Chai Pani Indian Restaurant, Atlanta

Despite how long I’ve lived in Atlanta, there are so many restaurants here I’ve never visited. The main reason is that I seldom eat out - usually, I enjoy cooking and feel reluctant about trying new places at the risk of being disappointed. When I do venture out to dine or order delivery, I’m a creature of habit. However, before I relocate to T&T, I’m intent on changing this.

One cuisine that I’m always glad to have is Indian food so when my friend Kori suggested that we have lunch at Chai Pani , I immediately agreed. The Decatur restaurant was new to me but I had tried their sibling eatery in Ponce City Market - Bottiwala and enjoyed it.

As we entered the restaurant, marigold garlands and vintage Bollywood movie posters conveyed a fun, laid back vibe. Lucky for us, we arrived at the beginning of dinner so there was hardly anyone else there. It was a blessing to explore the menu without feeling rushed. Kori and I ended up just sharing plates of Sev Potato Dahi Puri - puffed crispy flour filled with potato, tamarind chutney etc and Gobi 65 - cauliflower seasoned with coriander, curry leaves, red chili and a ginger-scallion soy sauce. The food impressed me so much that before we finished our meal, I was daydreaming about returning. We didn’t order dessert but glasses of mango lassi and a cocktail added the perfect sweet ending note.

*Entering Chai Pani with ashy feet :/ I re-lotioned them right after taking this pic.*

After almost a year of thinking about Chai Pani, I finally went back last week and my second experience was as good as the first. This time instead of arriving for dinner, I was there for lunch, which meant that the meal was buffet style. I filled my plates with pakoras, bhel puri, kheema, mixed vegetable uttapam, butter chicken, saag paneer, basmati rice, naan and their daal of the day. If you read that list and thought, “Wow! Jen! That’s plenty food. How did you manage to eat it all?” Your bewilderment is justified. I was being greedy or as we Trinis say “my eyes were longer than my belly!” As delicious as every bit of that food was, I was incapable of eating it all. I also forgot that since it was buffet, I wouldn’t be able to get a to-go container. Next time, I’ll be less wasteful and return for seconds only after clearing the first servings. Lesson learned.

I did have just enough room in my stomach for a hot cup of chai. That cup reminded me of why the Indian spiced tea is the king of teas. As I sipped, I rifled through one of my cherished Indian novels - The Death of Vishnu. It was probably my fourth time reading the book and it was no less funny than before. I think my laughter and the tea aided digestion and what calories they didn't help me digest, I walked off after.

*Left: Gobi 65 - the best cauliflower 'wings' I've ever had.*
*Right: the huge plates of food I thought I could eat from the lunch buffet.*

Just writing about the food at Chai Pani has my mouth watering. It’s not a matter of if I’ll return but when. If you’re looking for an Indian/South Asian restaurant to try in Atlanta, add this one to your list. It’s a laid back place so don’t expect any fancy touches and the service, while satisfactory is not fussy, so it may not be ideal if you need to feel doted on. However, if you’re a fan of food bursting with flavour and are in the mood for casual dining, I highly recommend Chai Pani. Check out their website here .