Kaya — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

So we actually eneded up coming here because we saw an article from a local news outlet saying that they had the best happy hour in town, however, because of Covid, its hard for most restaurants to do any happy hour right now so they didn't have any. I didn't see anything online that said that they had it but multiple articles said they did so being from out of town we were hoping for the best. As of right now they don't have happy hour. They're not sure when it's coming back so don't expect it when you get there. We ended up still getting a drink and Max took care of us and we ended up getting some chips and salsa and some fresh fish tacos along with our drinks. Kaya is a Carribbian inspired restaurant with tasty tropical flavors and drinks. It's located in the upper downtown area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in an up and coming area with local boutique shops and small businesses. The atmosphere is fitting for the Carribbian vibe as well as the food and the service for us was above and beyond and I can't say enough about Max. We definitely would come back here if we're in the area.

My wife and I had the Pineapple Mango Tomatillo Salsa with fried Corn Chips and the catch of the day tacos which was Red Drum Fish on flour tortillas with avocado, slaw, cilantro and spicy creme fraiche. We were also recommend hot sauce with our tacos and I like spice with my food so I had asked what they had and along with the usual Tabasco and Chalula, he also said they had Busha Browne's scotch bonnet hot sauce imported from Jamaica and it was delicious!! I'm going to be buying this for personal use because it was so good. It paired very well with the tacos and I was impressed with the balance of flavor and spice that it provided. The fish that we got in our tacos was a white fish and was grilled as was very tasty and went well with everything else. The chips and salsa was nice because it was mostly fruit with onion and peppers and seasoning and was very refreshing. The only small gripe I have is that one of the three tortillas for the tacos was just a bit more toasty than the others as if it was on the grill for longer than it should have been but it still tasted fine. Tortillas are cheap though and the other ones were perfect so the head chef should have just had them remake it instead of sending it out but Max's service made up for that.

The drinks we had were a prefect balance of alcohol and flavor. We had the strawberry guava frozen margaritas, a regular margarita and a mojito (can't remember the name). If you're looking for a place to drink and not be disappointed with getting a nice buzz, this is the place. Our check at the end of the night was about $40.

Lastly, Max was the best server we've had in a long time. I know that I mention how people don't ask if we haven't been there or not but because of the circumstances of us just being there for drinks and not really eating but we ended up eating there and having more drinks and the whole experience couldn't have been better if it wasn't for him. We were gonna just have a drink and leave but his enthusiasm, conversation and positivity really made it for us as well as a few more things he did for us ;)

Overall, this seems like a great place and I wish them the best of luck in the success of their business and hope that they keep up the good work with the food and their service and keep Max and others like him around as they are the ones who are being the customers back. Thanks again!

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I would give 4 stars but for the service. I agree with the most recent review by Eli S stating the service was slow. It was that and more. To start, when I made reservations I requested outdoor seating to which they said they will put a note in. When checking in, they were going to seat us inside while there were about 5 tables available outside. I had to again request outside.

Food: For the most part the food was good. We ordered conch fritters, paella, fish tacos. All had good flavor. I liked the spicy sauce that came with the fritters. Also ordered kids meals and the portion size was generous. The chicken IMO could have used a tad more salt.

Service: Not great. The server came quick to drop off water for the table but there was ZERO introduction. Normally a server would say "Hi I'm so and so and I'll be taking care of you, can I start you off with something to drink?" The server just dropped off water and said "I'll be back." It took a long time for her to come back to take our orders. We ordered all food - apps and entrees - at once. The apps came out first but 5 mins after the entrees came. It was like they fired all food at once. When the apps came the server came to "check" on us but didn't ask if everything was okay but basically said okay you got your app and left. She did come during our entree ONCE and asked if all was fine. We asked for the dessert menu before finishing our meal because we had no idea when she would be back. She came quick to ask what dessert we wanted. She also was quick to bring the check and drop it back for signing. Basically she was more attentive toward the end. Makes me think she was trying to get us out.

Ambience: We sat al fresca. It was nice as you get to people watch.

It also was a birthday celebration. I would not have chosen this restaurant to celebrate if I could predict the service. Overall, not certain if I would go back. Depends on which outweighs, food or service....

Some of our food was incredible, some of it was lacking but everything was decent at least. Our server was an absolute delight and was incredibly friendly, though it seemed she had been given more than should be expected out of one person. She was double sat with us and a 6 top, had another table, a considerable amount of side work, and was taking To Go orders on top of that. I totally understand that many restaurants are terribly understaffed but I felt bad for her and the amount she was having to deal with.

We had two cocktails, the Hot and Smoky and the Air Mail. Both were delightful and paired well with our meal. Then we had the Conch Fritters and the Ceviche. The conch fritters were perfect and the aioli underneath was extraordinary. The ceviche was good but we both agreed that it was missing any detectable acid that I typically expect from the lime in ceviche. Next came entrees, the Tropical Paella and the Pukka Glazed Mahi Mahi. Very similarly to our appetizers, one was a 12/10 incredible dish and the other just seemed to be missing something. The paella was incredible. The seafood (shrimp, scallops, mussels, snapper) seemed very fresh and the addition of pineapple was quite nice. They even managed to develop a nice socarrat at the bottom. I'd order this every time I came back, despite the fact I always try to order something different whenever I go out. The mahi mahi felt a little flat. The grilled pineapple was nice, as was the pipián on top, but the flavor of the dish as a whole wasn't our favorite. It would perhaps be better suited to someone coming in looking for something within their own comfort zone.

All in all, it was a really nice meal and the prices were reasonable (the paella especially). We'll certainly be back and will be looking to give Kaya...