Take a Chef Reviews 2,590

We had a chef at our condo in Jaco CR for Christmas Day and it was amazing. Octopus, prime rib, and cheesecake were the 3 courses. We loved every minute of it! Will book again.

We are from New Zealand and had I Nyoman Tridanayasa come to our villa on Christmas Day, and wow—this was truly one of the most incredible dining experiences we’ve ever had. From the moment they arrived, it felt special.
They offered a basic menu, and we were able to pick and mix to suit our tastes and dietary requirements, which was handled so thoughtfully and effortlessly. The food… honestly, jaw-dropping. Watching it being cooked was an experience in itself—we were literally dribbling while it was being prepared. Every dish was bursting with flavour, beautifully presented, and absolutely unforgettable.
This was not just a meal, it was a highlight of our trip and the most perfect way to spend Christmas. We cannot recommend I Nyoman Tridanayasa highly enough. If you’re even considering it, do it. You will not regret it.

had an amazing private dinner with Olivia. She was super polite and very attentive throughout the evening. The food was absolutely delicious and beautifully plated — truly impressive presentation with a perfect eye for detail. She created a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere and made us feel completely taken care of. Would definitely recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Incredible Experience with Chef Edgar!

We had an amazing experience with Chef Edgar during our stay in Cabo. His communication was excellent from the start, making the whole process smooth and stress‑free. The meal he prepared was absolutely outstanding—beautifully presented, full of flavor, and tailored perfectly to our group’s preferences.

He went above and beyond by cleaning up the entire kitchen afterward and even packing up the leftovers for us. On top of his amazing cooking, he shared great recommendations for local restaurants and things to do, which made our trip even better.

We highly recommend booking Chef Edgar through Takeachef—truly a top‑tier private chef experience!

OMG!
This has been a wonderful experience
We've choosen Chef Marchenay
discussed with him in the chat (of all details : food / waitressing / ..)
He provided great advices upfront
incredible food quality & presentation : it would not have been better in a restaurant for sure
All of the attendees were delighted & impressed
If I need a chef in the future - I know who to call 😍

It’s hard to put into words how wonderful the dinner by Chef Anon was tonight. She’s delightful and each dish better than the first. Local ingredients with a gourmet flair. The appetizers served to our party of 10 prior to dinner included the most delicious seared Ahi and kalua pork on taro. Roasted macadamia nuts replaced croutons. Tenderloin cooked to absolute perfection, so tender and infused with the perfect blend of spice. Not your ordinary mashed potatoes but the silkiest creamy side to complete the dish. The dessert called “tropical delight” included decadent ice cream, homemade whipped cream and flambés citrus was the perfect ending to a truly fabulous evening. I highly recommend and hope to enjoy again.

Christina was wonderful! Friendly, easy going very accommodating and the food was delicious!

I have been trying to get in touch with the office about my gift card to be applied to my cost and haven’t been able to resolve it after several days now. Nothing to do with our chef at all. I will continue to try to sort it out.

I wanted to host a pre-Christmas meal for my friends before we all disappear to our families for Christmas. I reached out to Take A Chef with my chosen date. Quickly I had a choice of three chefs. I went with Chef Marius. Communication was great from the start, from menu choices, advice on dishes and presentation. Lots of communication during the run up and on the day. Perfect timing and a very calm personality, arrived looked around the kitchen and began to do his thing! Then my guests arrived and lots of interaction between chef and them. We then sat for our starters. Chef Marius chatted through what he was serving us and then asked how we would like our mains cooked. Lovely presentation and everyone enjoyed all three courses, with a mixture of lamb and beef fillet for main everyone said it was divine. For a surprise at the end Chef Marius presented us with a lovely cheese board and biscuits and my kitchen was left as if he had never been! Everyone was fully impressed.

Great service, great food, great introduction of what is being served, great cleanup. Would definitely use again.

Chef Lauren did an incredible job. Not only was her food amazing, but the entire experience was perfect. She was pleasant and made us feel very comfortable throughout the whole experience. Not only would I have her back, but I would recommend her to others. Thank you.

My partner and I had an amazing romantic Christmas dinner prepared by Chef Fernando. Communication was smooth from start to finish. Although there was a small difficulty finding our place, it was quickly resolved — and didn’t affect the experience at all, as he had already done some meal prep in advance.

The food was delicious, beautifully prepared, and elegantly presented. At the end, he also cleaned up what he could, which we truly appreciated. On top of that, he was kind, attentive, and professional throughout the evening. We honestly couldn’t recommend him more.

Chef Michael Usai was absolutely amazing. His food is simply delicious, better than I’ve had in many restaurants.
His attention to detail and passion for his food makes the experience even more enjoyable.
I will definitely be booking again.

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Marius and cannot recommend him highly enough. From start to finish, he exceeded all our expectations. The food was exceptional — beautifully presented, absolutely delicious, and every single course impressed us.

Marius’s professionalism, attention to detail, and calm, warm presence made the entire afternoon feel effortless and truly special. All of our guests were incredibly impressed and are still talking about the meal.

The evening felt genuinely memorable, and it was a pleasure to have him cook for us. The cake and cheese course were fantastic and such a perfect surprise — especially the cake, which the children absolutely loved!

We would not hesitate to recommend Marius to friends and family and very much hope to enjoy another dining experience with him in the future.

Chef DJ was the best. We loved every dish, and enjoyed chatting with him throughout. He’s professional, fun, and an amazing chef. 10/10 will book him again!

We had Akad as our Chef for the night serving Middle Eastern Food. What a gentleman, describing ingredients and cooking method of each dish. Plenty of food and the taste of each dish amazing. Would highly recommend this Chef.

Chef Trent was fantastic! This is my first time booking a home chef for an early Family Xmas lunch - and I would book again in a heartbeat. The food was amazing, Trent was warm and friendly, kitchen was left spotless. And overall I felt great value for money. You get to enjoy a gourmet meal with your family in the comfort of your own home. Thanks Trent! :)

Fabio was amazing. Great communication, lovely understated manner and really tasty food!

We had a terrific in home dining experience thanks to Chef Jerome, Mixologist David and team. The food was 5 star and the attention to service was exceptional. We had a wonderful, relaxed evening with friends. I would highly recommend

This was one of the worst service experiences I have ever had, and unfortunately it involves not only the chef, but also the platform that provided him and completely failed to take responsibility.

I booked a private chef for my birthday and tried to stay calm and polite during the event so as not to ruin an important personal occasion. However, in hindsight, the entire experience was deeply disappointing and left me feeling deceived and taken advantage of.

I provided a very specific menu in advance. The chef said it would cost more than the original booking price, which I agreed to. I paid 1.8 million IDR through the website. After that, the chef informed me that the additional cost would be around 3 million IDR. This was already a significant increase, but I accepted it and tried to clarify the final details and pricing. Communication was extremely poor, and most of my questions were ignored.

I was then charged 1.5 million IDR for the delivery of 10 plates, allegedly via an external courier. In reality, the plates were brought by the chef himself. According to the platform’s own website, this should already be included in the service. This felt deliberately misleading.

The final price was never confirmed in advance. Instead, upon arriving at the villa, the chef suddenly demanded another 1.2 million IDR, bringing the additional payment to 4.2 million IDR on top of the website booking. I was put in a situation where I had no real choice but to pay. I was also refused the option to pay through the platform and was forced to transfer the money directly to the chef.

Later, it became clear that the chef operates under a false name. Despite this serious issue, the platform applied no sanctions and allowed him to continue operating. Price increases on arrival, forced direct payments, and fake identities should never be possible on a legitimate service platform.

As for the food: although the menu was loosely similar to what I requested, the quality was unacceptable. Almost every dish consisted of raw seafood, despite clear requests for pasta and brioche with lobster. Lobster was served raw, pasta was cold, and the food was not prepared properly, potentially putting guests’ health at risk. Sauce preferences were completely ignored — ready-made balsamic vinegar and truffle oil were used repeatedly, even though truffle oil was explicitly not requested and not liked. The bread and brioche were hard and clearly not freshly prepared. I also strongly suspect that shrimp was used and presented as lobster.

After filing a complaint, the platform refunded only a small portion of the amount paid through the website, which represents only a fraction of the total money the chef received directly. I immediately stated that this solution was unacceptable. I was promised further investigation.

More than a month has passed. There have been no updates, no resolution, and no accountability. The chef continues to work without consequences, and the platform has shown complete inaction.

Based on this experience, I consider this platform unreliable and dishonest. It failed to protect the client, enabled fraudulent behavior, allowed unsafe food practices, and avoided responsibility. I would strongly advise others to be extremely cautious or avoid this service entirely.

Delicious food, beautiful presentation and explanation of each course. The service was amazing! We would definitely use her again!