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| - The staff here is friendly.
The décor is very nice.
That's what the two stars are for. Otherwise, this was one of the most miserable dining experiences I've ever had.
I was there as part of a large group (40 people) and I have to say they really shouldn't be offering service for large parties because they can't handle it.
We had a fixed menu (which is fine) but even that was kind of a challenge. Food problems: We started with a Caesar salad and soup. The salad was warm because it had been sitting there for so long and the soup was lukewarm. That was followed by a couple of tacos which actually weren't bad. I made the mistake of getting the chicken for my entrée. It looked fully cooked, but the texture and taste made it seem underdone. Nobody at my table who had the chicken finished it. I did snag some yucca fries and those were good.
Additionally, it took a lot of time between courses.
Drink problems: Even though we had 40 people at our table upstairs, there wasn't a bartender for us. Any drink orders had to be fulfilled downstairs so it was a 20 minute wait for drinks. They did keep the water filled.
The worst thing was that I was seated directly under a bright light. It was incredibly hot and shining directly on me and another person and our table companions joked that we would definitely confess to multiple crimes before the end of the meal. The staff was nice and they checked twice to see if it could be turned down at all, but no dice. Apparently, there's no way to dim a light at Chayo.
Two and a half hours later, I just wanted to get out of there and I didn't care that dessert hadn't been served. People were getting up and walking away from the table because it was so excruciating sitting there.
Spending that much of time, sweating like a pig because I'm baking under a heat lamp, waiting forever for a drink and eating warm salad and soft chicken does not equal a favorable dining experience for me.
Like I said, the service was friendly but for a large group, this place is an epic fail.
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