Chiya Chai Logan Square — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

I gave this place 5 stars previously via grubhub. I had to deduct based upon the principle of consistency and “common sense” service.

The delivery was still quick. It was still perfectly packed. The food was still high quality — however, I enjoyed it so much the first time I took a friend to the physical location. Two things I noticed:

•the service was "meh."

•dinner portion sizes were lackluster for the price.

Which brings me to this order. While the dinner portion sizes were disappointing for me at the store, my friend ordered the regular size. She'd already ate so she got a chai and the chicken curry with rice to go. When we arrived at my place, I knew something was off to me about her to go containers. If you're like me, you love keeping a good deli container. What was off, is she had more than I had when I'd ordered the exact same online.

More green beans... more chicken curry.... more rice. She had more.

Previously when I ordered, I bought the Masala Curry Fries with sauce. I had them put my sauce on the side. It came in an 8oz container. This was the perfect amount for the fries they offer.

I'm a creature of semi-habit. I ordered the same thing with kale this time. I also ordered for another friend.

I got less of everything and the thing that irked me most was just like before I got the Masala Curry Fries with Masala Sauce. I had them put the sauce on the side. Today I received a 2oz container of sauce though it wasn't full. Metaphorically, I bought a basket of fries and was given “a” ketchup packet worth of sauce to share with my friend. Correction, I got a $1.50 ketchup packet of sauce. This would not be an issue if this was a "condiment" condiment. However, this sauce is part of the dish's make up. I didn’t want fries with enough sauce to dip five fries. I wouldn't order Chili Cheese fries and ask for the Chili Cheese on the side and receive a "ketchup packet's worth" on the side but they definitely bait and switched me. Trust me I wouldn't pay $5 for a basket of fries and "a" condiment.

And I knew it was bs immediately because even google review photos don't match what I received.

My conclusion is this is a establishment that charges the same prices online as they do in the store. However, with online purchases— they will give you less. Regarding quantity, I for sure received less than what I received in store, same price though!

So again, great food but business practices could definitely be less greedy but hey, #thisisamerica and well you know...

The photos included are mine, except the in store example. That’s a saved pic taken from the images here to show what you’d receive at the physical location vs what you’ll get when ordering online. That comparison sums up why I’ve given them 3 stars. Great food, bad practices, inconsistent, and sub-par service.

I’m a pretty new transplant. When I find a replacement Indian establishment, I’ll take my business elsewhere. I don’t like being cheated. Sometimes you have to go...

A great place for Indian food!! Chai tea too. Wow soooo good. Here’s what we had, in order starting with the most popular items at our table. You’ll see the vegetarian items were the most popular. And the spice level for the food was mild/medium so everyone at the table enjoyed the food.

5 stars - Drinks - Ginger cardamom chai (hot). Spicy masala chai (hot). Horchaitea (iced). All soooo good. They had a spiced flavor, a tad sweeter than we are used to, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Comfort in a cup for sure!! They have non-dairy milk options too!

5 stars - Aloo Chaat - pan fried potatoes with lime juice, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, spices, yogurt, garbanzo beans and crunchy bhel. The best flavor in this. How everything combined into a flavor packed bite, yet refined.

5 stars - Pani Puri - crisp flour puffs (puri) filled with spiced potatoes and a sauce made with tamarind, cumin, rock salt, mint, cilantro, cayenne and chaat masala. Many at that table never had this cold dish before and they all loved it. Another flavor packed bite with a refreshing taste.

5 stars - Savory pies - Curried kale and potato was the best. The spicy minced pork was also good. The best part of their pies is the buttery flaky crust. The curried kale and potato filling (curried kale, potatoes, carrots and peas) was nice and creamy. Included two different chutneys.

4 stars - we had two other dishes. Darjeeling pork momos. Creamy masala chicken curry bowl. The meat eaters at the table said they liked these, although not as good as the food options above.

2 stars - Hot curry wings (curry, spices, hot pepper sauce, lime, honey). Unfortunately these were too salty to consume. They were very nice to make us a new batch and the saltiness was still only dialed down a bit. But their customer service in response to our comment was a 5 star response...

5 stars - Raul was one of the most friendly employees we ever met. He was so patient and answered our questions. Our party of seven had a lot of differing opinion’s, yet he kept a friendly tone and followed every step as we ordered our food. Raul’s food recommendations were spot on. Ordering the right dishes suited for a party of seven is hard, but Raul made it an easy experience because of his knowledge about the food and drinks. As a plus, when we mentioned the wings were salty and that we’re thinking rice could help, he offered to make it right by asking the chefs to make a new batch. He treated our group with kindness and made our experience a great one. Thank you Raul for your...

I’ve been going semi regularly for a long time. The food is absolutely delicious and the employees are polite/efficient. Will be returning.

I do have one issue that I’m hoping is helpful to mention and that is with the alternative milks provided with their drinks. I visited this afternoon with a friend and we ordered Horchaitea and a vanilla nutmeg iced chai. The vanilla nutmeg chai comes default with whole milk so I assumed that the Horchaitea also did, seeing that the menu doesn’t mention anything to the contrary.

However, I had a very serious and intense allergic reaction when I returned home and the only thing I’d consumed prior to the reaction were these items. I called the store to ask and the employee answering (politely) informed me that the Horchaitea comes standard with almond milk. I understand that a lot of people appreciate alternative milks these days for dietary/vegan reasons, but almonds/tree nuts are a very common allergen and I might suggest a little note on the menu or a quick confirmation from the cashier on what kind of milk would be okay, just to stay on the safe side.

At the end of the day it is not the restaurant’s responsibility to worry about this and the food could not be any better…it’s amazing. It’s just that one concern about correctly labeling common allergens. Obviously the onus is on me to ask first, which I will be doing in the future, but it’s always helpful to label allergens :)

Would highly recommend this restaurant, if you are looking for food that’s thoroughly delicious in a very comfortable atmosphere. I’ve never had a complaint with the taste or quality of the food, or with the quality of the service. I do not consider this to be a point against...