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Chaya
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
9 reviews for Chaya
9 reviews in English
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Review from Kay M.
5/22/2012
This place is totally worth the walk down the mountain and up again from the Banff Centre to grab a quick lunch. This quaint Japanese diner offers a good variety of ramen noodles, rice bowls and ready made snack size salads, sushi and rice balls.
Came here with a co-worker for lunch and he swears by the pork ramen which came piping hot in a huge bowl with plenty of meat and veggies. I opted for a lighter combo of a salmon rice ball and seaweed salad. In spite of being premade they tasted incredibly fresh.
Overall fairly cheap eats for lunch or they also offer delivery between 4-8pm, Delicious, healthy and convenient. What more could you want in Banff? -
Review from Matthew L.
Edmonton, AB
4/28/2012
Banff has a fair number of Japanese restaurants, likely due to the number of Japanese tourists who come here.
Chaya is a decently priced noodle joint - they have soups with ramen, soba, and udon noodles, plus a number of donburi (rice) options. Most dishes cater to meat eaters, but there are a few options for vegetarians.
I opted for the Curry Udon. The noodles were abundant springy and fresh, the broth was full of Japanese Curry flavour (fine, there was probably lots of salt), and I enjoyed the flavour of the thin slices of beef included. I just wish there were also more vegetables included in that individual dish to make for a well rounded meal. However, you could always opt for a not-terribly-appetizing-looking pre-made salad in that Chaya stores in its refrigerator.
The restaurant itself is narrow and only has about 10 tables. If you suffer from claustrophobia, I recommend taking your food out. -
Review from Merry K.
Chaya is right on the main drag in Banff but it is really easy to miss because it is TINY. There is a great selection of ramen, udon and soba dishes. I decided to try the Tan-tan ramen which is a spicy peanut soup with ground pork, ramen noodles, broccoli and scallions. It was delicious and spicy....perfect for a cold day. The only think I would have changed was more vegetables since there were only 2 pieces of broccoli. Overall a great find & somewhere that I will visit again. The free parking lot behind the restaurant is a definite plus too.
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Review from Dai S.
7/19/2011
I am from Japan, and I have lived all over the U.S., including Chicago, San Francisco, and the east coast.
The katsu-don at Chaya in Banff is the best I've had outside Japan! I went there three times in the two days I was in town. -
Review from Jane M.
5/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I suffer from a distinct fear of Asian food. Considering I'm the white half of a half Asian couple, this is often a big problem. Chaya was no exception.
Years ago, my boyfriend sent me a picture of a meal he was having at Chaya. "GROSS!" I replied. "That looks awful. Please, no more pictures! It's making me sad inside!"
Fast forward two years, we were in Banff together and he talks me into going. I was wary but he promised there would be something there for me and he wouldn't make me eat the horrorshow that was in his pictures.
I don't know what I ordered, but it was basically the most pedestrian thing on the menu. A mild but flavourful soya soup type of affair with noodles and some breed of meat and some green onions. It was amazing. So amazing that when we went back to Banff for a weekend visit, we went three times at my insistence. The only bad point is waiting for it to arrive after you've ordered.
They don't take credit cards, CASH ONLY, so be prepared for that. I've never had anything from here but the noodles so I can't comment on anything else (though my boyfriend swears by the spicy peanut ramen!).
Chaya is fabulous. I've been to much more prestigious ramen places since, because if a cheap and cheerful place like Chaya can get it so right, a high-end place must be so much better, right? Not the case. And that's not my unrefined palate talking. My boyfriend maintains that Chaya is the best ramen he's ever had.
You have to go if you're in Banff. -
Review from Joss G.
Updated - 8/26/2011
Just went there again, 2nd time in 3 days... Like I said in my first review, I don't usually crave ramen, but I was craving Chaya's #3 Tan-Tan Ramen (sesame & peanut paste in spicy soy sauce based soup) today and wanted to eat there one more time before leaving Banff/Canada. Again, as long as they are still at their location on Banff Ave. (or possibly in a bigger restaurant), then I will for sure be going back to my new go-to place for ramen or udon!
Oh, and we also tried their KAKIAGE DON rice bowl (small shrimp & vegetable tempura w/ green onion, which I think was fried together in omelette form), and that was YUMMY!!!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/25/2011
I don't crave ramen or udon soup very often, but if I did, this would be my go-to place!… Read more »
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Review from Angelo T.
2/2/2011 1 photo
A hot bowl of Ramen is the perfect remedy to any level of hangover. In this visit, my hangover was caused by a post-bachelor-life-endangering-memory-expunging party that got out of hand the moment when 6 bottles of tequila, whiskey, sambuca, and homemade limoncello were polished within half an hour.
It's easy to miss Chaya on Banff Ave, just look for the sign beside McDonalds. When I walked in, the place was tiny but was charming. They have a very simple menu consisting of not only Ramen bowls, but also rice and curry dishes. I ordered Pork Ramen , veggie curry, and dumplings. The dumplings were satisfying. But the veggie curry and pork Ramen just elevated me to an ethereal plane of non-intoxicated bliss. Not too salty, but tasty enough to compliment the weight it brought to my ailing stomach. The Japanese do not kid around when it comes to packing umame even in their most rustic dishes .A meal fit for a 500 pound king, or a hungover guy tasked with driving home 4 other ill miscreants back to Calgary.
The price was reasonable compared to other Ramen joints I've been to. But in fact the meal was cheap considering its expensive to eat in Banff. I definitely will be making a visit to Chaya a Banff trip ritual. -
Review from Andy W.
6/10/2010
This place is Quaint and the food is great. If you are around here, you have to try their Pork Curry Katusu.
Be warned, this place only takes CASH!!! -
Review from Nancy H.
9/6/2011
For once, we found a cheap place to dine for dinner in Banff! This place is tiny though, so it's hard to fit a big party. Luckily it was just my husband and me. The Katsu Don and the Beef Don were really good, and each cost around $9. They weigh their noodles and their meat, so as not to give you too much, but they pack in the rice. After a full day of hiking around Lake Louise, this hit the spot!
