Chakana — Restaurant in Birmingham

Had a bit of a nightmare meal during an incredibly busy NYE service.

We had a 9.15 booking but it seemed like they were running behind. The front of house staff (all very kind and polite) told us that there would be a bit of a wait for our table so asked us to sit by the bar, which was fine, we assumed this would be 5/10 minutes.

We didn't end up getting seated until around 10.30. We initially tried not to kick up a fuss as we had pushed back our initial reservation from 8.00 to 9.15.

However in that hour and 15 minutes we received no update from staff, nor an apology regarding the wait. We had to chase a member of staff down to ask why the wait was so long, we were told that people had finished their meals and they were waiting on them to leave.

Now I appreciate no restaurant wants to ask customers to leave, but during a busy NYE service, where other customers are now waiting upto 90 minutes for their tables I felt it would have been appropriate. It was incredibly frustrating watching people laughing and chatting over wine for 30+ minutes once they had received their bills, whilst we were starving and growing increasingly impatient.

No drinks, or nibbles were offered to us in this time. I would have expected a free drink as an absolute minimum for a 75 minute wait.

It got to about 10.30 and eventually we tried to call over another member of staff as we were ready to leave but then got told, "oh your table has been ready for ages!".

We were a bit taken aback by this, and by that point were happy to order a domino's pizza and just go home as it was clear we had either been dumped at the bar and forgotten about, or the waiter was just trying to save face.

But we were directed to an empty table at the back of the restaurant. We received no apology for the wait, no offer of a drink. Absolutely nothing.

It was clear wait staff were rushed off their feet and to their credit they were all very polite, but for the price paid (final bill came to £250 for 2 people) it really put a sour taste in our mouths.

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. It was nearly 11 by the time our first course came out, and the restaurant was beginning to empty which really killed the atmosphere. We were rushed through all the courses, and no had time to sit between them and let the food settle. Which resulted in us feeling very full and not being able to finish.

We were still eating by the time the clock struck 12, in a now nearly empty restaurant. Completely derailing the night we had planned. A great start to 2025!

In the end when the final bill came, they did take 2 drinks off, but quite frankly it was a bit of an insult. They also tried to charge us for 2 drinks we hadn't ordered. They didn't remove the service charge, but we paid that, as the wait staff are all teenagers and this wasn't their fault. However the manager that night should have been more switched on.

To claim to be a fine dining establishment but letting (repeat might I add, we have visited a few times prior) customers have such a negative experience and not offer any apology, significant bill reduction or even an acknowledgement of the ridiculous wait time is a shame.

I know the service is usually top notch here, and the food to their credit has always been amazing. But we won't...

Before I start this review it is important to note the food was amazing, but here's why it didn't get 5 stars.

Two 23 year olds in the area for business and in need of some nice food!! I called up on the day around 5pm and was quickly told the restaurant was fully booked when tables were available on the website. (Already not a great first impression) Having changed his tone very quickly on the phone the gentleman said, "my apologises can I book you in?".

After agreeing to a table at 21:15 on a Saturday night we arrived 20 minutes before our table was ready, directed to the bar, they did not offer to take our jackets until I had to ask the waiter during our bread being served.

At the bar we both started with a Melon Cocktail which was priced at £8 average pricing for a up-class environment, the lady serving us was polite and pleasant.

We were seated to our table around 21:10 offering a range of water and bread to start with. The bread was unique and different, being baked in purple cornflour with a dip of tiger milk which is a liquid mayo with lime juice basically.

The menu was explained to us because for any normal restaurant person, I believe they wouldn't understand the layout. Our waiter was called Steve who was very welcoming and explained the menu perfectly to us.

As you can see from the photos we started with Crab and Slalom both being £10 each, both slightly spicy and both dishes raw (just so your aware).

The main course was excellent nothing much to fault here as you could see the layout and presentation was amazing so congrats to the chef on that part. Everything was hot and so tasty. The lamb was priced at £20 with the the beef being the most expensive dish on the menu at £25.

One of the main downsides I found was the slowness in our empty plates being taken away. It was roughly 10-15 minutes each time before our plates were finally cleared. We clearly showed we were done and pushed them to the side of the table. A number of waiters walked past going to the kitchen seeing we were done but not taking our plates. This was around 21:40 so the restaurant was not busy and most customers on their desert course.

The payment was fast and easy taking AMEX, being given back our jackets and the doors opened for us upon leaving.

Overall, the lamb was excellent being one of the best I have ever had, the beef was well cooked with no pink. The service was strange as we waited up to 15 minutes sometimes before our empty plates were finally taken away. But everything that was served to us felt slightly spicy too. I would return again in the future to hopefully find the serve is up to the standards of that the food is.

Food: 9/10 Service: 7/10 Drinks: 8/10 Lighting:...

Maybe a nightmare shift at Chakana? Staff were nice but lack of training or understaffed did not help with number of instances that isolated are not major e.g. waiting front of restaurant for minutes with no acknowledgement, unable to give proper recommendation off wine menu, and empty alcohol glasses kept on table for a while. For a fine dining restaurant the interior finishing was not great.

The real problems with the experience: ordered snack, starter and main for table of 4. It took starters 1.5 hours to arrive from time of booking. We were waiting excessively for mains also - literally ordered a second bottle of wine to pass time. Once starters were received, notified one of the mains "has run out" so had to order something else, unsure why we weren't told much sooner. During the long wait we were never updated by staff, just simply thanked for waiting once food was eventually served. The artichoke cerviche was nice but the quality of the food otherwise was questionable; none of the produce used for vegetables tasted fresh or of a good quality e.g. a tomato used in one of the dishes was not even ripe, looked and tasted like local supermarket quality. Outside of the cerviche none of the dishes were well received or even considered nice. The main dish potato stew was too salty to eat - at least half was left untouched but the staff did not question it or ask how everything was during the meal. On receiving the bill we requested the service charge to be removed, and were told it has already been done prior, due to the long wait. As a group felt we deserved an actual discount also, spending £60 (ex service charge) a head, for a bad experience seems ridiculous. My best guess is staff including management and kitchen have been shifted to London and the current Birmingham restaurant is relying solely on its historic ratings - a shame as we were really looking...