Chaya Venice Overhauls 26 Year Old Dining Room

Changes are coming to Chaya Venice, as the longtime Westside eatery goes down for a nip and tuck. The restaurant first came online in 1990, so it’s not surprising that some modernization was needed.

The redo of the place will actually shift the way diners experience the restaurant as a whole. The sushi bar is being replaced with something called the Kaisen Bar, which is more of a full raw bar experience than just sushi. The dining room is also being pared down by a full 25 seats to create more intimate feel, while the rest of the square footage will play towards a private dining room.

In all, the changes should take a few weeks, with Chaya Venice hoping to reopen by the end of the month. Chef Yuichi Natori will still be on site once the doors open again.

The news of the update is meant to bring the restaurant in line with some of their other locations like the one Downtown (the Beverly Hills location shuttered not long ago). C.S. Valentin is behind the redesign of the restaurant, which is currently papered over and under construction. A rendering for the new look of the upcoming exterior is above.