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Chai Pani

4.4 (1.8k reviews)
ModerateIndian, Beer Bar
Open • 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Updated 2 months ago

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Chai Pani Photos

Business Info

CHAI PANI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Classy
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Chai Pani

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Reviews With Photos

Judith D.

The ambiance is lovely and enjoyed the music that was playing in the background. The portions are made for sharing. Everything was delicious.

Carrot Halwa Cake
Kaitlin L.

Chai Pani has been on my list for quite some time and it certainly did not disappoint. I got the butter chicken and my friend got the KFC sandwich. I'm used to a spicier butter chicken, this one was particularly sweet, but I did love the other curries it came with as well. It's quite a lot of food, I feel like two people can share it, especially if you get it with naan. The KFC sandwich was so good, I would definitely get that again. It's a nice mixture of American Indian food and the sauce is really where the money is. What I can't stop thinking about is the carrot halwa cake. It was incredibly moist, not too sweet and had a wonderful spice. I would definitely come back to try other dishes. Important to note it gets very busy and I ended up waiting about an hour on a weeknight to get seated. The service wasn't great, she seemed somewhat irritated that she was working, but could've caught her on an off day.

Carrie V.

Outstanding! We came because we'd heard it was good and it exceeded our expectations. When we arrived there was a fairly long wait for a table so we opted to sit at the bar. The bartender was really helpful, guiding us through the menu and making helpful suggestions. Everything we ordered came out as it was ready which I always enjoy. And the decor is lovely with flowers and artwork and bright colors which just added to the fun environment!

Butter chicken platter
Nadia L.

The food, excellent. The service, excellent. The vibes, excellent. My husband and I went here on a Friday night at 5pm when they opened for dinner service, were greeted with smiles and sample beverages, and were seated immediately but just 10 minutes later, there was a line out the door. We got a few things to share and an entree and all were something to rave about. Will definitely be back when we visit again!

Sweet Potato Chaat
Zachary F.

Wow. Just wow! What a freaking 10/10 experience we had on our visit to Chai Pani. For starters, the decorations throughout were beautiful. As for food, I cannot recommend the matchstick okra fries enough. Even if you don't like okra, please give them a try. As someone who doesn't like okra normally, we were convinced by our waiter to give them a try and I am so glad that we did. So crispy and salty, just a wonderful way to start the evening. Highly recommend the chaat as well, full of flavor and a refreshing start before the main dishes arrived. They all sounded good, so really a personal preference on which to go with. For the main dish we opted for both Thali's, butter chicken and the saag paneer. Both were delicious and full of flavor, again I don't think you could wrong since you get a little of everything on your platter. Our service was phenomenal as well! Our waiter walked us through the menu, gave us recommendations, and was very attentive. Food came out super quick as well so all around 10/10. I will now be waiting ever so impatiently for our next visit to Asheville so that we can give more of the menu a try!!

Salag paneer
Noaa B.

What a cool place! Looks beautiful! It took us about 15 minutes to get a seat at the bar. We ordered some drinks - a tamarind margarita and a mango lassi which were both delicious. We then ordered to share the salag paneer. Beautiful plate with yogurt, Dal, masala, the paneer, rice and a small naan. The food was really delicious! I loved it. Service was ok, overall a really wonderful experience..I highly recommend this place

Sloane R.

So I'm not even going to sugar coat things, I'm just going to get down to it- This was the best meal I've ever had. Every bite was delicious. We decided to do a true family style meal and I'm so glad we did. There is no way you can go here and just try one thing. Honestly I'm just sad we couldn't get the full menu. Such a beautiful place to eat too! My favorite was the prawns, but the cheese pancake was so delicious. My husband really enjoyed the tots and he also go the spice plate which added some extra flavor. My sister enjoyed the chilli chicken, and of course we all loved the butter chicken. My husband and sister enjoyed some cocktails but I was really pleased to see the large soda menu- great prices! We did each grab a slice of carrot cake for dessert at home tonight and I am counting down the minutes until we have it. Truly a fun and delicious meal in Asheville. We will surely be back, honestly for every birthday, holiday, celebration... this is what I'll be asking for. Absolute 5/5 stars.

Matchstick Okra Fries
Tamara M.

Had an amazing time with great service. Something to note is the food comes out as it made and may be scattered and not every dish delivered at the same time. They are smaller portions similar to a tapas style and shared. Many of the dishes the spice level cannot be adjusted. We started with the Matchstick Okra. They are sliced so thinly and deep fried making them crispy with Chaat Marsala and salt for seasoning. Delicious and couldn't stop eating them. Ordered the Butter Chicken which was tender and lovely while family had the Saag Paneer which had some spice to it. Our waitress was working in helping guide with dietary restrictions and spice level tolerances. The restaurant is beautiful and very colorful.

Anisha D.

Chai Pani is one of those places I can't say enough good things about. The food is consistently amazing--great quality, generous portions, and full of flavor. The weekend lunch buffet is top tier, and the free chai refills are a game changer. Even if there's a wait, they take care of you with complimentary chai and biscuits, which honestly sets the tone right away. If you've never had pani puri, go on a Friday or Saturday evening--it's such a fun experience (especially with a drink in hand). Also worth grabbing some spices to take home. The decor, ambiance, music... mwah. Just an all-around experience. Definitely a place you'll keep coming back to. I sure do every time I go to Asheville!

Amy L.

Loved having lunch here! You walk through a gift shop with the cutest merch a restaurant could have. The interior of the restaurant is spacious and colorfully decorated. We got the Sabudana Vada Tots to start. I liked how it was fried very crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, but I wish there was a little more flavor within the tots. We got the KFC Sandwich Pav and butter chicken for entrees. The KFC pav was delicious, no notes and best thing we tried. The butter chicken was flavorful but nothing special. The mango lassi tasted fresh and a little different than what I was used to. The service was great! Really felt taken care of here.

Sev Potato Dani Puri - beautiful to look at, even better to eat
Robert C.

The first time we visited Chai Pani the restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall with a terrific menu and incredible food. This time we visited its new much larger and beautiful location to find...a buffet? No worries, the selection may have been limited but the food was still as great as ever. Evidently during the slower winter season Chai Pani gives its employees a bit of a break by switching to an all-you-can-eat buffet service. So while we sadly missed out on items such as the wonderful puff-filled puri balls we were still able to experience a delicious lunch. Butter chicken, saag paneer, pakoras, okra fries, naan, papadams and a variety of chutneys. Great food and also a great value. Still highly recommended!

Kale Pakora Chaat
Maddie B.

OMG. This place was seriously amazing. The flavors were absolutely incredible. I wish I could have more of the kale dish. We were unsure of what to order as we do not have many food options like this around us at home, and our server was amazing at making recommendations. He even helped us out when ordering and gave us an honest answer when asking if we were receiving too much food, which was greatly appreciated as we had a long drive home ahead! They were super accommodating and very friendly. Butter chicken was fantastic. Enjoyed the sample platter or different dishes. The honey ball was so so so delicious. Going to have to come back!!!!

Disco Bhel
Kylie F.

I absolutely adore this place and the unique foods and amazing drinks. The decor is so lovely too, colorful and fun and elegant. There's often a wait but late lunches on weekdays can be less busy. Highly recommend ordering the kale pakoras, cheese uttapam, and disco bel! Chai Pani has been around for a while for good reason, it's such a joyful and delicious experience.

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9 days ago

Great service, I ordered online and when I picked up my order it was ready to go and everything was correct!!! Thanks again!!

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Ask the Community - Chai Pani

Is it a bring your own?

No, it's not.

Do you take reservations?

They don't take official reservations but they do use Waitlist.

Open on Thanksgiving?

May be not :( you should call .

Does this have outdoor seating?

Yes

Do they take reservations?

It has always been first come first serve, unless something has changed recently. This spot is amazing and regardless of what little effort one puts in to finding one's way… 

View All 6 Questions

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During our weekend visit to Asheville, there weren't a lot of places open on a Sunday night near…read moredowntown Asheville to grab a bite, but we stumbled upon Wicked Weed Funkatorium. Sadly, they weren't busy at all, but we really liked the "funky" vibe and the large covered outdoor seating area they offered. We ordered drinks and food at the bar and then grabbed a high top outside. Since I like cucumber water, I ordered the Coolcumber - a golden ale brewed with cucumber, juniper, & basil. It was delicious and refreshing. For dinner, we ordered the Kale Caesar Salad and Mortadella Pizza (formerly the Bologna Pizza...or vice versa). Both the salad and pizza were generously portioned and perfect for two of us to share. Let's start with the salad. O.M.G. It is one of the best kale salads -- if not THE best kale salad -- I've ever had. They took care to massage the leaves with the dressing to make them very tender, then it was topped with a mound of shredded Parmesan cheese. So incredibly tasty. If you've ever turned your nose up at kale, this will change your mind. Next up was the Mortadella/Bologna pizza. It was wood-fired to char the crust and then covered in sauce, mozzarella, mortadella, stracciatella, and pistachio pesto. Having recently been to Italy, these were all ingredients I was still craving. It was delicious. The food was crave-worthy. The drink menu is extensive. The staff was all really friendly and welcoming. And the atmosphere was awesomely funky. I'd definitely return.

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Philly Cheesesteak (Steak)* fries

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We did not stumble upon Wicked Weed Brewing but came specifically to it, driving a long way from…read moreour cabin rental, after reading about the place and looking at the menu. I was very excited to have lunch there! Unfortunately, we had an unpleasant service experience and this is on what I'm basing my review. The beer was fine and the environment of the restaurant was good. My husband and I parked nearby and, unfortunately, on the very short walk to the restaurant, our 7 months old puppy got scared from two revving motorcycles. So when we got to the brewery the puppy was shaking ...we sat in a quiet section outside in the corner and the puppy hid under the chair and curled up, still shaking. Our waiter came and was very animated, talking in a very loud voice. There was absolutely nobody else in our section and it was very quiet, there was no reason to shout. I asked him very politely if he could please lower his voice because the puppy is scared already. There were a lot of humane ways in which he could have responded. Instead, he chose a weird response - no, he can't lower his voice, because "there will be a lot of people here, this place fills out, and my loud voice is needed for the customers". What? We would be long gone by then. I didn't understand how this applied to us. Then he proceeded to say that, actually, since there were two recent bite accidents at the restaurant, he's now afraid of dogs and would like us to move "downstairs". I showed him the shaking curled up 7 month old puppy under the chair, who was also on a short leash strapped around my waist, and told him that there was no way he was at any risk of being bitten. Not to mention the puppy was a good distance from him and would t have been able to reach him. So he said ok and we stayed there. This interaction right away left me lose interest in a full lunch, so we looked at the beers. As we were trying to pick, the waiter started telling my husband "Just pick and if you don't like it, piss it on the floor, I'll take it off the bill and give you another! I don't care! I'm not paying! The people whose name is written over there (pointing to the door) are paying". He continued repeating versions of that as we picked beer. At that time I realized there was an odor of marihuana in the air and I believe it came from him as it got stronger when he approached and disappeared when he got away. As he brought our beers, I asked him "what did you say is your name?" He responded, "I didn't give you my name and I wouldn't. It's 2026 and anyone can quickly find anything about you from your name" I was trying to be friendly after our initial spat over the voice but he wasn't having it. He walked away. We finished our beers and fries, got the check and left. On the bill, I saw the name Matthew H. listed The interactions with the waiter left us with a negative overall experience. He was paranoid, erratic and I did not feel comfortable to stay for a full lunch as we had planned. I had originally written a version of this review which lacked all the details and which had stronger wording. There was a complaint about the review (I assume from the restaurant) so I removed it and I'm replacing it with this one which states the facts. This was our experience and I didn't like it.

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