June 11th, 2007 By Jenna Walker
Downtown Review: Jaya’s
As the only Korean restaurant in town, it is hard to compare it to anything else, but I must attest that Jaya’s food, cooked by Jaya herself, is just delicious. Moved and newly remodeled, Jaya’s is now in the old location of F’s. It now has a full bar and sushi bar. It is one room, but with high ceilings, simple but appropriate decorations.
Jaya’s recently absorbed the Japanese restaurant Wasabi—and while it still maintains the Korean identity, there are several new items on the menu; there are not any fusions. You can now find items such as sushi, tempura, edamame, or udon. The sushi at the new restaurant is just a great as it was at the original place, and I have no doubt the Japanese food holds up to Wasabi’s high standards.
We managed to all order different things. To start out, we ordered an egg roll—Jaya makes them by hand and they come in a dish with miniature jars of sweet and sour sauce and spicy mustard. I went for Korean food but was tempted by sushi. I ordered a simple, but tasty and perfectly prepared, tuna roll (tekka maki). However, I would have loved to have ordered a spicy tuna roll, crispy roll, and spider roll. I’ll save that for a return trip.
Moving to our entrees we covered Jaya’s Chicken (a chicken stir-fry), Pul Ko Kee (choice of meet stir-fried with cabbage, onion, and black mushrooms), and Bi Bim Bap (wild ferns, spinach, sprouts, and platy codon over sticky rice with a fried egg on top). All were great with their own tasty flavors. Not ordered today, but by far a favorite among friends and family is Chop Chae—but be sure to specify if you want all 3 meats or just one, I like it with chicken. Any entree can be altered to your specifications and you decide if you want hot, medium, or mild. For just $2.00 more, you can make it a combination with fried rice and an egg roll (recommended). At lunch Prices range from $6-$10, and for dinner $8-$11.
Definitely try out this Evansville downtown staple. Say hello to Jaya who will surely at some point break from the kitchen and appear at your table. And above all, don’t ever forget to end any meal with the orange cake, warmed, you’ll know why when you have it.
Jaya’s is located at 119 Se 4th St. between Walnut & Locust, 422-6667. Open 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Mon-Sat, closed Sun.
Filed In: Food, Review | Favorite This | Link
|
Tagging links in 
Tagging your photos on 
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed below are those of their authors and not necessarily endorsed or supported by It's Evansville. In all cases, the comments provided here are offered as a courtesy and will be moderated. Any content deemed off-topic or offensive will be removed without notice. Posting a comment here boils down to two things: 1.) Think before you type 2.) Respect the thoughts of others. See our commenting guidelines for more information.
Lauren Smith
June 11, 2007 @ 12:02PM
What a great review! I’m definitely tempted to go.
cody
June 11, 2007 @ 12:16PM
chop chae! one of the best places in town
Will
June 11, 2007 @ 12:20PM
I dined at jaya’s a little less than a month ago. the sushi was amazing and decor fit perfectly, although the entree’s where bland and service staff was deplorable.
SUPERBANANABOMB
June 11, 2007 @ 12:22PM
Oh yeah, I eat there all the time. My only complaint with that place are the small portions. Maybe they’re just small to a guy with my appetite. I always feel the food quality is excellent however. The BBB is awesome!
SUPERBANANABOMB
June 11, 2007 @ 01:32PM
I am not an eggroll sorta guy, but the eggrolls at Jaya’s are definitely the best I’ve ever had!
Jenna
June 11, 2007 @ 09:53PM
I absolutely love Jaya’s—I think a lot of the taste depends on the dish you get and the amount of spice you tell them to put on it—I get chicken chop chae medium and not only is it perfectly spicy but it also has the perfect seasonings. While I think the dish size is perfect—it may just be my appetite!! I do agree—the service isn’t great, but it never has been, but honestly, that’s how it is in Korea too ;) I’m glad to see everyone liking Jaya’s!
Justin Williams
February 08, 2008 @ 07:18PM
This place seriously has the worst service in all of Evansville. I could be the only table in the place and I will have to beg for a waiter to pay attention to me.
I only put up with it because the food is so good.
Jenna
February 08, 2008 @ 10:33PM
Yeah, we were there again tonight and the service is deplorable. Yeah the food is still good, but there is no reason I should have to wait 15-20 minutes to have my order taken, and another 45 for it to come. The wait staff has no pattern to how they wait tables. When busy, they seem to focus on one of their tables, completely ignoring one, rather than try to attend to them equally. However, when there is next to no one there, it seems like you are completely ignored. You can’t get anyone to your table. it’s extremely aggravating.
ZRX1200R
May 02, 2008 @ 01:37PM
Went to Jaya’s today (Friday) for lunch, getting there at 11:30 to beat the crowds. By 12:10 there was about 18 tables of people, none more than a 4-top; and with only 2 servers, they couldn’t keep up (and one of the servers kept the same scowling, slow pace).
Now that Jaya is out of the kitchen, the food is definitely more bland. My wife had to pour soy sauce and spread wasabi over her tofu stir fry to give it some sort of taste.
Worse, though, is the system to pay for your meal. With only 5 people in line before me, I stood for just about 7 minutes, then had to recite what we ordered so she could find our ticket, then write the prices for each, then add them up.
Won’t go there again, especially for lunch.
(Sushi was above average though…)
Jenna
May 02, 2008 @ 04:58PM
I do wish Jaya was still in the kitchen too—I loved that tiny little place she had before. But yes, the service is horrendous and i don’t know why. I’m not sure if it’s because they don’t care or because she can’t afford to hire anyone else? I rarely go there anymore simply because of the service. I love the sushi, but don’t want to wait 20 minutes for my drink and another 30-40 for my sushi. It really sucks this seems to be a routine instead of singular incidents. sigh And I really like Jaya and her restaurant too. How do we get this across? It’s becoming a major problem :(
Andrew
May 23, 2008 @ 06:46PM
Hello, I am the sushi chef at jayas…
I was flattered to read the good reviews of the sushi, but i was displeased to hear how the service has been. I would like to hear suggestions on how we can improve lunch and dinner service.
Jaya has been through several waitresses in the past few months, and has been trying to get good help who can handle how hectic our lunches can get, and be attentive to the tables. I would appreciate any input, and thank you again for the nice words for the random caucasian sushi chef.
Jenna
May 24, 2008 @ 12:40PM
Andrew, the sushi at Jaya’s is the best in Evansville. Its the only place I want to go to eat it! I especially love the Volcano Roll. I’m (very) sad to say that I haven’t been there in a while because of the service. In my experience, the waitresses don’t go around the tables like they should and tend to focus on 1 or 2 out of say 5. Many times I am left without a drink…sometimes silverware or in need of an extra napkin….maybe I want to order something else or the yummy orange cake…. and can’t find a waitress around if I need something, or if there is one around I can’t quite get her to stop. So to me, I really feel like they need to make sure to focus on each* table, and be alert to the customers, without hovering.
And as for you, “the random caucasian sushi chef”—haha, you’ve got your sushi down! The Volcano Roll, Spicy Tuna Crunch….always favorites, delicious, and by far my favorite in town! So good work for you!
Jenna
May 24, 2008 @ 11:25PM
@andrew, visited tonight, the sushi was again great! the service seemed a little better tonight, hope it keeps up!
andrew
May 30, 2008 @ 08:56AM
Excellent, thats what i like to hear.
Next time you visit, you should introduce yourself. I like to know my customers. Thanks again for the encouragement…
Diane
May 30, 2008 @ 09:46AM
I also second the vote that Jaya’s has the best sushi (quantity & quality for the price) in Evansville. And yes, the Volcano Roll is amazing! We haven’t been for a while because my hubby and I have actually been making our own, which is fun but a LOT of work.