Chai Shai

Debisree Ray

2 months ago · ★ 3

I discovered this Indian tea spot in the Fremont area through social media and had been wanting to visit for a while. When I finally stopped by one afternoon, the atmosphere was lively and festive, with music playing outside and a pani puri stall serving popular Indian street foods. Inside, the place was fairly quiet, so I grabbed a table and ordered an elaichi chai (cardamom tea) and a raj kachori. Raj kachori is one of my favorite Indian street-food dishes—a large crispy shell filled with yogurt, chutneys, spices, and various toppings that create a wonderful mix of sweet, tangy, spicy, and crunchy flavors. This version was very good. While I’ve seen raj kachori served with a few more elements in India, everything here tasted fresh and flavorful, so I was quite happy with it. The tea was the only disappointment. The cardamom aroma was lovely, but it was far too sweet for my taste. I would have preferred if the tea were made with little or no sugar and customers could sweeten it themselves. Aside from the sweetness, the tea was enjoyable, though I’ve definitely had better chai elsewhere. They also offer a variety of other vegetarian snacks, chaats, sandwiches, and breads. Overall, it’s a fun spot for Indian street-food lovers, and I’d recommend giving it a try.

Neel Sharma

4 months ago · ★ 4

The mall area feels dead. But as you’re approaching the establishment. You’ll see the well decorated location with tables and chairs outside. Several tables inside they even have board games!There was a group of ladies chatting it up, it gave real laid back hangout spot vibe. Would love to visit at night. Staff shared that the WiFi was down at the moment. They have a restroom for their customers. Staff is friendly and helpful. They have some light snacks, ice cream and… milk. They have a takeout ordering menu with photos ( I love that). Menu has 60+ items. I ended up ordering. Masala Chai + Parle G This was so good! Highly recommend, would make this a staple for my visits! Kanda ( onion) Poha. Honestly this was a bit disappointing. It had the right ingredients. Peanuts, Onions, Sev, Potatoes, Cilantro, 1 quarter a lime and fennel?? The dish came out hot but it just wasn’t tasty. It didn’t taste fresh, spices were bland and potatoes felt they were microwaved. Overall the dish was missing flavor and the smallest lime ever didn’t help. Wouldn’t order this again. But the spot is chill, I’m down to give it another shot. I’d love to try one of their Stacked and Packed Sandwiches.

Sh Dasgupta

3 months ago · ★ 3

I was looking to buy some desi tea on my way back jome from work. So i stopped here and ordered the ginger tea. I also got 2 bun maska as well. The tea tasted good. It had a kick of the ginger, not too sweet. And hot. But the bun maska was quite a disappointment at the price $5 each. The ambience looks nice. A good place for a chai and adda with friends. No noise of the traffic as it quite inside the strip mall. I recall seeing board games as well in there.

Ilma A

7 months ago · ★ 4

The chai here was one of the best I have had in the bay. We don't take sugar in our chai, so we ordered the masala chai. All other chai options came with sugar already added. We ordered pyaz pakora as an accompaniment and it was light, crunchy and delicious. If you are craving pakoras in this rainy season, this is the place to go!! The ambience is nice and cute. They have a collection of board games like Catan, Jenga etc. along with books and blocks for kids to keep busy while you enjoy your chai. We would definitely visit again.

Kokushou Rin

a month ago · ★ 1

Woman working there kicked everyone out at 8:30p when they don't close until 10. Many people making up several unrelated parties were all told the seating area was closed and to wait outside in the cold or sit and eat outside in the cold regardless of whether they ordered to-go or dine-in. Also, the only 2 tables outside were already occupied. Are we supposed to eat and drink standing up? When our order was ready and we asked if we could sit inside because all the outdoor tables were taken up, they said yes, but then carried a 2-top table outside for us - maybe a language barrier issue? Finally, when I tried to give their dishes and trays back, I got yelled at again for coming in. Well, if you want me to take your glassware home I'd be happy to keep them 😏 Also they were still going to be open for another hour. Why stay open if you aren't going to allow people to come in and buy stuff? I'm sure you want to go home, but then why don't you make your closing time an hour earlier? And if you can't because you're not the owner or part of the owner's family, do you want the owner to find out you're chasing potential customers away an hour and a half before closing? Anyway, the tea and food were good but not great. Certainly not any better than the other myriad Indian restaurants/chai tea houses in the Bay area. With so many excellent Indian restaurants open later with better hospitality all over the place, I'm sadly not sure it's worth dealing with the horrible parking lot and the unwelcoming atmosphere/service. If I wanted to stand out in the cold I'd go to a food truck.