Chaya Venice Puts on a Modern Look

Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

After 26 years, the team behind Chaya in Venice have decided to overhaul the place to fit with a more modern aesthetic. Along the way they may have created the Westside's most impressive new dining room for upscale casual Japanese fare, without even really trying.

After a quick two-week nip and tuck, Chaya Venice has returned to spruce up the Westside dining scene. The long-running location at the corner of Main and Navy has been feeding locals for 26 years, but now offers an even more elevated dining experience, with a strong menu overhaul to match.

As previously noted, the reformatted dining room means the total number of available seats has dropped slightly to 100, though the arrival of a classy new private dining space boosts the overall possibilities tremendously. There’s also more seating at both the regular lounge bar and the Kaisen bar, where guests can feast on raw bar delicacies with full view of the kitchen beyond.

That’s not to say the place has completely changed its flavor. You’ll still find many of the Chaya favorites on the expansive menu, like the signature spicy tuna tartare served on crispy rice with avocado. Rolls and sashimi play an elevated role here with the new Kaisen bar, while uni risotto, ahi tuna katsu, and more than a few options from land (like a massive 32 ounce tomahawk ribeye) round things out. The full menu is below.

Chef Yuichi Natori remains on site as chef of the C.S. Valentin-designed space, which officially reopened this week in Venice. Weekday lunch hours run 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with dinner hours starting most nights at 6 p.m. and running to 10:30 p.m. or later. On Sunday that shifts from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Chaya Venice
110 Navy St.
Los Angeles, CA