Chaiiwala Of London - Scarborough — Restaurant in Toronto

Was a little hesitant about trying the nashta here since the general reviews of their food arent good but still visited. The server at the counter greeted us very kindly and took our order. We placed our order for food but we realized they didn’t have any sodas to serve. Only Schweppes Ginger Ale apparently. We let that slide thinking they don’t keep sodas in general. Ordered the halwa puri nashta on a weekday (the only option on a weekday we had) with a plain roti, chicken patty and karak chai. The portion sizes for halwa puri were fitting for one person even though they initially looked smaller. The puri weren’t as oily but really thin and air-filled.. they were cracking into small pieces instead of bite sizes… halwa wasn’t as sweet which was good however the channay were underwhelming. The chickpeas were undercooked and the curry with it was bland and watery. The plain roti was almost the size of my hand and so small it literally finished in 4 bites. The chicken patty tasted like it was stale and not tasty at all. Now the one thing they are best known for… the chai… I have previously had their karak chai and it was really good HOWEVER… this time around, I got a cup of chai with TOO MUCH added sugar in it (the person taking the order forgot to ask me if I wanted sugar or not) which can be overlooked but what couldn’t be overlooked was the sour taste in my chai.. like the milk used was spoilt. I took a few sips and realized something was terribly wrong. It was such an awful taste that I almost threw up the food I had just eaten. It was so bad that I had to go back to the counter and let them know my concerns. They nicely replaced the chai with another cup and apologized which was very kind of them. Now comes the price… the toughest part about being served bad tasting food is overpaying for it…we were two people eating a small portion of food and paid around $45. It sounds ridiculous, but its true as the price range for a lot of the items on the menu just don’t make any sense. The only thing that was worth paying for was the chai to be honest and this time, that too was a little...

We ordered the kebab roll and egg roll, along with a karak Chai and coffee. Also couldn't resist trying a gulab jamun cheesecake since it was pretty unique. Would definitely be back to try more of their drinks and rolls, but would skip the sweet stuff...

PROS -Service is very friendly, and prompt. Cashier was really helpful making recommendations and explaining the menu etc.

-Pricing on all menus items is pretty decent for TO standards. Chais around $3-4, and savory items around $5-6.

-Food and Chai tasted really good. I was actually more impressed by the rolls we got than the Chai to be honest. The egg roll (with all the fixings) tastes exactly like a desi-omelet should taste and is super satisfying. The kebab roll, which comes filled with its own chutney and onions, tastes exactly like a streetfood you'd get in Lahore somewhere. I believe the egg roll is wrapped in a roti while the kebab is wrapped in a flaky paratha. Would definitely be back for more.

-Ambiance and decor is really nice. Place is a bit small for sit in (4 tables) but you can still appreciate the decor.

Karak Chai and coffee were both very good. I've had chai as decent as this elsewhere in Scarborough, so while I wasn't blown away, it was still very satisfying. The karak coffee was something new, and also worth a reorder.

CONS -TBH the cheesecake was a bit of a let down. Although sounds good in concept, it wasn't anything to write home about. Still something unqiue enough to try once, but never again. Also, our slice barely had a full jamun piece in it - let's say it didn't look like the marketing material.

-Chai and coffee come already sweetened...a little bit too sweetened for my liking. The good news is you can choose to have a sugar free option. Try asking for the sugar on the side if you don't want...

It was my first time going to Chaiiwala and I have to say it was a quite disappointing experience. First of all if the company put more effort into the food then into the decor maybe it would make the experience better for customers. Second of all I ordered a Karachi bun kabab and what I received was no where close to a Karachi bun kabab. To be straightforward it was a disgrace to an authentic Karachi bun kabab. It was so overpriced and quite small adding to that disappointment there was a greasy egg on it which I had to pay an extra dollar for. The bun was super tiny and the actual patty of the bun kabob kept on falling apart making it super hard to even put in your mouth. For $6.00 you would probably want to go somewhere else then waste your money in this store. I also ordered malai boti in naan and the so called "naan" was literally just the ordinary frozen parathas you would find at your local grocery store. The malai boti wasn't as bad but to be honest it was quite small. Don't come to this place if you want dinner but if you are looking for a snack this could be a suitable place for you. Overall if you want something good from here just drink the chai other than that you will probably just...