trades.
(2)
Vanessa A.
After leaving two other restaurants because they were so crowded and we would have had to wait, we decided to try this nearby place because there were plenty of open seats. The food was okay; my husband's Drunken Noodles were very salty but I enjoyed my curry dish. Our son enjoyed playing with his dish since it was served on a boat. He also enjoyed looking at the fish in the tank near the front. (We had originally been seated toward the back which, along with what another reviewer remarked, seemed odd.) What really got me to write the review was the behavior of the waitress toward my 3 year old son. Upon being seated in tall chairs, we warned our son to stay in his seat because it would be hard to get down and he could fall. The waitress responded directly to our son sayjng, "You can get down. I'll even give you candy if you do." Um, excuse me? I just brushed it off and decided to play nice even though her remark was antagonistic. At the end of our meal, she brought our son a Starburst candy, handing it directly to him and saying, "You can eat this." Really?!?! Who does that?! We just paid and didn't remark to each other about it until we got in the car. It's been bothering me since last week though so I figured I ought to let others know. I would not consider this place good for kids if you don't like others making parental choices on your behalf.
(2)
Michele W.
The presentation of the food was beautiful. I absolutely loved the mango iced tea. They have several flavors of teas available. The dressing on the salad was tasty and tangy. The sushi was good. Though a few pieces of the roll were a bit big for bite size. We didn't try any of the entrees but from what I saw they looked appealing
(3)
Monica M.
We had crab rangons for apps and they were not good. However, we had pad Thai and chicken ka pow for our main entrees and they were amazing!!! will definitely be returning! Best pad Thai and ka pow chicken we have found in the columbia area!! Definitely recommend!
(4)
Brooke W.
It was ok steak was fatty and over priced everything else was average
(3)
Erica F.
First time here and I can say I'm pleased. Being as thou it was about 1:50 when I arrives it was empty, there was one table being used. As I was here there were a few carry out orders being picked up and one other eat in patron. I ordered the fried calamari appetizer ($9) and the 2 Maki Roll Lunch ($9, they rang it up as two individual orders for $10 but when I mentioned it they quickly fixed it). Being as thou I'm currently pregnant the options were slim. I decided to go "safe" and ordered the California Roll and Spicy California Roll. Told you I was being "safe" :-) I will say the fried calamari was good as well. I liked how the breading was not soggy or too hard. It was cooked well and not "chewy". Would I come back? Yes. Would I reorder the same thing? Yes. Would I try something new? Based on this visit, yes. It was good. Nothing special but trust me if you live in the Columbia area you know how "simple dishes" can get messed up!! I will say the avacodo's were soft and ripe but not bright green fresh. I had a soda to drink and for $2.95 I should have drank faster to get a refill.
(4)
Lauren A.
The food was promptly delivered and with a perfect presentation. I ordered the Kung Pao Shrimp. The taste wasn't too bad, a little salty though. The service was dead. My server was completely non interactive. No name was given, I had to look around for her to give an order, I had to ask someone else for chopsticks, and there wasn't even a smile. Another waiter, seeing that I was ready to leave, offered to get my check. I'm not certain if my server wasn't having a good day or what! I think next time I'll go to a restaurant with a more upbeat, welcoming atmosphere. (visited 11/25/2013)
(2)
Hana K.
Went here when it was snowing. It was the only place that was open in the area. The food was okay. The rolls are pretty decent. Nothing special. Kinda pricey for some dinner boxes. Not sure if ill come back here. The interior is nice for couples.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Devon S.
PLEASE CAN I GET A HIGH THAI! By Devon S It's lunch time, time to get something quick. Oh magic Yelp ball please guide me to..... wait, I know a place to go I have seen it a couple of time before. Cha Ya Asian Café... LETS GO! Location/Appearance: 3 out of 5 Ebi Sushi Located in Columbia, Cha Ya is kind of behind a Ford dealership in a small strip mall off of the main road. Entering Cha Ya, the first thing I notice is the giant sushi bar in relation to how small the restaurant was. I can imagine this place gets packed because of the lack of seating in the dining room area. Of course, it is always good to see a sushi bar in any restaurant. I mean if McDonalds put a sushi bar there I might eat there. The overall décor is... Asian, LOL. It looks something like a Japanese Shrine with the dragons and all the cool Asian art. I actually felt like I was back in Japan. Customer Service: 3 out of 5 Ebi Sushi The service was good since I was the only one in the restaurant for lunch. The waitress took care of me, made a couple of suggestions and called it a day. In fact it's hard to accurately rate this section for the fact that I can't differentiate if the service would be as good if they had more customers. The only problem I do have with sushi and Asian cuisine in general is the cost. Someone decided that all the special sushi and Asian cuisine should average 10 bucks... why? This isn't just Cha Ya, this is all Asian places I have ever eaten at. Taste/Presentation: 2 out of 5 Ebi Sushi I decided for lunch I would have the lunch portion of Chicken Pad Thai. I love Pad Thai! When I was in Japan for 2 years I think I ate Pad Thai every week. . Sadly I have to give Cha Ya's Pad Thai one thumb up. The noodles were cooked right and they used the right about of sauce to make the Pad Thai. They also had all the normal ingredients with it; peanuts, bean sprouts and onions. The thing that made me upset was the pre cooked or old chicken they used with the dish. The chicken was really really really..... really...... really dry. Due to the lack of time, I ate it anyways because I didn't want to waste 7.99 on a lunch portion meal. I wasn't entirely happy. Overall experience: 3 out of 5 Ebi Sushi I don't know if Cha Ya is a good place and I just had a blah dish; or if it's just an ok place to eat at. So I am going to have to say I need to try Cha Ya Asian Café again. Next time, I will get some of their special sushi rolls in combination with some of their other foods. Of course, going to an Asian restaurant I need to take out a small loan to eat there... so I'm going to wait till I return. Unless I find someplace with amazing Pad Thai...
(3)Katie A.
Great martini! But I felt really nickel and dimed! I ordered hot green tea which is normally free or inexpensive (like a $1), and then looked at the menu and realized it was $2.50 per person. So i cancelled it. I find it nice to have but didn't need it. Sushi was pretty good, not mind blowing. Then when I got my bill they charged me $2 for a side of spicy mayo with my sushi! WHAT!?!?!? I could understand if you had an up charge of $.50 which is still silly, but $2 just made me feel ripped off. I would have at least appreciated the heads up about the additional charge. We went out for lunch so I try to keep my lunch bills reasonable. I probably wouldn't go back when I can get better sushi across the street at Wegmans.
(3)Julie K.
Wow this place is pricey for sushi! Plain tuna rolls start at $5? Joss' spicy tuna is $4.95 (and most likely more delicious). Try not to get stuck with a table in the back in the winter. The back door must have kept opening, but we were freezing at the table. I got the: *garden roll - known as summer rolls at some places, this was NOT good here and came with duck sauce instead of peanut sauce. The veggies in it must have been just iceberg and beansprouts, don't get this here! *spicy yellow tail roll- This was just ok. It was kind of mushy inside and I still like my spicy rolls to have chunks of fish rather than mashed. While this was better than the garden roll, I wouldn't order this again. *Incredible Roll- This roll had shrimp tempura, asparagus and Thai basil. It was supposed to have spicy mayo, but I absolutely despise mayonnaise and was able to get siracha instead. This was really good and reasonably priced ($6.95). I consider this the only thing worth getting. My sister got the Tuna Boy platter and said her tuna tasted funny. She also got the pad thai, which apparently tasted like it was drowned in sugar. The brother-in-law ordered Osaka combo and confirmed that something tasted funny about the tuna. He did however say that the white tuna was very good. We also got the "American Dream" roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, and we asked for no caviar) because it was another roll priced reasonably. We didn't know this would have eel sauce on top. It isn't worth ordering again. I do like that Cha-Ya was accommodating to a few changes in our order. I'd go back for the Increditble roll, but that's it.
(3)IH K.
I don't know how Tony P. beat me to this review, since this restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and I estimate that nobody (I mean nobody lives nearby). Anyway, the food's okay. I wouldn't say that it's authentic Thai or very good for that matter, but it's good enough when your only other options are a cheeseburger or pizza -
(2)Jennifer S.
I live in the neighborhood and have had take out and now eaten in at Cha Ya. It's a pretty cute place to eat in. It's pretty small but provides a nice alternative to the huge chains that are available on McGaw road. I went with my family and everyone pretty much liked it. We got two appetizers, the shumai and the spring rolls. The shumai came out ice cold in the middle but when I told the waiter he happily brought it back and it came out steaming hot. The spring rolls were great! We all enjoyed our food dishes which were drunken noodles, pad see iew, and pad woonsen. Very tasty and all the meats were really juicy and delicious. They also had a great happy hour deal going, buy one beer get one free, so my husband loved that. The service was very good, our waiter was very attentive, although my husband did remind me that it was a little odd that our dishes came out several minutes after each other. Overall it was good, while we had some hiccups the staff was great and did what they could to fix it and the food was really good!
(4)Allison L.
Not the largest place but it is reasonably priced the service is wonderful and I LOVE their creative rolls. You must try the mango roll. it's shrimp tempura topped with strips of mango and a mango glaze. This is definitely our first choice of sushi in the area.
(4)Hikari K.
Ah. One of the few places that you can get sushi between 2 and 5 pm. My friend and I went here yesterday, after being indecisive for over an hour about what we wanted for lunch. After searching Yelp for somewhere in columbia that was open, we found Cha Ya. I'm really glad we decided to give it a try. First off, the menu won my heart. When you open a menu, and have to stare at it for 20 minutes because everything sounds delicious, you know you've stumbled across a winner. Its not just their sushi that sounded good, they have Tai, Chinese, and Japanese entrees that I bet would be tasty. I had my heart set on getting sushi that day though, and its always a pleasure to find a long list of specialty rolls to choose from. The creativity makes or breaks how much I love a place, and whether or not I'll return. My friend ordered some sort of soba noodles and salmon roll. I've never been to fond of cabbage, so I wasn't too into the soba when I tasted it, but she loved it. The salmon roll was great. Just its heavenly arouma made me want to drool. I ordered a Beef Negimaki appetizer and two specialty rolls: the Dynamite Roll and some sort of Crunchy Tuna roll. My friend and I loved both of them. It was a lot of food. Granted, a little pricy, but it was definately worth it. I had to dare myself to finish it. It wasn't just the food that was nice, the place had a nice decor and the staff was very friendly. Now, I'm not sure whether this beats Aji-Nippon as my favorite sushi joint, but its definately somewhere in my top three. It was just that good, and such a pleasant new years experience with a friend. This is definately one of those hidden gems that you only know about if you accidently find the place or have the fortune of hearing about from a friend. Those kind are the best. Will I return? You bet. Again and again and again.
(5)Jennifer H.
Food was ok, nothing special. Service was iffy. My sister wasn't too hungry and asked if she could order a small item off of the kids meal, and they said No. She wasn't interested in the appetizers they had and decided to just not order anything. I decided to let her have one or two pieces of the sushi I ordered and the waitress and the sushi chef were giving me evil looks. Give me a break! My friend and I ordered a good amount of food because we were hungry and my sister just wanted something to nibble on. We weren't trying to be cheap. It's a cute place, but that one experience sorta ruined it for me. Not sure I'd want to give this place another shot.
(2)Neda F.
After eating here a few times, tonight we had a really disappointing experience. The food was flavorless and mediocre overall, but most alarming was that the California roll that came with my dinner bento box was actually rotten. The cucumber had gone bad and tasted terrible. We let the servers know; there was no apology, just blank stares and later a curt reply of "do you want me to make you a new one?". We then waited for a long time for any service, so we had to flag someone down to ask for the bill. We expressed our disappointment in our experience and that nothing had been taken off the $55 bill when our sushi was rotten. The manager then brought back a new bill saying "there, I took $3 off". We can deal with one bad dish or some bad service, but everything that happened tonight was too much of a turn-off. We won't be coming back.
(1)Laura H.
I love this place. A hidden treasure in an unassuming strip mall. Staff are friendly and sushi is Awesome!
(4)Jaimie K.
Cha-ya Sushi and Thai (as it is called, perhaps they changed the name in the move to Columbia from Laurel?) is our go-to place for sushi when we don't feel like paying for Sushi Sono. Pros: The fish is always fresh and delicious (we order nigiri sushi mostly, only occasionally getting maki), and it is reasonably priced. The service is good, fairly quick and they are always friendly. The thai dishes, while not necessarily authentic, are indeed delicious. We have had the green curry, creamy red curry and shrimp pad thai- the pad thai was a little too sweet but the texture was good, and both curries were so YUMMY. We ordered them hot, and the spice was definitely there. Slight drawbacks: The cut of the fish is sometimes a bit inconsistent. They also seem to think that raw mackerel can't be served...which we get at SS all the time. They only have a smoked version. They also never have uni or toro (fatty tuna) even though it is on the menu. But toro is usually what drives our bill through the roof so maybe it's ok that they don't serve it :-) Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone. They do deliver for free but only within 3 miles (maybe they charge but still deliver further away? not sure). It's a nice casual atmosphere and they have happy hour specials. Give it a try. It is better than Hanamura, right around the corner.
(4)mark w.
I don't know how good you can really say this place is. Negatives.. -Wait is long. Place is way too small. -Sushi was just terrible. Mine was cold and icy. -Pretty expensive. -Menu is confusing. They don't have a direction for their cuisine. -Outdoor decor is sparse, and beer bottles and cigarette butts are abundant in the bushes. -Service was horrendous, too few waiters who are either snobby or just plain out don't understand english. -Presentation on dishes both cold and cooked is very bland. Positives..(not many) -Cozy? -Good if you want a decent meal even if expensive -That was only for the cooked food. 1/5: I would not recommend going here. I will not go here again! (I said not good for kids because there are: a) not enough waiters and b) not enough space :P)
(1)Jimmie R.
The lunch menu prices are very reasonable. The food is only mediocre though. I recommend the basil or Ginger chicken dishes. The drunken noodle is decent too. I do not recommend the chef special fried rice w/ jumbo shrimp. Portions aren't very big so don't come here if you are starved.
(3)Dave Z.
I went here for the first time recently, and the lunch Thai dishes were quite good and flavorful (and reasonably priced). The ingredients tasted fresh to me, and the dish had enough complementary flavors to make it interesting. You can get your dish spicy from 1-5; I found that 3 was perfectly spicy for me without masking the flavor of the food, but I could see even that being a little spicy for some. I would also love to try their flat noodle dishes, which looked really good. Sushi and Thai seems like an odd mix to me, but based on the Thai I had for lunch, I'd be willing to try out their sushi sometime too. My only complaint was that there seemed to be an odd smell in the place that day that was kind of off-putting. I'm glad the food redeemed things. :)
(3)Andrea M.
Don't do it ! There are no redeeming qualities at this restaurant. The food is not good,the owners and staff are pushy, unwelcoming and will try to cheat you out of your ability to use your already paid for coupon. Our experience was awful!
(1)Ashwin M.
Solid Asian restaurant in the shopping center across the street from Wegman's on McGaw. We went this past Sunday for my nephews' bday dinner, and surprisingly the place was completely empty the whole time! Kinda weird considering it was a holiday weekend (President's Day). Nonetheless, we enjoyed the decor, pretty cool setting. The Good: We started with several appetizer rolls to share, and all were very fresh and tasty - Shrimp tempura roll, spicy shrimp and tuna. Main courses were again very good quality and ample portions. My favorites were shrimp panang curry, thai ground chicken with basil sauce and drunken noodles with tofu. Sautéed squid with mushrooms and asparagus was excellent. The Bad: Service was somewhat slow (considering we were the only ones here), and even after we told them we were freezing they assured us that the thermostat was set to 73 degrees. BS. Even the waitress was wearing a winter coat! Very bizarre. Mango with sticky rice and mango ice cream desserts were ok, nothing great. Cha Ya is a little pricy for what it is, but overall we had a great time, so I'm sure I'd return at some point. Hmm it's a toss up between 3 and 4 stars...
(3)Caitlin R.
Folks, when Pei Wei and PF Chang are considered 3.5-5 star restaurants, it is time to raise the bar. Cha Ya far outstrips these "Asian" restaurants with a pan-Asian cuisine that pleased us, our Chinese & Korean-American friends, and our Thai exchange student. Authentic dishes with flavorful, aromatic sauces -- not the gummy, Americanized fare you get at other local Chinese restaurants. Current faves include a basil seafood dish (think Thai bouillabaisse) and an eggplant entree that never disappoints. You can ask for any dish to be made not spicy to full-on #5 (not for the weak). Don't go above 2 if you are heat averse as even three is powerful. Come for the entrees but don't pass up dessert -- in case you still need a slice of something Western to please your palate, the homemade chocolate-peanut butter mousse cake will never, ever disappoint (just be sure to leave us some). Finally, the owners and staff are so friendly -- this will become your family's favorite restaurant. True, it is not crowded but that is absolutely not a reflection on the quality, quantity or price of the food -- all of which are very good to excellent value. The sushi station/bar is styled to look like a pagoda topped by clouds - kitschy but pleasing. The seating is an eclectic mix but all options are comfortable and they will be happy to move you if you prefer another style. Lots of seating for larger groups and cozy booth areas, too. Kids are welcome here and due to the segmented layout, won't disrupt diners without kids. Today's live music was a lovely jazz trio, professional and not loud -- made for a very nice evening. The non-live music is a quirky mix -- like an entire family's musical tastes were on iPod shuffle....but don't hold that against them -- there is something for everyone. Our family highly recommends this restaurant.
(5)Vi L.
I see why it's so empty here despite the somewhat clean and new decor. Service was good and attentive but the food had much to be desired. Cold noodles were decent. Sushi is super overpriced. Lobster cha cha roll was meh. The mayo on top was too much. Cha ya philly roll was pretty gross. TONS of mayo on top. The smoked salmon was also on top of rather than in the roll, which was odd. Pretty unappetizing. Note: for both these rolls, it does not say they're topped with mayo, and yet they are. Why?? That being said, I probably will not be back.
(2)Leanna H.
First time at Cha Ya, and despite some reservations because we were bringing my 7 and 12 year olds (sushi places can be notoriously bad with kids), we decided to try it out for my birthday. Could not have been happier with this choice! We were seated quickly, and the waitstaff went above and beyond to engage my kids in conversation, and were smiling and attentive throughout the evening. I got a spicy tuna handroll which I loved, and my husband and I shared the sushi boat for 2- fresh and tasty, and filling! My girls enjoyed the Singapore noodles and shrimp tempura. The only criticisms was there could have been a little more shrimp in both, and the tempura was a bit bland, even for tempura. That being said, the range of options was a plus for us, and "basic" was good for the other Asian cuisines (always a plus for kids)! Last plus: I also got an appletini (which could have been a real fail- sometimes Asian restaurants get really heavy on any mixers so drinks are super sweet and hardly worth the cost): not so here! This bad boy was high octane! I had to nurse it through the whole dinner! And, was good- just be aware if you are a lightweight! :) Final pluses: Groupon of 20 for 40, and right next door to the Yogicup. Can't go wrong with that...
(5)Ann Z.
Avoid this place at all cost!!! The food is ranging around so-so (sushi) to horrible (other Asian cuisine). There are so many other better sushi restaurants in the area, don't go to this one!!! Similar to what other customers have experienced, they will cheat you out of every penny from your already bought groupon! The fine prints are not so cleared, they said u can't order from special menu, but where is the special menu??!!.. Of course whatever it is expensive, they won't let u order. Plus the waiter + manager are not very nice to customers.. Wait isn't groupon's purpose is hoping customers will come back?? They certainly don't get that when they treat their customers, NO ONE will EVER COME BACK!!! Don't do it!!! Even for the 20 for 40 dollars on groupon!! Get a refund while you can!!! The experience at Cha Ya sushi will make you regret ever coming in!!!
(1)Carolyn J.
Good sushi nice staff
(4)Hien P.
Stopped by here with my mom and sister because we all were craving thai cuisine but our regular spot was closed that day. So why not try something new? The decor is a bit weird and awkward. They have a lot of high top tables and chairs that were hard to get on and off. There were booths and other seating arrangements available but it was in the back and it looked dark back there... We ordered the thai iced teas and green iced tea. You get a good amount of thai tea and it was quite delicious. We ordered the sashimi and sushi lunch combo, the tiger roll?, singapore rice noodles, and the drunken noodles. Everything was good (not great) but we could have gone without the sushi and sashimi combo. The sashimi did not taste fresh and it left a weird taste in my mouth. We will probably never come back. I would have given 2 stars but the service was awesome so it made the experience a little better.
(3)Harriet M.
It is excellent. My favorite fusion restaurant in the area. The food is fresh and prepared perfectly and the sushi is decent.
(5)Jim S.
Between classes at HCC a group of us decided that we wanted sushi. So off we went. It is right by the new Wegmans. We sat at the counter and talked with the sushi chef; his name is Ming Zing. He seemed very reluctant to give advice on what to get. So each of us ordered something different and shared. I don't remember the exact names but we had 4 very different rolls. I honestly liked everyone of them. I like sushi a lot and must tip my hat to well made rolls. Everything tasted fresh, The rice was on point, and the rolls were nice and tight. They were also the right size, I hate when they make the rolls so big it takes 2 or 3 bites on each piece. I have not tried anything else, but am very excited by 2 reviews that say you can get actual spicy hot food here as well. I always tell people that you can't get really spicy in Maryland. Thank you Courtney and Noralyn. I will definitely be back. If you go ask for Ming.
(4)Chris M.
AVOID this place. The food was absolutely terrible. Incredibly pedestrian and I had the chicken teriyaki which was so dry, I lost my appetite. I told the waitress and nothing happened. She said she would talk to the cook but then made some excuse. Finally, when I talked to the woman who was the manager, I was told that "no-one else complains." They refused to make it right. I was so frustrated and my son was so upset when we left that we had lost our good mood from a film we had just seen. My son's shrimp dish was also not very good. Too bad, too, the atmosphere was nice but wow, I hope these people go out of business. I joined Yelp just to post this. I dislike spending $50.00 on a meal that was horrible and from a place that insults its customers. Also, I'm not really someone who complains at restaurants so please believe me when I say this was a really bad experience.
(1)Ben B.
Best Sushi in Columbia. Frankly, this is as good as it gets in Columbia. I've been to almost every sushi joint in the area, and this is the one I keep coming back to. Their special rolls are absolutely divine - don't have enough praise to give to the Dynamite Roll / Twister Roll combo. I don't really understand all the love for Sushi King around here - Cha Ya does it better, without the crazy wait times of and with a nice, spacious interior. The high-top chairs in their renovated portion of the store could be more comfortable, but other than that, I have no complaints. If you're going for Sushi, Cha Ya is the place.
(5)Cindy C.
Seaweed salad is good and im picky about it. Wish they would bring back monster roll but know one knows how to make it anymore.
(4)C W.
Was craving sushi and decided to give this place a try. Their menu includes a variety Asian dishes (rice, noodles, and soups). We ordered: the Crunch Tuna Hidden Dragon, Tuna roll, Spicy Tuna roll, Spicy Scallop roll and California roll. Overall, the sushi was good; however, I will agree with others that it is a bit expensive compared to other places. The waiters and staff here were all friendly. We also had the mango and sticky rice dessert. I thought it was ok. I wish the rice wasn't as mushy or it would have been nice if they added toasted sesame seeds for texture.
(3)Jess C.
I'm torn at what to review this place. My experience here could be divided into two parts: Sushi: 1 star Level Three Spice Shrimp Drunken noodles: 4 stars I was really hesitant to come here during lunch because I have qualms about fusion places, Thai and Japanese? My belief is that the best restaurants always specialize in something. Spreading yourself out to thin increases chances of you not being good at anything! But of course, the open-minded self in me decided to give it a shot. The interior was nice, it was a blend between modern Asia and antiquated Asia with its vivid colors mixed mixed with traditional architecture. That was nice. I opted for the 2 maki roll sushi for $9. That was when it all went downhill. There was no description for their rolls and the waitress had to call over someone else to describe it. When I inquired more about specific details of the rolls, I was given a quizzical look. Anyways, I decided on the Alaska and Philadelphia. But when it came out, the raw fish looked so pale and sick. I was not impressed. They also true to decorate it with some neon green streak on the plate, that was a little off putting. I decided to suck it up an take a bite, but the fish was so chewy. I decided not to eat it and take a risk with fresh that was not fresh and just enjoy my company. However, my friend insisted that I take it back if it wasn't fresh (as a yelper of 3-years, I never returned food! But then again, because of yelp and it's amazing recommendations I never had to--btw ironically I didn't use yelp this time). After much insisting, we called back the waitress/hostess (she seemed to be soon both) and told her I wasn't satisfied with my order. She immediately asked me repeatedly five times what was wrong with it. And we told her it didn't taste right, but instead she didn't seem to understand and kept asking me again what was wrong with it and if I wanted to take it home. After much miscommunication and a unhappy waitress, I told her I would just order something else, and that was when I ordered what my friend was getting : the shrimp drunken noodles for $9 at level three spicy. After a longer wait for my re-order, I must say I was super glad I reordered the level 3 spice drunken noodles. It was the perfect amount of spice. Just challenging and pleasurable enough to keep me satisfied. The shrimps were large and cooked to perfection. The noodles were perfectly seasoned. I could not ask for anything better! While I was enjoying my noodles though, the unpleasant waitress signaled me and told me that she tried my sushi that she took back and "nothing was wrong" it. I guess in her mind, the customer is not right. Anyways all in all, it could have definitely been a better dining experience with better customer service, but that drunken noodles helped bump this experience to 2 stars.
(2)Joe H.
We went during a brief warm spell between snows this winter. When we pulled put to the restaurant they looked empty, but that was because they were seating everyone in the back room first - there were a number of tables occupied but the sound level remained reasonable. My wife got a chicken satay which was OK, but the peanut sauce was sweeter than we were expecting. I had the red curry spiced level 5 (out of 5) and it was quite tasty, with just the right spice level. My daughter's pad thai was somewhat bland and wetter than I expected and my son's fried rice was good but a little oily. I also had a piece of saba from their sushi bar and it was good. They make videos of their cooking on youtube which you can watch and learn how to make some recipes. If I was in the neighborhood and felt like Thai food or sushi, I would return. There are other Thai (Thai Aroma) and Sushi (Sushi King) choices in Columbia that I think are better though.
(3)Y C.
I come here regularly with friends, not because I love it, but because for some reason they do. I like most of their Chinese/Thai dishes, as long as it's chicken or shrimp. Their prices are too high for the quality of their food, as they get mediocre beef and fish. Every time I ordered beef, it was chewy and full of gristle. And their sushi is only good if it's full of 'stuff' such as sauce. I stopped ordering sashimi and plain nigiri sushi because the fish was strangely stringy. If it weren't for the coupon deals they always have, they would not be able to stay in business with their prices. Oh, and if you do have a coupon deal, make sure you order the right dishes (check with the server to be sure).
(3)Bob S.
We came here with the Groupon this restaurant was offering a month or so ago, with a group of 4. We didn't mention the groupon until the end, so we know the restaurant did not treat us differently due to the Groupon. If one word could describe our experience, it would be somewhere between meh and terrible. Everything we ordered tasted... off. Something none of could quite put our finger on. The miso soup, spring rolls, and crispy tofu included. Between all four people at our table, we ordered 6 different sushi rolls or dishes, and no one really liked it. The avocado in the Philly roll was browning. The Fire roll fish tasted odd, and again brown avocado. The brown rice on the cucumber roll was dry. The list is endless; there is definitely better quality and tasting sushi around. The service was decent throughout, however when ordering, the waitresses was trying to relay to us that she was out of mango SOMETHING. This was fine, you would think we could just order what we wanted without mango, right? Wrong. We were all perplexed when she kept denying our request to have XX but without mango/mango sauce/cubes/tree/who cares. At the end of our meal, the waitress was kind enough to remind us to tip off the total bill before the Groupon, not the amount after it. Thanks, waitress, my first experience at a restaurant had me confused about that.
(1)Tracy P.
Went there with a living social deal. Only fine print said no happy hour special. Made sure not to look at happy hour and only looked at the regular menu. Because we got sushi deluxe they said we can't use the deal. But the sushi deluxe is not on the happy hour menu. I do not like being mislead by this restaurant and my Living Social.
(1)Nick Y.
Decent food, nice new interior. They expanded their eat-in to take over the coffee store next to it, so now it has nice big windows while you sit. Thai is good, but not amazing. I go back for it, wanna try their sushi next.
(4)Dhruv L.
Horrible service . Decent food. If you get the fat waitress, just leave because she is rude, slow and honestly weird.
(1)D F.
Absolutely Horrible! Sat me near an open door in the back of the restaurant and only 1 other table had customers. Ordered lunch special and avocado was old and brown! Can not believe they served it. See pic! Beware!! Go to Wegman's across street, cheaper and better. No snotty wait staff either.
(1)Russell B.
My wife and I decided to stop by on a Sunday night for dinner since I had just purchased the LivingSocial deal. When we walked in, the place was practically empty but this may not be unusual for a Sunday night. We were promptly greeted by very friendly staff and had a choice between sitting at a table or the high chair tables near the bar area. My wife and I started with sushi orders. She got the shrimp tempura dragon tail and I got the rainbow roll (because I like lots of fish). We both were impressed with the size of the rolls and the flavor...very good! I ordered something simple---teriyaki salmon. My wife ordered a curry chicken dish (can't recall the name). I thought the salmon was very good and well cooked. My wife, who has lived in several cities throughout her life, traveled extensively, and has tried lots of different Asian cuisine, was very impressed with her meal. And if she's impressed, trust me it's gotta be good! Overall I'd recommend this restaurant. The staff were VERY friendly, service was awesome, prices are reasonable, and the food was very good.
(4)Shawn W.
The sushi rolls are great. Looking forward to trying some other menu items but right now I am hooked on their rolls.
(3)Mary W.
I was reviewing my reviews in Columbia and realized that I had a very harsh review for Cha Ya...but I think it's since undergone some redecorating and maybe has new management? It looks fairly different then the 1st time I went--new TV screens with pictures of items on their menu, soon to come drinks menu etc. I've actually been here twice since last summer and both times I was pleased with how my sushi rolls tasted. I don't think the Thai food was quite as good (someone in my group got drunken noodles and I think the noodles were overcooked and turned out too mushy). Plus, this is one of the few restaurants in the area that's open late and has a pretty extensive bar, so it's a pretty nice place to hang out and have a few drinks as well. However, the last time I checked, they didn't have a formal drinks menu yet. Hopefully they do now! I'm putting this in my HoCo list because it's a unique restaurant to the area and it's something that Columbia needs--restaurants that are open later and target younger people!
(3)Donna S.
So after a class one morning, a group if us student from HCC decided we wanted sushi. So our friend said this place was good. Located right down the road from the college, and across from the new Wegmans, it was in a good location for anyone and everyone. Me&my dad shared a couple things and, let me tell you, I loved it! I was use to nasty, Harris Teeter sushi, which made me sick&nausea's all the time, so the fact that I loved this, surprised me. Everything they make here is delicious and very well priced. If you can, see if Sushi chef Ming is there, cause he is the man!
(4)Amy P.
We ate dinner there last night for the first time, opted for the Thai food and really enjoyed the meal. Drunken noodles and basil chicken, specifically, were good and even at a level 5 spiciness not too hot, just about right for two spicy-eaters. The lack of decent Thai in the area and the hospitality of the staff seal the deal and we will be back time and again!
(4)Samuel C.
I am a fan of sushi. The food is pretty good. This place is nice and clean. I go there sometimes if i am hungry and leave early at work. The staff are nice and friendly.
(4)Kenneth L.
I went to Cha Ya Asian Bistro yesterday because I was craving some Sushi. The atmosphere at this place was pretty stunning. They have red and blue lighting and is a perfect place for bringing a date night. The sushi there is pretty well made although it is alittle bit on the expensive side (10-20 per roll). They also have a mixture of thai and chinese food. When we went there, people started coming in, and they only had a bartender and 2 other waitresses working. Because of that service suffered a bit. But overall it was a decent experience and I would be willing to give it another try!
(3)P W.
Awesome decor, excellent service, and great food. I had the drunken noodles with shrimp. I only wished I would have gotten them a little spicier. This is one of those dishes that I know I am going to crave soon. In my Terminator voice..."I'll be back" !!
(4)Gwyneth J.
When Im Han K. says it's in the middle of no where ...not near where anyone lives i say...GREAT! but Wrong! It's right between Snowden River Pkwy and Dobbin Road...next to the Green Turtle....and about a mile from my house. YAY! Granted, it's small. Blink and you've missed it but i'm glad friends of mine on a Sunday coerced me to try it after Sunday football at Sonoma's. WOW! The Fancy Dragon Roll was amazing....umm yeah...can't go wrong with warm crunchy tempura shrimp, soft cool rice and wrapped with avocado and eel! OMG! i also had a bite of Debbie's Calimari (Squid) salad....and well that alone is worth the trip! The prices are more reasonable than Sushi Sono and though i'm no slouch when it comes to chopstickage you will be tempted to use your fingers here because you won't want to end up with rice wasabi soy soup! Mmmmm sushi goodness!
(4)J. V.
Great cosmos!!
(3)Chris S.
The best General Tso's chicken I've ever had--spicy, cripsy, not over done. Great atomosphere, wonderful service. The curry was also delicous.
(4)Christian S.
The Cha Ya Asian bistro is better than these reviews let on, particularly if you get the sushi. While one is spoiled for options in Columbia (and Hanamura is my go-to for take-out), the ambiance in Cha Ya makes it one of the better choices for a casual date-night. Lighting and music are both top-notch, favoring jazz, though I do wish the TVs were not in every line of sight. The sushi is delicious, if a bit expensive, and the service has been good, but not great. Two of the waiters provided knowledgeable commentary on the menu, and recommendation, but one waitress was not my favorite, as she seemed disinterested. I wish it was a little more bustling, as the space feels slightly empty right now. In full disclosure, I've only eaten the Japanese dishes here, so I can't speak to the quality of the other Asian cuisine. If you're in the mood for sushi and a pleasant night out, choose Cha Ya.
(3)Danny C.
First of all, this restaurant ISNT specialized in Thai foods. Its a fusion restaurant. Dont know what fusion means? Look it up. The ambiance of the restaurant, although small, is very pleasing and peaceful, which we all need in our lives. I ordered a few rolls of sushi and a green curry dish with chicken. They asked the what spicy level I wanted, 1 - 5, 5 being the hottest. I said 4. I got the curry dish first, and the spiciness was JUST right. The flavor was different, but still good. When i got my sushi rolls, they were amazingly fresh, tasty, and great. Various positive textures in each bite. The service was good.
(4)Tony P.
Every time I come here, I've asked the sushi chef for his pick of the day and I've never been disappointed. Whether it's the succulent albacore tuna belly, or the refreshing tako soup or the wonderfully spicy clam tataki, there's always something new and interesting. I manage to try a new dish every time I visit and I leave contented and impressed by the culinary experience. I've upgraded my rating to 5 stars.
(5)John P.
I went to Cha Ya for lunch with my mother and have a mixed review. There is so much right about this place and very little "wrong" but unfortunately the wrong will probably stop me from going back. We went at around one in the afternoon on a Wednesday and while there were about ten parties seated, it's a little quiet for that plaza which has five other extremely busy restaurants and serves many office buildings. The decor is very nice and we were greeted immediately. They have a really attractive bar with tall tables in front of a wall of windows, which was mostly empty, but they first tried to seat us in a dark back corner where we wouldn't have even been able to see a window. Fortunately we were saved by the fact they had already seated a couple of other suckers back there. Even so, we were not seated in the bar but in the back room, but at least we could see the bar area. It annoys me when restaurants do this, like I'm not good looking enough to be seated where others might see me but others have had this same experience so I guess it isn't me. The owners should realize it makes the restaurant look better if it's busy so they should seat from the front to the back. The restaurant was also freezing cold, we kept our coats on for the whole meal as did the majority of other diners. The food, however, was excellent. The General Tso's sauce is the best that I have ever had and the miso soup and sushi tasted exactly like they should. The prices were reasonable. The service needs help. They brought out my mother's General Tso's tofu and forgot to bring rice and then forgot about us. I tried to meet the eyes of any employee around to remind them of my dish and the rice but I was being ignored. Eventually one of them looked at me and woke up and brought my sushi, which I then had to share with my mom because I had eaten half of her food. They were apologetic about the rice and did take two dollars off the check for us. Overall I don't think I would go back and it's a shame because they are making some really good food.
(3)David J.
Good Pad Thai. Excellent Mango & Sticky Rice.
(4)Spicy Z.
I had lunch to-go and it was ok. The environment seem pleasant and inviting.
(3)Christin K.
Honestly I think this is about 3.5 ish stars but I think they were really nice. **disclaimer** I'm a visitor, we stumbled on this place while driving around. it was empty when we came in, there was a couple having dinner, about 9 or 10 ish (either way about an hour before they closed). I normally don't like the high seats since my legs are short, but we sat at one of the high tables and settled on thai food. I had the drunken noodles with medium spicy and my brother had udon noodles veggie style. I'm glad they had a good variety of vegetarian options, not because I am, but because he is. I'm never sure how spicy restaurants will be, so I usually order medium and ask for some hot sauce (they have the chili oil sauce and sriracha). My portion was pretty big, the udon noodles were a little smaller. I could really taste all the spices and herbs, they tasted fresh and we were satisfied with our meal. I decided on some dessert (mochi ice cream) they were out of green tea so I tried the strawberry, it was a little too sweet for me (they cut 2 pieces in half and put whipped cream and strawberry sauce in the middle. Cute presentation but too sugary for me. I liked that the waitress was 1. asian 2. not pushy (she actually said, if you don't want to order dessert that's fine). I thought it was a little pricey (borderline) on the thai food. and I looked at the sushi prices which were a little high too. But overall it was very quiet, ambient in the evening, esp for a friday night, and the people were very nice, so if I lived in the area I would maybe revisit.
(4)Adrienne W.
I want to like this place, I really do. 1. It is in a convenient location for those who live in eastern Columbia (Owen Brown). 2. It a cute place Unfortunately, the quality of the food for the price just doesn't dd up. We've gone here twice. They have both Japanese and Thai menu items. Our first visit was for the sushi. I have to preface this with the fact that my husband and I have high standards for sushi. So far, in Columbia, the only place we will return to when we really want good sushi is Sushi Sono. We were hoping for a closer alternative for evenings that we didn't want to have to wait forever for a table (that place is always packed!) but the sushi here at Cha Ya was only so, so. Second visit - Thai food. I got the chicken pad thai thinking it would be a safe bet as it is a widely known dish and therefore couldn't be messed up. When I took my first bite of "chicken" I spit it out thinking it was a really horribly mushy piece, only to find it was tofu! No, they didn't mess up my order. Their version of chicken pad thai also has huge chunks of tofu in it. It's not a bad thing, it just caught me off guard. Also, they didn't use the wider, chewier noodles found in most Thai places I've been to. In fact, it seemed like they used whatever noodles they had left over. Some were thin and round, while others were flat, but still not wide. Yes, all in the same dish. I can't say that I liked it all that much... it didn't satisfy my Thai craving. :( And to top it off, I can satisfy that Thai craving for a lot less $$ elsewhere. Like I said, I really wanted to like this place. The staff is friendly, and they seem like genuine people. Perhaps it would be better for them to focus on one cuisine instead of two?
(2)Courtney C.
There are so many options, how do you choose?! I was really craving some sushi and spicy noodles so, Cha Ya was the place to be. We arrived around 7 on a Saturday night and were seated right away. This is a very small place, but it wasn't busy. Our waitress was friendly, but a complete idiot. We wanted to start with some sushi and placed our order. There was one sushi chef and apparently the table behind us had just placed a large sushi order. Instead of waiting to put our entree order in, the waitress put everything in at the same time. Needless to say, our sushi arrived a good 10 min after our entrees. Big FAIL! Normally, this wouldn't be a huge issue, but we both ordered very spicy noodle dishes so, the milder tasting sushi seemed flavorless. On the positive side, your entrees were a big hit. My husband had the chicken pad Thai spice level 3 and loved it. I ordered the drunken noodles with shrimp, spice level 3 1/2 with extra vegetables and no oil. Yes, I try to make everything a bit healthier. My nose was running and I drank about five glasses of water, but it was great. The big problem was my noodles were mush. The vegetables were fresh and cooked perfectly and so were my shrimp. Next time, I will ask for thinner rice noodles because these wide ones were just yuck. As for the sushi, take this review with a few reservations. First, I'm pregnant and my husband doesn't do raw fish so, we ordered a vegetable roll, Cali roll and avocado roll. The rice was great, but that's where it ends. My vegetable roll was not rolled tightly and the pieces were way too big to be one bite so, it was pretty much impossible to eat. It either fell apart or I looked like a chipmunk trying to chew a huge bite. The vegetables were different from the last time I ordered this and it wasn't anywhere near as good as I remembered. My husband ended up taking his to go after trying one of each. It just wasn't' worth eating something you couldn't taste to enjoy. His Cali roll had some mushy cucumber in it so, he might end up tossing it today. I'm not sure if it was just the sushi chef or the waitress who doesn't understand basic food timing, but I left without my sushi fix. I do not suggest you mess up the pregnant woman's order because she already walks a thin emotional line! Entrees-mostly great. Service and Staff-needs improvement and sushi-well, the non raw rolls pretty much failed. So, order your appetizer and wait for it to arrive before you order your entree. Lesson learned.
(3)Kne C.
Very authentic and well-prepared Thai food. Their sushi is an excellent value - while not as elegant as, say, Sushi King nearby, the ingredients are fresh and of very good quality. The Thai entrees - which are really the standout at this place - are quite good, and can be prepared in a more authentic (read: spicy) manner for those who know the difference. The wait staff is always cheerful and attentive
(4)C A.
I had a horrible experience at Cha Ya for the reasons listed below! Save your money and go somewhere else! For example: 1) The waitress was prepared to take the groupon, but later returned with the manager/owner of the restaurant, who said "we have a problem." The problem was we needed to present the coupon before we ordered, according to her. I pointed out that the fine print does not mention this, when the manager/owner snatched my phone out of my hand and read the fine print, which is as follows: "Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per table per visit. Must use promotional value in 1 visit. Valid for Dinner only, dinner starts after 4 p.m. Dine-in only. Not valid on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, or New Years Day. Not valid for happy hour menu, dinner special, or sushi bar special. Not valid with other offers or promotions." She then directed me to the groupon website and said that the rule involving presenting the groupon beforehand "is online." Our groupon was turned down, even though the large group behind us presented the groupon at the end of their meal as well, but had no problem doing so. It's clear that the groupon brought us into the restaurant in the first place-- if the manager/owner was willing to overlook our "mistake" and accept the groupon, they likely would have had a repeat customer, but instead, they have a one-time, and ONLY a one-time customer. I had to charge the full-price dinner on my credit card. 2) If they accepted our groupon, we even would have overlooked the iffy service which included: my boyfriend's meal being placed on another couple's table. Five minutes later the waitress noticed her error and attempted to give my boyfriend a meal which the other couple picked/stared at for a few minutes (as they correctly assumed it was not their ordered meal). I requested they make him another one because he is just getting over a cold. I also had to ask repeatedly for refills on water.
(1)YanYan D.
This review is strictly for the Thai Food I ordered the Ka Pow Lunch Special (Chili, garlic and Thai sweet basil leaves sautéed with choice of meat) It came with soup and rice Also ordered Pad Thai with Tofu Both pretty bland, wasn't impressed at all The sushi looks pretty good may come back to try it...
(2)Patrick C.
I had a sushi and sashimi for two and its a reasonable price at $40.95. The service was attentive but it took a long time for the food to come out...but I can tell its because the chef took quite great care in his work. My fiancee had an overpriced bowl of odon noodles. We haven't tried any of the terriyaki dishes.
(3)Tara L.
Went back to Cha Ya with a group of 10 other people. Kirin Light was cold and refreshing and the Chicken and Shrimp Wonton Soup was zesty and hearty! I had the Fireman Roll and enjoyed the flavors. Staff was attentive and kept our water glasses full! This place is convenient and never too crowded. Their giant flat screens had Frozen and basketball. Fun atmosphere but a little pricey for a casual Asian fusion restaurant without a voucher or coupon. Living Social often has vouchers for this place. Will return soon!
(4)Shayna F.
I ate lunch here with my friends a few days ago. The restaurant was empty so the service was great! Sushi was made quickly and tasted really good. The margaritas were very strong. The only thing I can complain about was the price. We paid 100 for 8 rolls. I think that is extremely expensive.
(4)Joseph J.
Ok so I saw this place on YouTube demonstrating how to cook all kinds of Chinese dishes. Many folks commented how good the food is so I tried it out. The restaurant is very clean & well appointed. That was a clue for me it might be expensive. I ordered one of my favorites...Singapore Rice Noodles. Lunch special is $12.00! I was a little shocked. I can buy this dish almost anywhere for $8.99. This does come with hot & sour soup or a small bin of lettuce & tomato called a salad worth about 50 cents. There were big pieces of shrimp & chicken throughout the dish with the standard cut up peppers & onion. I must say the curry flavor was very different than I've ever had. It has a burned/earthy flavor to it. Very edible but just off in comparison to the norm. Overall I liked the noodle dish but I expected better for the price. It may be a nice place to dine in but I vote no for carry-out. Just cost too much!
(3)Sandra N.
This place is excellent! Since we've discovered it, this has been our go to spot. My favorite is the duck salad, which is fried to perfection. And another great fav is the crispy shrimp walnut. Tried several of their sushi rolls and haven't been disappointed yet.
(5)Chad B.
The restaurant was empty when we arrived, and I immediately got a weird vibe. The place tries to be "hip" by using some abstract design around the bar and the seating area. The music was weird - it seemed like moody lounge music. Our waiter was pretty funny, and I think they were just happy for some business. The food here is somewhat pricey, but I ordered about the cheapest entree which was the Pad Thai. The portion was definitely large and the presentation was nice. You can choose your level of spiciness, from 1 to 5 (I chose 2). There was a heaping pile of noodles, and the dish was a little bit spicy for my taste, even at a level 2 of spiciness. The chicken was kind of plain. It tasted good at first, but it got harder to eat when I got toward the end. I kind of got tired of it because it was such a uniform dish. My experience here was "okay," but there are several better Chinese/Asian restaurants in the area.
(3)Emily K.
This a very good asian fusion restaurant. They serve multiple asian cuisines. Their sushi is actually very good. I love getting the dragon roll and fried banana for dessert ;) Nothing has ever disappointed me here
(4)Victoria A.
Service was great. The ambiance was comfortable, clean and hip. Great for work meetings at lunch or an intimate dinner. They asked on a scale how spicy I wanted my drunken noodles and they delivered perfectly to my request. The crab dumplings were tasty and presented beautifully. A little pricey at dinner but the portions are substantial and the flavor is unbeatable. Cannot wait to come back for the sushi. And next time I need to save room for the fried banana dessert.
(5)Jody M.
I enjoyed our late dinner here. I had the drunken noodles and I like how they ask you for the spice level you want before you order. I ordered a three and it was just right for me. My husband had a level five and he was happily sweating away.
(4)Yimei W.
My last words before we migrated here from Jason's Deli (it was packed on a Sunday?!) were, "...maybe there's a reason that place looks totally empty?" So, contrary to the bad reviews-the food itself was fine-the chicken pad thai will be your cheapest option at $12. But I would say the major drawback is pricing and...weirdness. Let me count the ways: Weirdness #1: EMPTY-I mean, Royal Taj was packed of course, but even Jason's Deli, which isn't exactly gourmet eating--was packed, which was why we came over to give this place a try on a Sunday lunch hour. I theorize if one reason how they stay in business is feeding off the customers who wanted to eat at Royal Taj and got tired of waiting in line. Weirdness #2: ILLOGICAL SEATING-we came in, a bunch of pretty good-looking, well-dressed young professionals, and instead of seating us in the nicely lit window view (remember, it was EMPTY) in the center of the restaurant, they took us to this dark corner in the back...why!?? Were we not presentable enough to be considered for window seating?! Weirdness #3: KOOKY HOST-he was trying to be funny but I think his jokes fell flat. At one point he said I'll have to come back later, I'm kind of really busy right now and I looked around, thinking, "Busy with....?" (again, it was EMPTY) That said, their pad thai was actually decent and they offered spice "levels". For the price of $12 it was a good portion. They had a "5 spice" chili oil sauce by request too, which helped with the spiciness.The chicken was not bad too. I liked the crispy pork, and the basil chicken was a decent dish too. Some friends ordered a duck noodle soup and they seemed to like it. Everything else was more in the $15-$25 range which I felt was pricey for lunch. I might come back if someone else wanted to eat here, but I'd tell anyone getting antsy lining up for Royal Taj--just hang in there ;)
(3)Tony M.
And in conclusion.... I don't see what everyone has against this restaurant. Sure, its never packed in the evenings but the food is good and its a lot cleaner than most Asian restaurants. Reviewer tips: If the only thing you can say negative about a restaurant is that the #2 spicy level is too spicy for your taste, you shouldn't give a 3 star review. What do you think that there is some ISO certified rating for spicy level 1-5? Or that #1 means completely devoid of spice? Derrrr If you have come to a moderately priced restaurant because the cheap family oriented sandwich shop next door is too full of rug rats running around farting all over the place, you probably shouldn't write a review. Obviously you are cheap and anything not cheap will not receive a fair review. If people would stop giving 3 stars because of the weirdness of it not being packed at 8pm, there would be more people dining.
(5)Jay H.
I haven't stopped coming here for sushi since I first tried it a couple years ago. They have my favorite special rolls and the service is always good.
(5)Alyssa G.
If it wasn't so expensive I would go here more than once a week. I am a huge sushi fan and their's are always amazing. The best Hot and sour soup I've ever had. I love love love this place. I've never seen bugs in here, I've always had great service. The food has always been spectacular. So from coming from someone who has been here more than 50+ times in the last few months. I'd say a lot of the comments are a little over-exaggerated.
(5)Amy P.
The atmosphere was nice and clean. The staff was friendly and very attentive. We ordered three rolls (lobster cha cha, spicy md lump crab, volcano) and chicken curry. They were all pretty good. I believe curry came with side soup. We chose hot and sour. It was one of best we've tried in the area. We'll definitely come back to try other items on the menu.
(4)Melinda W.
Wow - the best chicken lo mein I have had in a LONG time! And - the staff was so professional - and friendly. They made sure I was well taken care of but weren't intrusive. Highly recommend this restaurant. They have a sushi bar and it looked great. I am going to try that next time. I'm definitely going back!
(5)Cyndi K.
Went here on a late snowy evening...restaurant was half full. we first got seated on one of the high chair tables but they were accomodating when we asked to be moved to a regular table . 2 carafes of warm sake on a freezing cold day does the body good. our waiter was charming, super friendly and helpful and joked with us the whole time. the service was excellent and the food was great. the cerviche seemed a little pale but ok. our curry dishes were delicious! my combo penang chicken and shrimp was sooo tasty...the chicken was surprisingly not chewy but soft and scrumptious. With a 30 dollar living social voucher the addition of coffee and dessert did not break the bank! we got another coupon with the check for 10 bucks off next visit. we really like this place and will be back. boo all the bad reviews!!
(4)Amy B.
The food is so-so, but that's usually the case when an Asian restaurant doesn't focus on one type of cuisine. It was pretty empty both times that I went there for dinner. We were sat in the back and asked to move up front because it just seemed weird. You'd think they would want people to sit up front to look like people are actually eating there. One of the things I noticed was the choice of music. I felt like I was at a rave or something. It wasn't relaxing and it didn't really go with the ambiance that I think they're trying to go for- It made me feel rushed like I needed to eat my food fast! Maybe the music would work it if were crowded? The food didn't stand out to me- it wasn't bad though- if you have a craving and don't feel like driving to Ellicott City, this place may do the trick.
(3)Vida O.
More like aye ya. This place has only gone downhill. Came with a LivingSocial deal and my goodness nothing was even half edible or what I would serve as Asian food. First of all their soups are terrible. It's a Chinese owned establishment so how do you mess up wonton soup?! Then the thai tom yum coconut soup was bland and totally didn't taste like what it should have. Ordered a Chinese take out dish and the best part of it was the non chinese part with the grilled shrimp in butter garlic. The general tso's chicken was tough and blah. Our mixed fried appetizer was underwhelming. I'm just so disappointed at the place. But it is in a good location if you want to look at the bright side.
(1)Kerianne K.
Food I thought was of a good quality (thought it was a bit expensive for the Columbia, MD area) . The service folks were nice and responsive. They did however forget our wonton soup and we had to hunt them down for the bill- since they were helping said tables below. The only negative I had was really that we got placed by a huge table- and adjacent to us was also a super loud group of girls catching up, and it made it unpleasant to be dining with just a couple- nothing that was really of the restaurants fault, but it did make it a little less enjoyable. Ambiance was a little bizzare, but it was fun, something you wouldn't normally see at a sushi restaurant. I did use one of the groupons and even with the groupon it ended up being high for two people ($55 after groupon, so would have been around $75 before). And we ordered 2 soups, 2 specialty rolls, one standard roll and an appetizer. Other than that, if you want to pay a little bit of money, it was worth going to.
(3)Trint F.
Vegan friendly. Waitress speaks excellent English. Menu is common Thai. They don't serve Peanut sauce, their sauce for rice rolls is chili based and it's delicious. Fresh Sushi bar. It's a bit pricy between $8.00-$12.00 for entree. My average bill usually $25.00 including tip.
(4)Bob J.
What a great find! My wife and I had a wonderful evening enjoying good food, great service and a hip atmosphere. I enjoyed a kicked up (level 5) mango chicken dish while my wife had the salmon. Both dishes were well presented and delicious. We hit it right. Every other Thursday a jazz combo plays. How neat is that? To stretch the night of jazz we ordered two sushi rolls. Wonderful , well presented and tasty. We were stuffed. A spot of tea and we were done. Great service, wonderful food and the price is right. On our list of favorite places
(5)Jackie R.
Loved this place. My husband doesn't enjoy sushi and there were plenty of options for him. the service was fast and the food was terrific!
(5)Chuck N.
Imagine a nice, fragrant, tasty looking plate of your favorite Thai dish, sitting on your table, waiting for you to dig in. You are hungry, you want to eat it. Now, go find that dish somewhere, maybe in Wheaton, maybe in Baltimore, because you're not going to find it at Cha Ya. The food is pedestrian, from the pad thai to the curries, but you won't be able to tuck in to the food because the host/owner will be aggressively urging you to order some tacky flavored sake or to get some sushi. Or you will be distracted by the music. Or you will be distracted by menu spanning the globe. Or the roaches. We saw two in one sitting, and another limping wreck when we returned a year later. As Amy B. wrote, it's so-so food. With everything else considered, why not just let the roaches have this place?
(1)Eudora G.
I love the Crispy Duck Salad. And their desserts are awsome.
(5)Liza M.
Dirty fish tank that looks like the miso soup tastes. Prompt service and open on Sundays which is a plus since most Columbia sushi places aren't. A little on the expensive side (spicy walnut shrimp which ended up being 6 tempura shrimp doused in spicy mayo for 18 bucks).
(3)Jojo Y.
Nice atmosphere, clean, but a little eclectic. It was quiet even with some lunch patrons. I came here because I was getting my car worked on, and it was going to take much longer than expected, and this was within walking distance. I sat at the bar area, which has 3 large screen TVs if you enjoy watching a screen. I was here for lunch and ordered their lunch special of 2 sushi rolls for $9. Which came with miso soup. I think the prices on the individual rolls (and some of the other lunch items) are a little high, especially for typically cheap items like veggie rolls. Each roll comes with 6 pieces. The sushi was so-so, as someone who grew up on and loves sushi. Service was attentive. Food- 3 stars Service- 4 stars Value- 3 stars Atmosphere- 3.5
(3)Rob N.
I'm not sure I dig how they stuff their dinner seating into an isolated out-of-the-way corner while the majority of their open, vast bar remains unoccupied. Especially when it was just two of us - could we not have got a high-top and not been squirreled away in a corner behind a wall next to the kitchen door? The food - Not bad. Not awesome. My spicy fish was deep-fried, not pan-fried, and a little greasy. The menu leans heavily toward Thai and Americanized Chinese flavors. The missus had a dinner bento box, and ruled it hit-or-miss on the contents. Some bits were Thai-ish, some bits were Japanese-ish, and some bits like the corn-n-veg fried croquette were just better off left alone. All in all, there was little that we ordered that would make me sign up for a repeat visit. Food took a while to come to the table, and at least one party in the dining area walked because of the wait. Prices are moderate. However, there are better options all around for the types of food served at Cha Ya, and it would be in the diner's interest to go find them instead of committing to this middle-of-the-road jack of all trades.
(2)Vanessa A.
After leaving two other restaurants because they were so crowded and we would have had to wait, we decided to try this nearby place because there were plenty of open seats. The food was okay; my husband's Drunken Noodles were very salty but I enjoyed my curry dish. Our son enjoyed playing with his dish since it was served on a boat. He also enjoyed looking at the fish in the tank near the front. (We had originally been seated toward the back which, along with what another reviewer remarked, seemed odd.) What really got me to write the review was the behavior of the waitress toward my 3 year old son. Upon being seated in tall chairs, we warned our son to stay in his seat because it would be hard to get down and he could fall. The waitress responded directly to our son sayjng, "You can get down. I'll even give you candy if you do." Um, excuse me? I just brushed it off and decided to play nice even though her remark was antagonistic. At the end of our meal, she brought our son a Starburst candy, handing it directly to him and saying, "You can eat this." Really?!?! Who does that?! We just paid and didn't remark to each other about it until we got in the car. It's been bothering me since last week though so I figured I ought to let others know. I would not consider this place good for kids if you don't like others making parental choices on your behalf.
(2)Michele W.
The presentation of the food was beautiful. I absolutely loved the mango iced tea. They have several flavors of teas available. The dressing on the salad was tasty and tangy. The sushi was good. Though a few pieces of the roll were a bit big for bite size. We didn't try any of the entrees but from what I saw they looked appealing
(3)Monica M.
We had crab rangons for apps and they were not good. However, we had pad Thai and chicken ka pow for our main entrees and they were amazing!!! will definitely be returning! Best pad Thai and ka pow chicken we have found in the columbia area!! Definitely recommend!
(4)Brooke W.
It was ok steak was fatty and over priced everything else was average
(3)Erica F.
First time here and I can say I'm pleased. Being as thou it was about 1:50 when I arrives it was empty, there was one table being used. As I was here there were a few carry out orders being picked up and one other eat in patron. I ordered the fried calamari appetizer ($9) and the 2 Maki Roll Lunch ($9, they rang it up as two individual orders for $10 but when I mentioned it they quickly fixed it). Being as thou I'm currently pregnant the options were slim. I decided to go "safe" and ordered the California Roll and Spicy California Roll. Told you I was being "safe" :-) I will say the fried calamari was good as well. I liked how the breading was not soggy or too hard. It was cooked well and not "chewy". Would I come back? Yes. Would I reorder the same thing? Yes. Would I try something new? Based on this visit, yes. It was good. Nothing special but trust me if you live in the Columbia area you know how "simple dishes" can get messed up!! I will say the avacodo's were soft and ripe but not bright green fresh. I had a soda to drink and for $2.95 I should have drank faster to get a refill.
(4)Lauren A.
The food was promptly delivered and with a perfect presentation. I ordered the Kung Pao Shrimp. The taste wasn't too bad, a little salty though. The service was dead. My server was completely non interactive. No name was given, I had to look around for her to give an order, I had to ask someone else for chopsticks, and there wasn't even a smile. Another waiter, seeing that I was ready to leave, offered to get my check. I'm not certain if my server wasn't having a good day or what! I think next time I'll go to a restaurant with a more upbeat, welcoming atmosphere. (visited 11/25/2013)
(2)Hana K.
Went here when it was snowing. It was the only place that was open in the area. The food was okay. The rolls are pretty decent. Nothing special. Kinda pricey for some dinner boxes. Not sure if ill come back here. The interior is nice for couples.
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