Botiwalla at Ironworks was a great find! The food was excellent, reasonably priced, and came out surprisingly quickly. We only waited about 10-15 minutes for our order, which was perfect for a quick meal. We tried the fried okra, a salad bowl, and a chicken tikka wrap, and everything came out hot and tasted great. The fried okra was a nice starter, and both the salad bowl and tikka wrap were filling and flavorful. My wife has actually been several times at this point and keeps coming back for the salad bowl with chicken, which probably says more than anything I could write! Overall, really good food, fair prices, and quick service (also was clean inside). It's definitely a place we'd go back to, especially when we're looking for something flavorful without having to wait forever. read more

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Like chaat? Then you'll like Botiwalla. It gets pretty busy during lunch and dinner hours, so if you're going to come for dinner, try to come early. They have a pretty broad menu, and all of it is good. The okra chips are especially popular. I enjoyed those. The portions are not especially large, and it's a little bit pricey, but it tastes authentic, and their house made drinks are really amazing. It reminds you of the streets of india, without the tummy troubles. (Yes, I've experienced both.) I especially like all the custom Bollywood posters that they have as decorations. It's a really fun place and the food is great. read more

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Newish Indian restaurant in the Raleigh Iron Works district next to the parking deck. The expansive interior is beautiful decorated with Indian themed posters and artwork. There is plenty of seating in the clean and cool interior and some outdoor seating on the covered patio. The music inside is a little loud. There are paper menus just outside the entrance in a little kiosk, and some just inside the door too. The staff is very friendly and informative and the service is pretty darn fast. There's a lot more seating at this location than the original location in Asheville, called Chai Pani. The food is just as tasty as I remember it when I ate at the location in Asheville. The food is based on Indian street food. To start off I ordered the Matchstick Okra fries which tasted so good that they are addictive and they tasted even better with a splash of lime juice. They are nice and crispy and crunchy. For my main I stayed vegetarian. I got the Vada Pav which are two somewhat spicy potato dumplings fried with a chickpea batter and served with two chutneys on toasted buns. Very tasty and if you want to make it spicier eat the green chilies that come on the side. The food went well with their house lager. Everything was delicious and I'm going to have to come back and try more of their menu items. I didn't have it here but I had it at their Asheville location and I highly recommend the maharaja lamb burger. The mango lassi is tasty too. read more

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Fast casual Indian food! You order at the counter, get a number, have a seat, and they bring it to you. They are definitely busy but it seems there's always an open spot inside or out. The iced chai was amazing, full of flavor. I ordered the paneer tikka rice bowl. The paneer was nice and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The rice was flavorful and perfect with the paneer. The winning component to tie it all together was definitely the raita sauce. We also ordered the behl puri to try, but it wasn't quite for me. The little crisps and tangy sweet flavor wasn't my favorite. Overall it was great it try and I would order again if nearby! read more

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Incredible food, amazing location and easy parking! Basically the perfect recipe for a restaurant. We've tried their location in Charlotte and were so blown away by the food that we were ecstatic to see it open closer to home. We got the chicken tikka roll, the tandoori chicken in there was so smoky and tender and the naan was soft and pillowy. The masala lamb burgers were SO juicy like actually incredible and worth the wait. Also the patties were a good size not tiny slider size. We got the aloo tikki chaat and chai as well but our fave was the warm gulab jamun. Such a great finisher. Service is so kind! It's so wonderful to eat Indian food that's so different (more Mumbai style) from what a lot do the regular Indian restaurants around us serve (more of a South Indian influence) we love both and it's great to have options. read more

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A great additon to Iron Works, I recently went in for lunch and it was packed. The way the line is setup it is close to the door so a lot of people have to wait outside. The problem is people leave the door open and then so many flies are inside the restaurant that you have to swat away while you are trying to eat. Hopefully people realize they should keep the door closed. I got the paneer wrap and it was quite delicious, definitely something I would get again. My friend got the tikka chicken rice bowl and while it was flavorful, it definitely needed a sauce or something to accompany it. Loved the mango lassi and their iced chai! read more

Botiwalla by Chai Pani - Indian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Two trips with friends and that makes a total of 4 meals. The Chaat was pretty interesting and yes, MUST be eaten at once. The ingredients don't bode well for reheating or sweating in a container. Spice levels nicely warm but not so hot to knock you into next week. Mixed drinks could be a bit punchier. No buzz Margarita but nice taste. the other drinks on the menu were refreshing and interesting. Service was friendly and quick. Ambiance is quirky but not over the top. take in the view and you can find some interesting pertinent facts about Indian culture. I liked the poster near the takeout which featured leaders from India. The spices! OH! so THATS who SpiceWalla is! You can buy them at the restaurant. I've been to the one in Charlotte and glad to see them here at RIW. read more

Botiwalla by Chai Pani - Slushie aaannnnd....... - Indian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Botiwalla is finally open in Raleigh. They serve Indian style street food. I tried their chicken tikka roll and aalo tikki. Both were full of flavor and delicious. Definitely coming back to try everything on the menu. read more

Botiwalla by Chai Pani - Aloo Tikki - Indian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I'm very happy to help welcome Botiwalla to Raleigh! As the "little sister" restaurant to Chai Pani, this is fantastic news. Now I don't have to drive 4 hours to Asheville for their fantastic Bhel Puri (photo) and much much more! We stopped in the other day just as they opened at 4PM on a scorching Tuesday afternoon, and immediately felt welcomed by the staff, and the signature Chai Pani-style bright, fun décor and lively soundtrack. It's a casual, counter-service spot with a slimmed-down menu of chaat, kabobs, rice bowls, and similar street food. All delicious, of course, as you would expect from JBF "Outstanding Restaurateur" 2025 and 2026 finalists, Meherwan and Molly Irani. Check out the pics of the terrific bites and the restaurant interior as well. Dishes we enjoyed included... Bhel Puri - Puffed rice, flour crisps (puris), crunchy chickpea noodles (sev), cilantro, and onion dressed with tamarind & green chutneys. Paneer Tikka Roll - Paneer charred with onion & bell peppers marinated in yogurt, lime, Kashmiri chili paste, & tandoori spices. Wrapped in hot buttered naan with Desi slaw, onion, cilantro & green chutney. (We ordered this "deconstructed"). Boti Rice Bowl - Fragrant basmati rice cooked with yogurt, fried onions, and biryani spices. Topped with Chicken Tikka kabab and julienned onions, roasted tomatoes, mint, cilantro, and served with raita. We've loved the house-made drinks at Chai Pani in the past, and the Chai Tea and the Jal Jeera spicy soda lived up to our memories. The store also has a merch area, and it now includes a stack of Molly Irani's new book, "Service Ready" which I read the week it came out in April. If you enjoy, for example, Will Guidara or Danny Meyer's books, be sure to pick this one up. And if you live anywhere near Asheville, Atlanta, Charlotte, DC, and now Raleigh, be sure to stop into Chai Pani or Botiwalla ASAP. You won't be disappointed. Congrats to @meherwanirani and @chaipanimom and team - and welcome to Raleigh, @botiwallaraleigh ! read more

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This was the opening weekend for this new restaurant which is a sister restaurant of chai paani in Asheville and another Botiwala at Charlotte, and ofcourse the queue was super long. But surprisingly it was fast too. This new raestutant in Raleigh is talk of the town for past few days and I really wanted to see for myself what all the fuss is about. As expected after waiting for almost 45 minutes in line we got to order our food. Their menu is small with easy choices. They have rice bowls, salads, rolls and extras with same four base proteins. Chicken tikka, chiken kabab, mutton seekh kabab and paneer tikka. In beverages they have lassi, jaljeera, cocktails beers and chai. Order the food at the coounter, take a table number and choose a table, it's that easy. As soon as we sat our food started arriving which was such a relief. All our food was at the table within 10 minutes and we were done eating in 20 to 30 minutes. We ordered their chicken kabab roll, chicken tikka rice bowls, vada pav, mutton seekh kabab and for kids meal, naan bites and chicken nuggies. The food hands down is amazing, chicken is tender, juicy and flavorful, freshly made naan, yogurt raita, all tasted so good. Chai and tamarind soda was good too. Service like I said is super fast, almost no wait. Ambiance is Indian streets and Bollywood vibes with glimpse of India and its icons. Price wise this place is pretty reasonable. Everything we ordered costed us around $65 excluding taxes. This indo-Persian street food restaurant is a must try, definitely going again to try some of their chaats and other entres. read more

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My family and I tried this spot the first week it opened, so yes, we did have to wait in line. We waited for about 20 minutes which wasn't bad and they even served us samples of a slushy they were trying for their menu while we waited. Once we ordered, the food came out immediately. Like so fast... almost... too fast. It was a little overwhelming. The dish I was most pleasantly surprised with were the okra fries. They were thinly sliced and very light and crispy. I thought the cauliflower was OK because I didn't particularly like the sauce. It came with. The highlight in terms of the entrée was probably the lamb sliders. I would come back to try a paneer dish. read more

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Yum. The flavors of the food are great and the service was awesome. Go to the counter and order and you will receive a number to take to a table and have your food delivered. Great food addition to iron works read more

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The long awaited arrival of Botiwalla in Raleigh! Reminiscent of the Parsi/Irani cafes in Mumbai, this restaurant has a large variety of chaat (including vegan options), bowls, kathi rolls, and fun drinks. Drink wise, I would recommend the nimbu pani slushie. I had a sampler of the different kinds of chaat and all were excellent, but my favorites were the Gobi 65 and green mango chaat. The green mango chaat was such a nice blend of tart from the mangoes, crunchy from the fried bits, and sweet from the golden raisins. There was a bit of a wait (30 min on a Tuesday night), but so well worth it and staff were very quick and nice. read more

Botiwalla by Chai Pani - Gobi 65, smashed potatoes, green mango chaat, and bhel puri - Indian Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

What a great addition to the raleigh area! I found Botiwalla by way of Asheville and decided to check this location out. I don't frequent Indian food as I'm sensitive to spicy food. I've found that Botiwalla isn't very spice forward and the food is very good. The raleigh location has a few different options than Asheville. One difference is the masala fish wrap. It's loaded with seasoned cod, spices, onions, peppers and a side of yogurt sauce. The description says it comes with crispy fish but that isn't the case. The service is fast casual so the food comes out quick. There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for small and large groups alike. And parking is easy and free. Great addition to ironworks! read more

My husband and I were so excited that a fast casual indian spot opened! We came at dinner time and there was a line out the door, we waited about 20 minutes before we got to the counter to order. We ordered a chicken tikka roll, lamb burger, and nimbu pani to drink. Once we were done ordering, we picked up our drink at the counter and then took our number and found a table to sit at. The chicken tikka roll ($13) was brought out to us within 10 minutes, although it was flavorful, the naan was pretty burnt on the outside. I do wish for the price, that it at least came with a side. After waiting about another 20 minutes, we noticed that people who ordered after us were receiving their meals, but we hadn't gotten our burger. one of the workers came up to us and let us know they were sorry for the wait on the lamb burger. They asked if there was anything they could get us to make up for it, so we asked for some dessert (gulag jamun). About 10 minutes later, we received the lamb burger. Thankfully, the lamb burger ($13) came out hot and fresh. It also had a lot of flavor. Lastly, we got our dessert which we enjoyed. It was soft and sweet and a great way to end our dinner. The decoration inside was beautiful. they also had a section where there were items for purchase, such as apparel. Overall we spent a little over an hour total from waiting in line to getting our food and eating. Not sure we will be back anytime soon until the hype dies down. read more

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Excited that we don't have to drive to Asheville for some botiwalla. First visit at Botiwala close to opening weekend at RIW was great, even though the lines were long. Got piping hot lamb roll, and the masala fish roll. Also had the mango salad and jeera tequila. Kids loved their malai chicken tikka roll and vada pav. 10/10 However, the second visit wasn't great. The lamb roll was served a bit cold, because I think they made additional quantity based on the rush and then served it to me cold. The chicken tikka roll wasn't juicy, because naturally, they are using chicken breast, not chicken thighs. They were out of all the drinks and the nimbu paani soda was hopeless. I tried the vada pav this time and was not impressed at all. For god's sake learn to manage operations ... why not let people book reservations or let them walk up to put the name on the list & text them when the table is ready. Completely un-empathetic way of serving customers, who want to visit and be loyal. 5/10 read more

Good for Iron Works to have this new restaurant. The decorations make us think about the charm of the old family home, filled with photos and sports memorabilia, souvenirs from our parents' or grandparents' era. There is also a big mural with SRK and Kajol in a field in the mountains. You notice the details go far: if you pay attention above the bar, a mini television is on with a vhs trailer playing. You order at the cash register and seat yourself; you receive your plates really quickly. It only took about 5 min for us and the place was full. The menu is simple : four or five different options in the form of a salad, a bowl, or a sandwich, with separate options for appetizers, beverages, and desserts. We tried the lamb wrap and the desi paneer salad. The salad was deliciously crunchy, with bits of cabbage, cashews and chickpea noodle shreds in each bite. Very similar to a chaat but meal-sized. The wrap was flavorful as well. We tried the mango lassi and a tamarind soda to accompany our meal. The tamarind soda was good, not too sour or too sweet. It was club soda mixed with a house-made tamarind syrup and some lime juice. The mango lassi was traditional and delicious. All in all I would recommend this restaurant for a quick, filling, flavorful and affordable lunch or dinner. read more

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Chai Pani Asheville set the expectations through the roof. It was like no other Indian food experience I've had in the best of ways. If I'm being fair my expectations came from my visit there. Botiwalla has a casual ambience. Counter walk up order, take a number and food brought to your table. Let me say absolutely nothing wrong with that. Fully appreciate that this is not trying to be Chai Pani. But the food. Gobi, okra, fish sandwich, lasi, raita, potato sandwiches. Nothing grabbed me. Don't get me wrong the food was fine. But that's all, it was fine. Would I recommend it, probably not. Honestly would prefer some of the good local traditional Indian around Raleigh. read more

Botiwalla is our absolute favorite Indian restaurant, and one of the reasons we were always excited to visit Charlotte or Asheville was the chance to eat here. The food is so uniquely different that it has become a true favorite for our family. While there is nothing wrong with South Indian cuisine, it seems that nearly every new Indian restaurant opening lately has a South Indian influence, so Botiwalla's Irani-style cooking is an incredibly refreshing change. The food is reminiscent of the flavors at SodaBottleOpenerWala, one of the most popular Irani café-style restaurants in Gurugram's Cyber Hub, which made the experience even more special for us. The flavors are vibrant, comforting, and packed with character. The service has always been excellent, and we are absolutely thrilled that Botiwalla is now open in Raleigh. Most importantly, our teens are over the moon about it, as they have always looked forward to eating here whenever we traveled. We're excited to finally have one of our favorite restaurants right in our own city and expect to be frequent visitors. read more

The food was absolutely delicious and well worth the wait. As others have said, it is counter service restaurant (ie you order at the counter and they bring to you). We came in a Saturday, so things were quite busy. The atmosphere was quite unique and unlike any place we've been to before. We look forward to coming back and trying other options, at a less busy hour. read more

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Sadly, I didn't love this restaurant, for several reasons. I'm being generous in giving it 4 stars, because I think it's worth trying, and I'm glad we went, but I'm pretty certain we won't be going back. First of all, we went around 6:40 on a Thursday night and we waited in line literally for half an hour, most of that time outdoors in the heat with a lot of mosquitos and gnats. When we finally got inside, there was still a long wait. You place your order at the counter and staff bring you your food. The service and staff were great, the setting is beautiful but the wait was awful and the atmosphere is chaotic. It was not a relaxing experience - it's a funky, cute place, but definitely not relaxing for me. I had the Gobi 65, which is classic, spicy, crispy cauliflower. It was exceptional and a big reason for the 4 star rating, but if you don't like or can't tolerate spicy heat, this dish is not for you. If not for the negatives (the line and the chaos), I would absolutely come back for this dish alone! I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was still delicious. For my main meal I had the Malai Chicken Roll. It was good but not great. Grilled, marinated chicken served with fresh slaw and sauce in fresh naan. The naan was exceptional, the slaw was fresh and delicious but there wasn't enough to balance the chicken, and while the bread was truly outstanding, the portion was big enough to feed an NFL foot ball player - I ate less than half the bread. Also - they don't serve wine, a big negative for me so I didn't have a beverage. They have cocktails, beer, waters and a lot of house specialty drinks, but most of those seemed like they would be too sweet for my taste. Also, the menu didn't include enough vegetables for my taste - the entrees were protein and carb heavy. I'm glad we went, the cauliflower was truly worth the trip and memorable, I doubt very much that we'll go back unless the weather is better and it's a low utilization time. read more

Food and service were great! The restaurant itself is also a chill and nice vibe. I ordered a bowl and it was a good portion.

The service was extremely fast and the food was delicious and fresh! The aromas of the spice fill the restraunt as soon as you walk in and you know it's going to be a good meal! The dishes were simple but filled with so much flavor. Will be back! read more

What a nice change to standard Indian fare, which I also enjoy. The okra fries were outstanding and I have a new favorite snack with the Kurkure Masala Munch. Try this spot for something out of the ordinary. read more

Great tasting and fun atmosphere. Good sized portions that are great value for money.

Food was incredible, service was top notch and the restaurant is beautiful. I will certainly be returning and am so glad that Raleigh has such an excellent spot! read more

Eating in the outdoor seating area, flies all around just ruins the food experience . They better fix this

Don't know what these people are on. Food came fast but wait was long. Didn't tasted good and could honestly just make it yourself at home. So save yourself the time. read more

Food was fantastic (paneer tikka roll and okra fries), service was quick and friendly.

The food was all very delicious, with a short but still broad menu with lots of options for any kind of eater. Its kind of uncanny how happy everyone is . Music is a bit loud. read more