Chai Chenak is one of the popular Pakistani cafés in the New Brunswick area, along with the more formal restaurants Maza and Good Food by Uzma. Chai Chenak is separated into a restaurant area that specializes in classic street food items like bun kebab, and a cafe section next door. I've enjoyed the Kathi rolls here, but the main reason to visit is for the Kashmiri chai, which is prepared in large quantities and always ready to go. The chai has a slight buttery saltiness that adds to the richness, especially when you pair it with a healthy dose of sugar. read more

Chai Chenak - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Stopped here for a quick bite and I'm so glad I found this place. It was a cute cafe, well decorated, and had a welcoming atmosphere. I tried their Chicken Club Sandwich and Banana Pudding Matcha Latte. My friend got the Chicken Garlic Mayo Roll and Salted Butterscotch Oat Latte. I was blown away by how good the Chicken Garlic Mayo Roll was. I exchanged my sandwich with my friend and ate the whole roll. The sandwich was just as good! The drinks were amazing all well. The Banana Pudding Matcha only had a light hint of the banana pudding flavor (was mainly only on the top) but it still good! The service was good- you can order at the Kiosk or at the register. Will definitely be going back here if I'm in the area. read more

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environment 10/10: i loveee the interior! its so homey and the WOOD aesthetic is so yummmm theres a couch/table seating but keep in mind this space is pretty small so if you come here on a weekend it may be packed! parking: it's on downtown college ave so there is like basically no parking menu 10/10: love the food/drink selection and they sell real food (like sandwiches), pastries, and a variety of drinks. i got their artisan sandwich which was a tomato mozzarella sandwich and i really liked it (a little salty but thats okay). price: $ read more

Chai Chenak - tomato mozz panini - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Loved this place because of the college student we got to talk during our first visit. We told him it was our first time and he gave great recommendations and conversation. The place was well lit and spacious. The coffee was also really good, will definitely come back!!! read more

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I would give this place a 3.5 and potentially higher if I tried any of the food. I only came here for coffee which I really enjoyed. I got the sea salt caramel latte and was pleasantly surprised at the balanced flavor and that it wasnt overtly sweet (sometimes the risk with this flavor profile). The service itself was friendly and super quick, making it a fast grab and go experience which is exactly what I needed. The vibe inside felt relaxed with multiple people working on their laptops during the day. While I didn't get to try any of the food, there were several items on the menu I'd be willing to try. read more

The food here is good! Highly recommend the chai; the masala fries are interesting and tasty; and the wraps are a very good price. The more standard Pakistani food also tastes amazing, albeit a little expensive compared to other restaurants in the area. I usually get a paneer wrap, chai, and split fries with my friends here. I've heard good things about the soda and lassi drinks too. The interior decor is also really cool. I frequently see people taking pictures and videos of the walls and decorations. Chai Chenak is a nice place to bring people for a meal in a lively restaurant. I wouldn't show up around closing because there's a chance they won't seat you, but that's understandable. I've overall had a positive experience here. read more

Very nice coffee shop near Rutgers, lots of space for doing work or hanging out. The Butterscotch iced latte was delicious, very creamy and flavorful. They have breakfast and lunch options and a lot of coffee and tea combinations to choose from. Service was quick as you can order at a kiosk or at the counter. I would come again. read more

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Love, love, love Chai Chenak cafe. I have been coming here for a while now and I was wondering why I never left a review. It is because the moment I get my drink, I start chugging it down since it is just that good. This time was no different, but at least I got some pictures of their cute cafe. I absolutely love their decor--it feels like a cozy, elevated style where I feel comfortable coming in and hanging out with friends or getting some work done. The staff is super friendly and willing to help with any questions you might have. I love the choice to either order at the counter or through the iPads, just in case you don't want to hold up the line or if there is a big line ahead. They offer a ton of different options for drinks as well as food and pastries. This time around I got one of their seasonal drinks and it was so good! It had just the right amount of sweetness. I wish I would have taken a picture before drinking it all, but I will be back soon for more. read more

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The dishes are so nicely presented. The server explained the dishes to us and providing recommendations. We enjoyed almost all the dishes - some are just different due to taste preference. Gol Gupta / Pani Puti was delicious - put the sauce in the ball and you are supposed to eat it whole. Samosa Chat was delicious. I wasn't a fan of the Beef Behari Roll, as the meat texture was a bit mushy. The mango Lassi and the Chai Tea were both excellent as well. read more

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Great coffee in a very pleasant environment. Really appreciated the overall cleanliness of the place.!

Highly recommend Chai Chenak cafe! The Karak Chai was amazing. Staff was friendly and plenty of seating available. Great place to hang out or get some work done! read more

Chai Chenak - Karak Chai - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

It is a colorful, vibrant Pakistani restaurant in New Brunswick. We were in this area for Vipul Goyal's show and after the show, we were looking for a good restaurant and found this. Good find, but I could not get a table for 40 minutes finally got one, just before closing time. so it was a hush-hush situation. I was always fascinated by their kadhai dish (Courtesy- YouTube food channels), where they cook chicken or mutton from scratch with lots of tomatoes. We ordered- * Chicken Sindi Biryani: not sure why I ordered it, might have wanted to try Pakistan's biryani - disappointed. it was just a mix of some gravy with chicken pieces, nothing good about it. * Chicken Karahi Shenwari: this was the one with, a tangy taste (they use lots of tomatoes), well cooked. I just loved it, at the end I ate directly from Karahi :) - 5/5 * Naan, and * Chai The food was good, can come again. Service was on the slower side. Though the decor and ambiance are super cool, and beautiful décor... A couple of things hit me hard. serving water in small plastic glasses, and adding 18% gratitude to the party of 3 (like seriously). read more

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Excellent! Definitely one of the best Pakistani restaurants I have experienced in the US (and I used to run a restaurant myself so I'm very picky!!) They have a cute little coffee shop next-door to the main restaurant, which is decorated in very cute truck art style. We had a large group and we order the Chana chaat (excellent!!) Mutton karahi (excellent!) Saag paneer Chana masala Daal mash Chicken butter handi Naan, garlic naan, paratha Mango lassi were very good also! read more

A friend and I had a very bad experience with (presumably) the owner of the restaurant. After our meal, we were asked to leave the restaurant. At first, the lights started to flicker. Before that, our table was cleared, while we were sitting at the table and chatting. The 3 seemingly elder gentlemen sitting at table left of me was doing the same. And, there were empty tables. The owner came over to our table and told us to go sit at the empty table at the front of the restaurant if our goal was to sit and chat. This was an odd request because I had requested that table upon entering the restaurant. But I was told by him that the table was reserved for parties of 8. It is even more odd that we, who were sitting at the very back of the restaurant, would be asked to leave the table when better placed tables in the restaurant were available. I did let the owner know of our displeasure when we left the restaurant. Instead of apologizing, he kept justifying himself. We left. Overall, the food is good, but do not order the tea unless you want doodh patti. When I was there with another friend on March 20th, both the saffron and the kashmiri tea tasted like doodh patti. I won't deny - the food we ordered was good - Sindhi biryani and beef bihari kabab. But the behavior of the owner was appalling. The two lone (no man at our table) brown being asked to leave the table was a rather curious demand by the restaurant owner. read more

Food was excellent, we tried different items . All food dishes were according to expectations, especially Bun Kabab and chicken karahi . read more

So chai chenak has been a family favorite. We love their food, their ambiance and the service but unfortunately everything depends on the day you go. We've been here several times and everything has been great and we've also been here at times when its not I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and just say those were bad days as we all have and move on Come here and enjoy great food when its not a day its supposed to be packed for example eid, and you'd be more than happy! read more

We use to recommend this restaurant to everyone and especially our non desi friends who wanted to try pakistani food. However we went some time back and packed food to go and when we got home we found a chicken head in the karai . I mean the amount of profit they are making on these karais, that kind of mistake should never happen. I reached out to the manager to let him know, and he offered to refund. I told him thats not why I was calling but more due to the fact that this is a major mistake and unacceptable. He insisted on refunding and asked for my credit card, but never reached out again and never refunded. Anyways, never stepped foot here again! read more

Good Pakistani food with lots of flavor. Service was good and the overall experience was solid. The place is also beautifully decorated. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Chai Chenak - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Some of the fabulous reviews of Chai Chenak brought us in, but the experience we had will not have me coming back again. This review could easily be 2 stars, but the food was fine so 3 stars it is. We had a reservation on a Friday prior to a show at the State Theater. We were seated immediately. Although the food was good, between no water on the rabbles, to the lack of service, and the automatic 18% gratuity, there was lots of room for improvement. I've never heard of automatic gratuity for a party of 4! With the lack of attentiveness we received from the wait staff, the automatic gratuity left a bad taste in our mouth. We didn't receive water to drink until after we were practically done with our meal. They only offer bottled water. We ordered Gajar Halwa for dessert, but it literally took 10 minutes for them to bring out a pre-made dessert, and it was not very authentic. The food does not come with rice either. I've never frequented an Indian/Pakistani restaurant where rice was not included. Our bill for 3 entrees, 3 bottles of water, and 1 desert was about $130. Not worth it for the food or service we received. read more

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There are signs for an hour table limit. The food does come out quickly though so that's good. Not sure if the time starts when the food comes or when you sit down. 18% tip added to bills of 3 people or more Gol Gappa came on a cute tray with 8 pieces. The balls did not get soggy too quickly while putting in the liquid which was nice Samosa Chaat was really good. The sauce was nice to dip the naan into afterward too Chicken Sindhi Biryani was a good portion to share with two people. The chicken was kind of dry Charsi Karhai Mutton was saltyyy. The mutton itself was good. Broke easily. Flavorful. The sauce was really salty so when it was on my naan or rice I added some of the cool sauce that came with the biryani or the chaat sauce Garlic Naan came out soft, fluffy, buttery, and very hot. Sooo goood Mango Lassi came out watery which made me afraid but the flavor was there so I actually didn't mind it the texture was watery read more

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They have waiters that are rude and prejudice. They said in urdu that my guests who were with me her fat. I hate this place. This day and age there is no room for discrimination read more

I have to unfortunately lower my review. We go to this place every week at least once if not more. This place has Chai in its name but their Chai has gone totally bonkers. They have lost recipe and now I have to walk over to the few cafes around after the meal. Service is nice and there has been few new servers that are very nice but they will agree Chai maker is changed and it is not the same. The place is as warm as it used to be. But Khizr who owns this place is no longer interested to make this thing work. I feel he wants to sell this place just like her sold Jinsoy. Really sad as this was one of the best restaurant places in the area!!!! Btw we all ordered Chai. Complained to the staff. No action. And we left with Chai still in the cups. Sad read more

We stumbled upon this place before a comedy show and will definitely drive back down from Bergen county for this excellent food and bring friends. Two of us shared Samosa Chaat, naan and Paneer charsi kahari (tofu) and it was plenty. Finished with Coffee Chai. All yummy. Sweet waitstaff read more

Chai Chenak - Samosa Chat - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Delicious Pakistani food! Everything was extremely tasty and the food came out pretty fast. They had a bunch of dishes we were unfamiliar with, but with some googling and sever recommendations, we walked out happy! Samosa chaat, garlic naan, roti, mango lassi, and the butter chicken. Yum! Main note for first timers: nothing automatically comes with rice, so ask for it if you want it! Definitely will be back! read more

Chai Chenak - Samosa chaat -- YUM! - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Great tea and very fast service, interior is also very cozy and nice. The tea reminds me of home and sgain was very good

Pakistani cuisine at it's best. This was a restaurant I went to based off a friend's a suggestion. The overall flavors are authentic and everything was to the point. 5/5 Lacha paratha - flaky and tasty reminded me of kerala parotha. 5/5 Mutton Balocha Tikka Karahi - This was the full kadahi that the meat was cooked in and was pleasantly surprised with three popping flavors and juiciness of the mutton, soft and yummy. 4/5 Paneer Karahi - This was colorful and flavorful. 5/5 Zafrani chai - The brown color of the chai was perfect which gives you the idea that the tea will be wonderful and it definitely felt so good and refreshing! 4/5 Kashmiri chai - Rose colored chai. It was yummy. I loved every bit of this place and would say go here with an open mind to be mind blown with true authentic flavors. 5/5 recommended. read more

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Definitely the ambiance outperforms the food. The food was good but the karahi wasn't very good. The mulch Was dripping in oil. The dahi puri was good. The bbq items like seekh kabab were good. The Kashmiri chai had so much salt. The gajar halwa was so sweet and not very good either. We came all the way from California and were super excited. The food was just okay. BUT the ambiance was 5 star The efficiency of the servers with their ordering iPads was impressive. 5 stars. Would I come back? Yes. But I would stick with bbq items, naan, and doodh pati chai. read more

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I had high expectations from this place due to people close to me that raved about how good it was. Unfortunately that was not the case. First off, we went on a hot day and the AC in the establishment was not working. Ordered gol guppa, samosa chat, bun kabob, chicken tenders, daal roti, and a mutton karahi dish. Gol guppa was the one thing that was good everything else was underwhelming. Service was decent. read more

Chai Chenak - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

This was a fav Pakistani place until 2 yrs ago and now it feels sad that the taste is no longer the same. Very cute location in New Brunswick downtown, and I had ordered a few times before this. Can't order by phone have to pay via their website which sometimes don't work! We ordered chicken and a goat dish, chicken was ok just in tomatoes gravy, goat was better but both the dish had so much oil floating I had to distill it out after I returned home! read more

Chai Chenak - Charsi Karhai MUTTON - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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I was here on a visit and decided to go here since I was yearning for Pakistani food. I am so glad I went here. The food is absolutely amazingly genuinely Pakistani tasting. They were very busy due to Mother's Day but the service remained excellent. Very clean place and I saw them clean and broom the floor after customers leave. I really enjoyed seeing all the decorations and pictures from Pakistan. I would highly recommend this place. read more

I was visiting jersey, and came here with family, after multiple recommendations. If you like the ambiance, decors, fine details, then this is the place you'll enjoy. This place truly reminds you of the culture of Pakistan, with its details. While the food was ok and the service was tad bit slow, my generosity is skewing this 3 star to 4 stars. The place can get very busy and did get busy. They recommend reservations on the weekends. I felt the interior Was small and with a full restaurant, it felt like being very cramped. I could practically hear the entire conversation of the tables on each side of me. Lol. As mentioned the food was ok. We ordered a few order of pani puri, nihari, garlic naans and a roll. The presentation of pani puri was very nice. The nihari was weak, in the sense that the gravy was loose/watery type. It had to be more dense. I didn't realize the roll was served inside a paratha rather than a naan. There wasn't enough meat inside, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Lastly, the chai presentation was excellent. It came in these cute little kettles with complimentary biscuits. The chai was good. They had other flavors. We got the regular doodh Pathi. Service was somewhat slow, as restaurant was full n busy. I think only 2 servers were handling. However, u just need to add an extra server and the problem will be solved, rather than using the "busy excuse" read more

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The food was very delicious, a little spicy but tolerable ; mango lassi and lemonade so refreshing. Went there after my civil wedding and the staff treated us very nice. The chai tea so yummy. Blessings for their business. Definitely will come again. read more

Chai Chenak - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Can someone please explain to me why water is not served as is? Why do you have to pay for bottled water at a restaurant just to get some water??! Their sister store (Jinsoy) does the same, Biryani portions way too small. Our waiter was honest when we asked his opinions of a specific item. Food has flavor! Any of their parathas are incredible! Good spot for chai! Bihari kabob was really good, usually not a fan of it. read more

Chai Chenak - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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the food is average ....the service is average....the ambience is ok ...the prices are out of control 100 dollars for 2 people it was one salan a little bit of rice and some naan .....really out of control my God i wish lahore was open read more

Great food. Amazing Halwa Puri. Perfect Pakistani restaurant. We got Halwa puri, bun kabab and biryani. You know food is good when you see a lot of Pakistani in a Pakistani restaurant. read more

Great halal Pakistani cuisine in New Jersey area. We had multiple items from their menu and all were great including Biryani and karhai and Kashmiri chai Place was very neat and clean and staff were very friendly read more

Nicely decorated restaurant with a lot of interesting options for food on the menu. We were excited to see what we thought was pani puri on other tables but could not find it on the menu until we looked up gol gappa which turns out to be what we were looking for. There was a lot of dip? in the bowl to fill each one and we had extra after finishing the 8 pieces. The samosa chaat was good and the samosa was still someone crisp even under all the sauce. The chicken sindhi biryani had nicely seasoned rice but the chicken itself needed work and was much too dry. We also got a mutton charsi karhai which was a nice portion size and came out piping hot. The mutton was perfectly cooked and fell off the bones with no effort. It went great with the garlic naan which itself was buttery and fluffy. Oddly enough there is 18% tip for parties of 3 or more. I am used to this for larger parties but this is the first time I've seen for 3+. read more

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Update - I went back to this place for dinner with a large group. We had a reservation. Throughout the evening the waiter kept bugging us to leave. We weren't just sitting there after eating, we kept ordering more and more items. This place was getting a lot of business from us yet the waiter kept telling us we were over our table time and need to leave. At one point we asked to order more chai and he literally said No we're too busy. It wasn't that busy, maybe 9pm and two of the inside tables were empty. The quality of service at this place is very low, They say there is a one hour table time but if customers are giving business they shouldn't be asked to leave. Will I be back a third time? Probably not anytime soon and I will actively recommend against this place if people ask. read more

I have mixed reviews for this restaurant. The food was meh. The starters were good. I loved their pink tea. Service and ambience was great. I found it a bit overpriced. read more

Chai Chenak - Gol Gappa - Halal Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

I hate myself for not taking pics. We discovered this place by chance. Having been to taco place across the road(which we hated) Fat Cactus, please don't go there. go to CC instead This place immediately caught our eye. We went in for lunch, were seated immediately . The owner (I'm guessing he was the owner) was so polite, so friendly we immediately felt at ease. our first introduction to baluch-pakistani cuisine, he guided us through the menu. Aloo pari chaat & gol gappe were so good, it put my Indian chaat to shame. Served in a unique mini charpai. Omg nostalgia I highly recommend the mojito which was out of this world good We had charsi karahi () Balochi mutton karahi () Ultimate dish was Chikkad Chaney..()yumilicious. Til naan were unlike any I've ever had, soft and crispy, lachcha paratha was delish. Then we had kheer. Which is tough for many to make for a simple dish, but Chai Chenak have knocked it out of the park. Perfectly chilled, perfectly sweet and khurchan on sides...Omg i was in food coma. Lastly peshawari Kahwa was like magic. Immediately digested all the food For 4 people we paid 180$(incl gratuity)...I'd say pretty reasonable I want to go back soon and try every dish on their menu. We are hardcore foodies and I'm a food blogger so finding a fantastic restaurant like Chai Chenaak is like finding a lal in gudadee (desis will understand ) Super find. Must go. Must eat all their food. We saw the server take falooda for somebody and I regretted not trying it Till next time!! read more