Chakra

Oct. 04, 2010 \r \r great for social events \r \r So Happy, could not wait to write my thoughts on chakra.. i had a small social gathering with buffet style serving for my guest. First id like to thank the owners for allowing my friends and family to enjoy themselves like no other social gathering due to such great food and service threw and threw out the party.. drinks well taken care of not one of my guest had a single complaint which made my night and event so special. \r \r \r \r more

I hosted a party at the Irvine location and it was a hassle from beginning to end. The one positive thing I will say before I get into the sorted details of my event was that the food was good. That is the only thing that went right. Nirmal Anand is the looser, typical ""Desi"" who is the manager of the Irvine restaurant. I knew going into to Chakra it would be more expensive than other Indian standby restaurants, but I was not expecting to be quoted hotel wedding prices for items like alcohol. We visited a few times before signing the contract and he always had a different price for alcohol. Then when he finally agreed to give us his happy hour prices, he lied and over quoted us. I called his restaurant anonymously and got lower prices quoted. When I approached him with that info, he finally acquiesced to lower prices. You would think that would send up a red flag to me, but I was determined to use that restaurant because the food is superior to most other Indian restaurants and the decor was nice. We went for the regular Saturday buffet of $15 and paid full price per head with no break for bringing in 100 people for the event. So he did us no favors. The event went OK for the most part until we came to the end. When we initially signed the contract Nirmal stated it was OK if the event went over by 30 mins. It is a Desi party, that is expected. Well, 10 min before our time was up he started harassing my guests to leave. He didn't even bother to approach me so I could let my guests know time was coming up. I was thoroughly embarrassed and that is only thing my guests remember from my party. When we tried to pay the bill he was no where to be found and when he finally showed up, he didn't have the bill ready. When he finally did produce a bill, he charged us $250 per 15 min we ran late (which is not written anywhere in the contract). We stayed 2 hours after our event bickering over the bill. He ran the amount without my authorization twice on my credit card and maxed it out. After a lot of yelling and screaming, he finally gave us the correct bill and admitted he shouldn't have over charged us to begin with. I had to wait 3 days for the overcharges to clear on my credit card before I could go back and pay the bill. When I did go back, I gave him one last chance to modify the bill for his stupid behavior. He had the audacity to tell me that he did me a favor for charging the regular amount for the buffet, that is was actually a $40 menu. His Sunday buffet is max $23!!!! Where the F*** did he get $40 from???? Typical stupid Desi. I even called the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Ravi, he didn't care. So there you have it...if you believe it is worth the hassle to have the party there and deal with the village idiot, have fun! Pros: good food Cons: several more

I had a great time getting drunk off the yellow chakra drink!!! It was pure heaven. \r \r food was not authentic home-cookin indian, but more upscale american-indianish\r \r still satisfied since they had basic indian dishes. \r \r vegetarian friendly! Pros: great drinks, trendy lounge atmosphere Cons: not homecookin more

My wife and I ate at Chakra the other night, and at the beginning of our dining experience everything was pleasant. The server was very nice and friendly and the food was good (not great). What ruined it for me was that I noticed the manager storming around the restaurant and being very rude and demanding to the staff. He had a sour look on his face the whole time and he was very short tempered, especially to the bus boys-walking around fast and pointing while barking out orders to servers. At one point he was yelling at the cooks to make him something-which ruined the ""tranquil ambiance"" the restaurant tries to come off with. The food, service and music were good, but the negativity from the manager was bothersome and sadly we won?t be returning. Slightly overpriced. Pros: beautiful interior Cons: grumpy manager, food overpriced more

My husband and I LOVE this place and it always makes for a great night out (or in - if we order it to-go)! The atmosphere is alluring and the food is fabulous. We love the ""chips"" and assorted chutneys they bring out to start. My favorite is the goan shrimp curry. The service is always very attentive! It may be a bit more pricey than other local options, but definitely worth every penny! Pros: Food & Ambience Cons: Nothing! more

We came to Chakra on Monday, February 4th. My friends from Europe are kind of picky so I tried to choose the place they would really like. Never been at Chakra before, but friend of mine told me about it. On that night there was a private party going on, I think, but they welcomed us very friendly and seated us in a lovely patio. We didn't have any clue about the Indian food, but gentlemen explained and answered all of our questions. We were kind of impressed when we get our food, it was just AMAZING. Samosa and calamari was sooo delicious. We all ordered different food so we could tried little bit of everything, lamb, chicken, mashed eggplant and okra which was so good. After good meal we enjoyed the nice smooth band that was playing there, together with our chakratinis. I really recommend this place to everybody who wants to have nice dinner with friends or family, it is really lovely, with friendly smiley people and yummy food. I m happy I chose this place and spent nice evening with my friends. and $$? it was really worthy! Pros: :) Cons: :) more

We had a birthday for my Dad's 60th birthday, and were extremely disappointed with the service. With the appetizers, there was nothing to serve the food. Ordering the food, no plates were provided, cutlery was not provided on time, and food was delivered in a piece meal fashion (which resulted in cold food while waiting for rice and naan). \r \r We specifically ordered food without garlic, and every dish included garlic (the main guest could not eat because of her allergy to garlic). \r \r The manager stated that each guest would receive their own dessert plate, but 28 guests had to share from very few plates. Pros: Ambience Cons: Service; Unprofessional (Dishonest) more

This place serves great food. I went for lunch, craving Chicken Masala. I ordered it, and spent an extra $3 on the ""extras"" of the meal, like the yogurt cucumber sauce, vegetables, and naan. The meal ended up being almost $20 at lunch, and the portion of Chicken was very small. Excellent, but small. Pros: Great food Cons: Price and skimpy portions. more

I really liked this place. I was excited that we finally got Indian food on the UCI side of Irvine (and something unique, for that matter) and it was pretty darn good. The staff were really nice when we walked in (and throughout the course of the meal), which always adds a bonus point in my book. The wine and food were very yummy. The portions were small, however, so don't go when you're starving or you'll spend a bundle. Ambience was great as well. Pros: Good food, good service, easily accessible. Cons: Small portions, waitress not familiar with menu. more

Oh my gosh...By far this has been the worst indian food I have ever ate...The ambience was beautiful...But the food and service was horrific...All you pay for is the ambience...The food is overpriced and not tasty at all...They give you the smallest portions you can imagine and charge you an arm and a leg. I took my co-workers here ranting and raving about how Indian food is the best..But after our experience here I was so embarrassed...I couldn't believe it...WOULD NEVER GO BACK AGAIN even if it was comped. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE to anyone!!! more

We had a lovely time at this quiet, ornate restaurant. The staff was very courteous and drinks were exceptionally great. ""Midnight in Goa"" is highly recommended. You can hang out in the lounge or the patio area by the fire, or enjoy a delicious meal with just the right amount of spices. Call ahead for reservations. Pros: Decor, Good Parking, Food Cons: Price more