Chai Pani
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Indian street food in Asheville. Winner of the Outstanding Restaurant James Beard Award in 2022. From five-time James Beard nominated chef Meherwan Irani.
Recommended by The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Rajesh on the corner. Chai Pani literally means “tea and water.” It's slang in India for going out for a cup of tea, a tasty bite, a snack, or “a little something.” In Downtown Asheville and Downtown Decatur (Atlanta), it means groundbreaking, fun, affordable, and “mindblasting” Indian street food that’s changing the perception of Indian cuisine
Our new Malai Paneer Tikka is smokin’ 🔥😮💨 (literally)! Tender paneer chargrilled and marinated in cream, yogurt, cardamom, green chili & nutmeg. Served sizzling hot with blistered onion and bell peppers 🫑💥🧅 Luxurious, delicious, and one of our all time new favorites 🙌 The weekend is upon us friends, come & see us! ❤️
You know with all this new space we had to bring y’all new MERCH! 🔥 Our design team has put all of the heart quality into 🆕 T-shirts! Sweatshirts! Hats! Totes!
We’ve got a little something for everyone to spread the Chai Pani love 💕 Our new styles can be found in stores at our Asheville & Decatur locations. Come see us this week and pick out your new fave 🤩
Chili Bajji 🌶️ Our new dinner special, available tonight & tomorrow only! Beautiful local assorted fry peppers in gram flour, with chaat masala, red onion cilantro, and mint chili mayo. $12.99
We are so back, Asheville! 🌟 Thank you for your patience as we got our hot water heater fixed. We’ll officially be back open and ready to welcome you all with open arms TONIGHT! We’ll be open with full dine-in service from 5pm-9:30pm ✨
Seriously– we can’t thank you all enough for all of the support you’ve shown us over the past few days, it means the world to us. Come see us tonight. We’ve missed you, friends. ❤️
Rumors are true..we’re coming for you, DC! 😍
We’re officially bringing our chaats and mindblasting Indian street food to come Spring 2025 💥 Check out the link in our bio to read full details in Eater. We can’t wait to meet you, DC! ❤️
We are still working on getting our hot water heater repaired, and will continue to only offer takeout & delivery orders today. Head over to chaipani.com to place pickup orders, or order in-person. Our friends have offered to let our guests bring food into their taproom (next door!) while our dining room is closed. 💕
We will also be accepting delivery orders through & . Get some right to your door!
We’re working to get this fixed as fast as we can, and appreciate all of your patience so much! 🙏 We’ll keep you all posted on when our dining room is reopen and ready for you ❤️
While we work on getting our hot water heater repaired, we will only be able to offer takeout & delivery orders. Head to chaipani.com to place pickup orders, or order in-person. Our friends have offered to let our guests bring food into their taproom (next door!) while our dining room is closed. 💕
We will also be accepting delivery orders through & . Get some right to your door!
Thanks for your patience while we get these repairs done. 🙏 We love you!
Hi friends! Unfortunately our hot water has gone out, so we will only be able to offer takeout orders until it’s fixed. Our neighbors at have kindly offered for our guests to eat in their space next door, or take some over to the Block Party on Buxton Ave! 🎇
South Slope is the place to be for tomorrow, July Fourth! 💥 Downtown Asheville’s Fourth of July block party & fireworks have also moved to the South Slope this year. Music & family-friendly activities kick off at 12pm on the corner of Buxton Ave & Coxe Ave, with fireworks scheduled for 9:30pm! 🎆
We’ll be open with our regular Thursday hours (11:30am-3pm & 5pm-9:30pm). MG Mini will be open during our dinner service, with Pani Puri to snack on while you wait 🍸
PLUS, we’re bringing back the Chai Pani ‘Auto-Rickshaw’ in partnership with & 🚗 Free rides will be available from 12-7pm, with stops at Chai Pani, Coxe Ave Parking Garage, and the Fourth of July Block Party. This will be first come, first served - with one loop per limit. Please remember to tip your lovely driver!❤️
It’s gonna be a party y’all, we’ll see you there!🎊
Hurry by for Slow Drinks - today only! 💥 Danny Child’s ( ) is joining us for a bar takeover and putting his ‘Foraged + Fermented’ philosophy to a few of our most popular cocktails 🍸 Check out our Slow Drinks special menu below, happening today while supplies last!
🌿 Slow Drinks Special Menu 🌿
The Pani - Danny’s homegrown elderflower liqueur, cilantro-infused vodka, firewater bitters, lime, & Prosecco.
The Kaapi - Tito’s vodka, Danny’s homemade chicory & sassafras syrup, Averna, and South Indian style filter coffee. Served frothy & up.
The Chaat House Punch - Rum blend, Garam Masala oleo saccharum, Rooibos, & lemon.
Rhubarb Hibiscus Ginger Beer - A refreshing soda we’ll have during our dinner service. Add tequila if you want! ✨
Danny will also have signed copies of Slow Drinks, t-shirts, and tote bags available for purchase. Cheers, Asheville! 🥂
Friday & Saturday nights are for MG Mini 😍 Our gorgeous new upstairs bar is the perfect place to hang if we’re on a wait! You can put your name down, and head on up to enjoy a cocktail and a plate of pani puri (or two) 🍸 The perfect way to start the night. See you this weekend, Asheville! ❤️
📸: .jpg ✨
Big news, friends! We are officially back to offering takeout🍴We appreciate y’all being so patient as we get used to our new space, and are happy to say you can now place takeout or delivery orders with us Monday-Friday during lunch from 11:45am-2:15pm! 💥
You can find us on both UberEats & DoorDash, or place an order in-person or on our website 🤩 We’ll expand our availability as we work to incorporate this back into service. Thanks for all of your endless support & understanding, we love you! 💛
On Monday, July 1st, Chai Pani welcomes Danny Childs to its new Banks Ave digs where he will take over the Chai Pani bar and upstairs “MG Mini” to add some Slow Drinks specials to our menu, refreshing cocktails and a non-alc soda. 🌱🍸
concoctions will celebrate the flavors of Appalachia as well as India, featuring the spices, herbs, roots, and more shared between the two landscapes. Danny will be on site Monday evening to sell and sign books and make some drinks, and his offerings will remain on our menu through the week while supplies last! Details on when and where to join us are below 🤩
When: Monday, 7/1, Lunch & Dinner
Where: Chai Pani, 32 Banks Ave., Asheville
Tickets: FREE
One of our favorites from of our new menu items absolutely have to be our Sabudana Vada Tots ✨ When our culinary team, & traveled to India this past January, their first bite off the plane was a Sabudana Vada - a traditional deep-fried fritter from Maharashtra made from tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, and spices. 🌶️
Inspired by this delicious snack, they knew it had to have a place on our new menu. We put our own special spin on this because…who doesn’t love tots? Flash forward and Sabudana Vada Tots were born! 🌟 Perfectly spiced, crunchy on the outside, soft & tender tapioca pearls on the inside 🤤 Served with the classic Maggi ketchup and best shared between you and your friends. ❤️ Come see us this weekend, Asheville and try for yourself!
📸:
Asheville! We’ll be closed today, June 11th, to give our team some much needed rest. No need to worry though because is open today with all of your favorite Indian street food 😍 Right now you can even grab a delicious Bhel Puri to support and their upcoming Urban Garden Tour & Tasting!
We’ll be back open with our normal hours tomorrow. See you soon, friends. We love you! ❤️
Oh hello there, friends! 😊 We’re growing our team & have openings in both Back of House and Front of House. It’s an exciting time at Chai Pani. Not only did we just move to South Slope, but this year we’re also turning 15! Come be a part of our fun, hard-working, mindblasting restaurant crew. 🩷💛 See all job openings at the link in our bio.
Join us for Pani Puri TONIGHT! 🔥 Our live pani puri counter has long been a treasure at our Chai Pani Decatur location, so we are incredibly thrilled to be able to offer the same in Asheville with our expanded space. You can now find India’s quintessential street snack upstairs in “MG Mini” on Friday & Saturday nights 🙌 😍
What’s pani puri? The iconic one bite snack made with fresh puris (puffed flour crisps), stuffed with a mixture of potatoes and white peas. Then dipped into our teekah pani (spiced mint & cilantro water) and meetha pani (sweet tamarind water). Eat in one bite and enjoy the magic of crunchy, soft, spicy, & sweet altogether💥
No better way to begin the Chai Pani experience, just come grab a plate tonight and see for yourself 🙂↕️❤️ See you soon, friends!
The renovation of our new location has been a true labor of love! As our team brought Chai Pani “Deluxe” to life, we also worked to preserve the historical elements of 32 Banks Ave.
The first records we’ve found have dated the building opening up in 1936 as the “Asheville Skating Club,” a Black skating rink in Asheville. While not documented, it’s assumed that the murals of athletes were painted during this time to honor the Olympics the year the skating rink opened in 1936.
Our team drew a connection between these murals and Gymkhanas, historic Indian sports clubs where fans gather to watch cricket! The murals are now highlighted by red velvet drapes, with portraits of cricket stars and memorabilia dotting the walls. This space is the celebration of culture, history, and joy. We hope you feel it when you dine with us! ❤️
Read more about our journey to 32 Banks Ave in , link in our bio 🔗
📸 Before: Jacob Biba
📸 After:
We’re overflowing with gratitude, Asheville! 🥹🥰
It’s been a whirlwind first week at our new location, 32 Banks Ave. We’ve seen so many friends & neighbors for the first time in a while, which makes our hearts extra full!!
Expanding into this larger space allows us to provide you with the Chai Pani “deluxe” experience we’ve always dreamt of. Our team is rising to each and every challenge that comes with such a big move. To give you the best experience possible, we’re adjusting our weekend schedule slightly:
Friday, May 24 - Sunday, May 26
11:30am - 2pm
5pm - 9pm
Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day)
CLOSED
💜 Thank You! We love you!
📸
What an honor to be named one of the 20 Friendliest Places in the South 🥹 Chosen by and nominated by all of YOU! ❤️ Our goal has always been to welcome everyone into our restaurants and make you feel at home, and we’ve got the best teams making it happen. ✨
Thank you for the endless support. Read the full article at Southern Living and check out all of the great company we’re with. Ok! We love you! 🌼
“Hand-painted pop-art murals, hand-crafted floral chandeliers, the original 1920s floors—it’s a paradise of texture and color and precision.” has the first look at our new digs, and put into words what we’ve been thinking all along… “It’s a magic trick, really.” Read the full first look at the link in our bio!
Our grand reopening is tomorrow with lunch from 11:30-3 & dinner from 5-9:30. We hope to see you all there to celebrate the new space we’re calling home! 💛
📸
That’s a wrap, friends! 💛 Yesterday was our very last service at the OG Chai Pani location at 22 Battery Park Ave. We are full of so many emotions, but mostly excited and grateful for all of your support as we move onto the bigger and better 💥
We’ll be closed starting today through May 20th, but back and better than ever with our grand reopening on May 21st at our new location on 32 Banks Ave, so mark your calendars! 🌟🗓️
Ok! Thank you! We love you!
P.S. - don’t forget you can swing by for any cravings while we’re away 😍
Some of our team attended the inaugural PROpel AVL Awards last night to honor our very our very own COO,
✨ Charlotte Stack ✨ nominated for the award in recognition of her outstanding leadership leadership in our field. We’re beyond grateful for your leadership and love every day Charlotte, and are so proud to celebrate you! ❤️🌟
A new era is upon us! Our BIG move is fast approaching! Come say farewell to the little chaat house that started it all….
📍Our final day of service at 22 Battery Park Ave. is Sunday, May 12th.
📍Chai Pani Asheville will be closed from May 13-20.
📍We will reopen at 32 Banks Ave. on Tuesday, May 21.
Prepare yourself for a DE-luxe Chai Pani experience: a Bollywood wedding meets gymkhana club meets tata truck parking lot. It will be a feast for the senses with heart quality! Ok! Thank you! We love you! 🩷🩵💚
Our SPDP may just be thee quintessential chaat 👀 Sev Potato Dahi Puri is everything you need all in one — crisp puris stuffed with masala potatoes, topped with green & tamarind chutney, onions, cilantro, yogurt and sev 🌼 Crunchy, spicy, tangy & sweet in just one bite.
It’s so good, it’s one of the only dishes that can be found at ALL of our restaurants 🔥 Taste & Believe, friends! 💛
AIR is all about food in Asheville – delicious, locally-sourced, award-winning food. But we are also about making a difference in the kitchen, at the table, and in the community. Today, our 16-member board leads an organization of 150+ members, making us the largest not-for-profit (501C-6) organization of our kind in the U.S.
Our kitchens are cooking. The tables are set. We’re saving a seat for you. Come experience how AIR is food in Asheville…and so much more.
We are always looking for new independent restaurants members to support, if you are interested please click the link in bio for more information.
📸 Featuring the Chai Pani team hard at work during the Taste of Asheville event.
Drink Mango Lassi & support World Central Kitchen! Please join us for this month-long fundraiser, Benevolent Spirits, to directly support WCK’s life-saving work around the globe. You can help support at any of our restaurants during this time by grabbing a Mango or Strawberry Lassi! 🥭❤️
Asheville! Join us for dinner at Chai Pani or Botiwalla on Thursday, April 25th to give back to Western North Carolina AIDS Project ⭐️
We’ll be participating in Dining Out for Life and donating 100% of net profits from our dinner service at both restaurants to our friends at WNCAP!
You can support by dining in, getting takeout, or ordering delivery with us that night 💥🙏
⏰ Chai Pani: 5:30pm-9:30pm
⏰ Botiwalla: 5pm-9pm
Western North Carolina AIDS Project’s mission is to provide equitable access to care and reduce harm from HIV, Hepatitis C, and drug use. WNCAP was founded in 1986 by a small group of committed volunteers. During the early years of the AIDS epidemic, WNCAP founders provided food, comfort, and care to people with AIDS-related illnesses. Read more at WNCAP.org. 💛
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Address
32 Banks Avenue
Asheville, NC
28801
Opening Hours
Monday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 9:30pm | |
Tuesday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 9:30pm | |
Wednesday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 9:30pm | |
Thursday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 9:30pm | |
Friday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 10pm | |
Saturday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5:30pm - 10pm | |
Sunday | 11:30am - 3pm |
5pm - 10pm |
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