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    Chiya Chai Cafe

    4.2 (555 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    CHIYA CHAI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Chiya Chai Cafe

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    The bar for ordering
    Suzanne F.

    Stylish cafe with a cute shop and a great variety of menu choices. I liked the options of all the chai teas you could order. I got spicy masala (lots of pepper) and my friend ordered pistachio - cardamom. Both were very flavorful but I liked hers more. We also got the veg momos and samosa. We liked them but we've had better. Overall, I would come back for the chai.

    Royal Masala Chicken (top), Punjabi Spinach Paneer (bottom), and a Chicken Balti Pie to split.
    Ash W.

    I've been a fan of Chiya Chai for years but the last 2 times I've ordered have been terrible. I'm not sure if ownership/management has changed, but both times we were super disappointed with the quality of food. Last time the masala curry fries were burnt and this time they served us burnt rice. The garlic naan was just regular naan with a garlic powder butter spread on it (no real garlic). We won't be back.

    Creamy Masala Chicken Curry Bowl
    Sam L.

    Chiya chai is a great cafe. They have awesome food and awesome drinks, and they're really good at everything on their menu. The ambiance is great and the staff are super cool and friendly. I've been getting the desi chai a lot lately and it tastes fantastic hot or iced. Would definitely recommend. The food items are all great, especially love the chicken curry and saag paneer. I think the pies are their most unique item, very delicious. (still hoping for the apple raita to come back one day it was so fire) Overall though, I think it's a great place. I find myself there all the time because I'm always craving it, and I'm constantly recommending it to everyone I know.

    garlic naan, Creamy Masala Chicken Curry Bowl
    Mona T.

    Overall Thoughts: The menu here is diverse and creative, from pies to South Asian classics and Southeast Asian momos. It's counter service, very casual, and it wasn't too crowded on a Friday night; my friend and I found a table easily. Overall, I wasn't really impressed with the specific dishes I ordered, but I'm giving 4 stars as I think the spot has potential and I'd be interested to try their chai and happy hour drink deals in the future. Food I tried: - Creamy Chicken Masala Curry bowl (3.5/5): The flavors were not as strong or vibrant nor the chicken as tender as I was hoping for. The flavors and textures grew monotonous for me after awhile. - Garlic Naan (4.2/5): Nice strong garlic flavor albeit a little dry. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.3/5 Food: 3.8/5 Ambience: 4.3/5 Service: 4.5/5 Overall Value: 4.1/5

    Inside
    Kiaya S.

    Have passed this place so many times and finally decided to pop in! I got the vanilla nutmeg chai small and an order of samosas ( comes in 2)! That only ran me about $13 so bang for your buck is here!! This place is very spacious and open and would be great for a remote work day! They also have happy hour that I want to come back and check out! The samosas come with two sauces and both were delicious! This was a great portion for the price and the vanilla nutmeg was delicious ! Their menu is pretty extensive and service was on point! I'll be back for the cocktails !

    Chiya Veggie Momo
    Zirish K.

    The steamed veggie momos were good and I absolutely loved the seating and surroundings. Would definitely like to go here again to try other food options.

    Masala Curry Fries
    Khadijah H.

    I love this franchise - such an amazing taste of Indian cuisine with a couple of twist on dishes. Logan square location is massive and can house you and your family or friends for a good time. I placed an order rather quickly and all the dishes arrived within 15-30 minutes. Thankfully we order multiple dishes to get a taste of their menu. Each dish was a nice size portion that matches the price and that wows me. The fries were very well seasoned and the sauce to pair was tasty. The wings were so tender the meat fell off the bone. The sauce seasoning and flavor was a triple knockout and worth the taste. Definitely don't miss out on that. The creamy chicken masala was indeed creamy and incredibly Generous with the meat provided. The pot pie was alright and filling. What elevated the dish were the sauces on the sauce. I believe one was Apple base and the other was another fruit base. Super delicious on their own! Definitely visit this location or the one located in downtown Chicago. My only downfall was not ordering their chai flight. This gives me a reason to return!

    Masala Chicken Pie
    Elgin B.

    Mountains of flavors and spice! It's my first time going to Chiya cafe with a buddy. Since I do a lot of Indian events, I'm familiar with the cuisine. Since it was the first time here, we tried a few things. The cafe is cute and was busy that day. It's essential to note seating is first come, first serve cafe style. My friend and I almost left, but after taking a walk around the block, more seats opened up. I got the chicken masala pot pie, which was so delicious and baked to perfection. I wasn't a massive fan of the sauces that came with pastry, but that's just my taste buds--the Samosas were fantastic and also baked well. My friend got the Deep Dish Lamb, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and we shared the chili wings. The wings were good but spicy. It's not unbearable, but it hit the right spots. I did think the physical chili on top of the wing was a bit much for me, but they shouldn't deter anyone reading this to stop them from trying them. I washed everything down with a coffee. Overall, this was a great place to talk with a friend and enjoy food. I loved all the flavors and atmosphere. If you never had Indian food, this is a great introduction. Just remember this isn't a restaurant, it's a cafe with restaurant-style Cuisine. For my first visit, Chiya Cafe got a 4 out of 5

    Monica N.

    I came here for a comedy show in the winter and it was a ton of fun! The whole interior is really cutely decorated and the space gives off very casual vibes. The service is quick and easy. We went up to the registered and ordered the drinks and food we wanted. The samosas are delicious and hearty! The masala fries are delicious. I want to come back to try their momo dumplings. In terms of drinks, the star is of course their chai. Cardamom pistachio and spicy masala are my favorite. It's honestly some of the best chai I've had outside of my home chai! The cocktails are also yummy and unique in flavors. Tip: I found out about their comedy show through their Instagram stories.

    Ginger Cardammon Chai
    Paul A.

    My girldriend and I ordered 4 chai tea drinks, ranked from best to least: 1) Ginger Cardammon Chai - the tastiest chai, with cardammon filling it up initially and then giving way to the ginger bite. This is addicting! 2) Dirty Masala Chai - this is super spicy, for better or worse. We personally love this style chai and think it's excellent! 3) Horchaitea - Iced cold drink mixture of horchata and chai, and it's as cinnamon-y as you'd expect. Super delicious 4) Anise - this was the only one that wasn't excellent, as the anise smokiness is nice but there's not a lot of other flavor. It is what they advertised, there's just others we liked more I recommend ordering the chai's that they make with spices, as opposed to the ones with syrups. Both are good! We just LOVED the spices and herbs baked in to the chai's, as they tasted perfect. Also am glad that they serve these drinks piping hot! Definitely check this place out, and order the momo dumplings. I loved the Lamb & Dill the most, it was full flavor and didn't need the extra sauces served on the side. Cool vibe here too, if you're seeking a study space. Can't wait to come back!

    Rasmalai
    Amanda G.

    Okay, I got a new one from me to you ... the rasmalai from Chiya Chi. It's a creamy and spongy cup cake made with Indian ricotta cheese, sugar, milk and cardamom. It's like a colder, lighter tree leches cake. It was so good I went back two nights in a row and was to pouring the cream into the ice left over at the bottom of my coconut cream chai that I had just crushed and drinking it with a straw. They changed the menu up a little here recently and everything had been just ridiculously delicious. Three-peat tomorrow night? Also got the honey spicy wings, I got so messy, but it was way worth it.

    Farah A.

    Chiya Chai has been on my visit list for a while and finally got to try it. It was worth the wait. True to its name, this place is a chai lovers paradise. With more than 150 combinations of chai brewed in house, this place will make you come back for more. Chiya chai offers Nepali - Indian cuisine. Love their menu choices, tons of meat and vegan options. They have gluten free options as well. We walked in and ordered our food and then got seated. We tried the pani puri, samosa chaat, deep dish lamb, Kathmandu chicken momos, Chicken Balti pie , and the hot curry wings. We really enjoyed all the dishes. The Balti pie was a 10/10. The chicken and peas curry filing inside was delicious. The momos were excellent and freshly prepared. The lamb dish was amazing. Loved the pani puri and samosa chaat. The curry wings were spicy but really tasty. We got the chai growler to go in the masala chai flavor. We refrigerated it and made chai with it. We used 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 of the masala chai growler . Boiled it and delicious flavor and aroma chai ready in minutes at home. Strongly recommend getting it Overall we had a wonderful experience and will be back again to stock up on chai and enjoy other dishes from their menu.

    Hot Curry Wings, mango coconut chai
    Shalin B.

    was visiting chicago for a few days and stumbled upon this cute little chai spot after grabbing a book and some vintage clothes nearby. it's situated in such a cute area with a park and shops nearby, honestly just get yourself a cool flavored chai, chew on some cardamom, and walk around as summer seeps its way into the world

    Masala Curry Fries

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    3 months ago

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    Used to love this place, but things have changed in the past 6 months. Recently tried their chaats, and we were very disappointed.

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    Rajee A.

    Thank you so much Mindy! We really appreciate your support

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - Chiya Chai Cafe

    So what's the best chai here? So many choices!

    All are good! I had the same question and the barista was very helpful and clearly articulated the differences.

    I'm going to a party there and I can't take spicy hot food. I have asked at Indian restaurants what they have that's mild, only to be served a dish of dragon's fire.Can anyone suggest what I can order there? Thanks!

    Most of the momos don't seem spicy! Just ask and clarify and you'll be good

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    My friends and I do a monthly supper club, Cumin was our October pick and it did not disappoint!…read more We ordered a TON. My favorites were the soup chicken momo, mixed vegetable pakora, chicken tikka masala and alu paratha! You truly can't go wrong with anything. The service was amazing, our waiter even gave us a free dessert! The restaurant itself is huge, plenty of space for a large group dinner. We will definitely be back!

    We made reservations for 6:00 PM on a Thursday. They were absolutely not necessary. When we arrived…read morewe were the third customer. Business picked up a little over the next hour, but generally speaking it seems Thursdays are slow. The restaurant is beautiful. There were two people working out front. They were kind, but not overly ebullient. When ordering we asked if one serving of rice would be enough for two. She suggested we order two servings. We didn't need two servings. One bowl of the Basmati Rice was plenty for two...at least these two. I decided I wanted to try something different. We have had Momo before, but nothing like Chicken Momo Chili Fry (steamed dumplings of minced chicken seasoned with nepalese spices and herbs | fried | sauteed with green chili, bell peppers, onions, ginger and spicy garlic-chili paste). What an amazing dish! I'm not a huge fan of super spicy food, but the Chicken Momo Chili Fry was outstanding. The spiciness was spicy flavor, not just heat. They were delicious. And the veggies (green peppers and onions) were so tender and flavorful. If you are a fan of spicy then you need to try this dish. You will not be disappointed. Keeping with the 'trying new things' theme, I ordered Gorkhali Khasi (chunks of bone-in goat meat stewed in flavourful nepalese spices | a delicious spice forward sauce with tomatoes, onions and nepalese spices) with a side of Basmati Rice. The dish was very tasty, but the bone-in goat was a lot of work. Once off the bone (though I still ended up with bones in my mouth, which was nerve wracking) some of the pieces were tender and delicious. Other pieces were a bit gristly. Since the flavor was great, when we return I will likely order this dish with chicken. Mark ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (spice-marinated diced boneless white meat chicken cooked to perfection in tandoor | simmered in rich creamy tomato sauce). He raved about it! When he was finished it looked as if he has licked his bowl. In fact, he used some naan (we ordered Garlic Naan) to get every last drop of the sauce out of the bowl. The Garlic Naan was good, but I must have been full. I didn't finish one piece. There were four in a serving. I had to take a picture of the silver and gold wear. So very fancy, but a bit over the top. The plates were beautiful and were warm when they were brought to the table. We had a delightful meal. Oh... don't know if it is always like this, but we were there well over an hour. There was no rush whatsoever. Next time we are in town staying at City Suites, we will definitely return to Cumin!

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    My friend wanted to come here because she's from Southern India and was excited to find a…read morerestaurant that served her region's food. This charming place is tucked away in the Avondale neighborhood. I was able to find parking right in front. Sharing is the best way to go here so you can try everything! This is great place to eat if you're vegetarian. Everything we ordered wasn't spicy so don't be discouraged when ordering. I'll highlight some of the dishes that stood out to me: Kappa bonda: These yucca balls were packed with flavor! The yummiest bites. Kadala curry: This simple curry was so delicious and its vegetarian! The appam was cooked perfectly and it was my first time having it. Meen Pollichathu: I feel like anything cooked in banana leaves is always packed with flavor. The portion is decent and the fish was delicious! Flavors of the whole plate blend very nicely. I'll definitely be back!

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