Chai Pani

“Every dish is very tasteful. The thali reminds you of home cooked meal. The tandoori chicken is not your traditional but the ghee drizzle + perfect marinade makes it amazing. The fried okra was one of the best we have had in a while and the highlight/ surprise was the live pani puri stall (only friday / saturday). Drinks were really good. Overall fantastic experience. Only negative is their restroom scene. They only have two stalls and when on weekends the place is packed and you have a 90-120 mins wait, don’t be surprised if you have 20 mins to just get a stall.”

“Easily one of the top five meals I’ve had in my life. The most flavorful, fresh and interesting dishes. We sat at the bar, the bartender was lovely and helpful. My favorite dish was the disco bhel and the eggplant dip whose name escapes me. The kabob was delicious and so were the green pancakes. The place itself is a feast for the eyes and then the dishes and drinks come out, one more beautiful than the last. I highly recommend this place and can’t wait to go back.”

“Chai Pani in Asheville was a very good find. We tried to get into the DC location once, but the wait was longer than our little weekend could afford. So Asheville became the place where we finally got our shot. Walking in feels less like entering a restaurant and more like stumbling onto a lively street corner somewhere in India. Bright colors, noise, movement, little plates flying around the room, conversations bouncing off the walls, and the feeling that if you stayed long enough something interesting was bound to happen. It has the playful energy of food carts and crowded market stalls packed into one space. This is Indian street food done properly. Small plates, big flavor, and a menu that makes you want to point at half of it and say, yes, bring that too. The okra fries were ridiculous in the best way. Crisp little matchsticks of something I normally associate with soup beans and Southern kitchens, suddenly reborn as street food worth fighting over at the table. The aloo tikki chaat was a glorious mess of potato, chickpeas, chutney, yogurt, crunch, heat, and sweetness. The sabudana vada tots were crisp, spicy little things that made regular tater tots seem like they had simply given up. Then came the Sloppy Jai, which is what a sloppy joe might become if it went abroad, read books, learned spices, and came back better dressed. Spiced lamb, ginger, tomato, chutney, yogurt, and toasted buns. Brilliant. The chilli chicken had that Indo Chinese punch of ginger, soy, peppers, and heat. Loud, sticky, sharp, and gone far too quickly. We washed it all down with raspberry lime rickeys, which tasted like childhood lemonade had taken a semester overseas. Chai Pani is fun. It is energetic, a little chaotic, and completely unpretentious. The kind of place where everyone at the table reaches across one another for one more bite and nobody minds at all. We absolutely recommend this place, especially if you enjoy Indian food and want something beyond the usual predictable buffet line experience.”

“Spent 2 days in Asheville and ended up eating at Chai Pani twice. Both meals were outstanding. Service was excellent throughout, with Morgan and Elise being especially attentive and welcoming. The food was genuinely authentic, the kind of meal that instantly takes you back home and tastes like it came straight out of your mom’s kitchen. The atmosphere was equally impressive. They captured the spirit and energy of India perfectly and you can tell a lot of care went into every detail. 5 STARS ALL THE WAY!”

“We visited from Greenville, SC and this was honestly one of the best food experiences we've ever had!! Every staff that we interacted with were super friendly and made us feel so welcomed. While waiting to get into the restaurant, we were given complimentary chai and mango lassi. Both were delicious! We ordered the SPDP, cheese uttapam, paneer tikka, beef bihari kebab, gulab jamun, and cardamom ice cream. Every bite was fantastic, and I felt pure bliss. I can't wait to come back and try more menu items! Highly recommend to everyone to come here if you love good food with a pretty atmosphere and friendly people.”