Latest Reviews
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Yummy food. Rich flavour.Ordered the miso ramen, and the wonton soup. The ramen was very rich in flavour, yet not salty (don't even feel thirsty after…
M.Choi
Chaya
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Tiny little spot serving hot ramen and udon. Some rice dishes as well and tapas but skip to the mains. Location is small and often a line up. They did…
Donger88
Chaya
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Located on the main drag beside McDonald's in a tiny 12(ish) seat restaurant Chaya is great for a quick bite with friendly staff. The ramen is simple …
Britt Rae
Chaya
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Chaya is open for Noodle Shop. Chaya serves Asian and Japanese dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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9 Reviews on “Chaya”
Located on the main drag beside McDonald’s in a tiny 12(ish) seat restaurant Chaya is great for a quick bite with friendly staff. The ramen is simple and solid and everything that the other patrons were eating always looks tasty too! This place is usually very busy, but worth it, especially on a colder day.
After being told to come back again twice as we missed the last timing for the waitlist (yes there is a waitlist and you have to wait about an hour to get seated), and finally being seated on the third time, I really expected Chaya to deliver. Im going to leave a very honest review purely on the food. Here goes. We had two bowls of ramen – the BBQ Pork (in Shoyu broth) and the Miso. This is pretty much 2/3 of the ramen flavors you can expect. If you like thick broths (I personally like tonkotsu pork broths), chewy and thick noodles, and fattier styles of cha-shu (i.e. BBQ pork slices) this is not the style of ramen youd enjoy. First up – the most important element of ramen, the broth. The Shoyu broth tasted like overly diluted soy sauce added to vegetable stock. The Miso broth tasted very similar to the Shoyu one, just that they probably decided to add just a hint of red miso and a truckload of pepper to call it a Miso broth. Next up, the noodles. They were springy but thin. They did not absorb the broth well. They were also very salty. In fact, I think they tasted very much like the frozen kind you can get in the supermarket. Lastly, the meats. The BBQ Pork ramen (in Shoyu broth) came with 4 slices of BBQ pork. The Miso ramen had minced pork bits, and I paid an additional $3.50 to add 4 slices of BBQ pork slices. The minced meats were flavored well but there was just so little of it. Some people may actually enjoy the BBQ pork slices, but I didnt as they were too lean and tough to my liking. I like my BBQ pork slices (i.e cha-shu) fatty and soft. We paid $33 for two bowls of noodles that frankly, made us quite sad. I wouldnt say this was the worst ramen Ive had, but I wouldnt say it even made average.
I know that food is expensive in Banff but I think that for what you get at Chaya, the value is not very good. If you order a rice dish, most of the dish consists of rice. I ordered the curry and it tasted likeglico curry.
It’s a busy little restaurant! May need to wait for a while to get in without reservation. They accept reservation though. I have been here many times. I love their wonton, choose BBQ Pork Ramen and add a few wonton into it is a good choice, or if you like spicy food, Tan-Tan Ramen is a good choice, too. Today I tried their beef don. A bit too sweet but not a bad choice for people who love rice.
This place is usually pretty busy, and for good reason. The food is authentic, filling, and delicious. Staff are extremely busy but still friendly. Most of the time you’ll have to put your name down, they’ll give you a wait time & you can go back after. It’s along the main street in Banff so you can kill time by just doing some window shopping nearby. I’m a huge fan of their miso ramen, and I would recommend the salmon onigiri as well. Like the other reviewers have mentioned, it’s a bit snug, close quarters, but in my opinion, clean and cozy. Might not be the best idea to go for huge groups as the seating might be a bit difficult to maneuver. If I’m in Banff when they’re open, I always make sure to stop by for food. Nothing better than Chaya’s to fill you up before/after a day of hiking or skiing.
Very good food for the price. My favorite is the avocado roll which is especially inexpensive and yummy. I would personally recommend this restaurant if you’re on a budget and want decent food.
had an afternoon tea here after the visit of moraine lake. it’s closed during 3-4pm so we wait for several minutes till its reopen at 4. menu is in English but it keeps the Japanese names with detailed description. the kakiage udon is noodle with a fried cake that consists of onions, prawn and other vegetables. it’s Japanese food, simply something different in Banff! a nice meal in between western food. but be prepared to wait cuz the place is a small one with few tables