Chaayos Cafe at Oshiwara — Restaurant in Mumbai

An additional star for making a non -chai lover a fan of Chaayos ! I am not a fan of tea, but I loved Chaayos.

Reasons: Simple, laid back ambience where you can come at night in your pyjamas and relax (yes there actually were people in pyjamas) 2.Iced Teas!( I went again for them !)

When on link road, Chaayos is hard to miss with it bright bold entrance.I personally feel that the best time to visit would be at evening or night, as the ambience just feels even more relaxed and casual.( I visited )

A special mention for Mehboob who guided us through the food and drinks and was honest enough to tell us which dishes aren't getting a great response, and that they were working on. Admire the honesty.

We ordered a plethora of food and drinks since Chaayos was a long pending visit !

Hot tea

1.Kulhad chai Served in a tall kulhad glass, the taste of saffron in the tea was pretty evident. Earthy, rich flavoured; the chai when cold doesn't taste good, so sip it fast!

2.Cutting chai For my chai lover company, who couldn't miss her favorite basic tea after the whole meal. In her words, "it was just as she liked"

Cold drinks

3.Kala khatta Ice Tea Being a die hard fan of gola, kalakhatta as a flavour in a drink was like music to my ears.But kala khatta in a tea flavour !?! I honestly had no expectations from this, but I was immediately proven wrong! I immensely RECOMMEND this drink to everyone.

4.Aam Panna Ice Tea Just when I thought it couldn't get better than the Kala khatta, we are served the aam Panna iced tea- MIND-BLOWING in simple words- perfect in flavour, refreshing and with a light tea flavour which blended so perfectly all together!

5.Modinagar Shikanji Impressed by the previous 2 drinks, I ordered for a Shikanji, which again was just perfect ❤ Simple & accurately balanced, this was when I decided I loved Chaayos.

Food

1.Bun Maska Ordered it with a kulhad chai. Bun maska with kulhad chai tastes too sweet. Have it with your regular cutting chai and you are good to go. Simple & fresh.

2.Palak Patta crispies Read about this immensely lauded dish, and was quite excited to try it. Honestly, it was just a very okay dish with the palak leaves not too crispy and the toppings of sev,onion and jalapenos just thrown on them.

3.Chicken Loaded open paratha A paratha or a pizza ? In looks and presentation, a pizza - but it's actually a paratha! Another loved dish. Oodles of melted cheese along with the chicken and it's gravy, was absolutely a delish affair.

4.Chicken Seekh Pao //Hot garlic Two pieces of chicken seekh in a pao and your choice of spread - Hot Garlic or Arabian Mint. We went for hot garlic, as suggested by our server. The seekh was nice & stiff(just as i prefer) , and along with the coriander dip,makes for a perfect quick bite.

5.Spinach Corn Cheese Sandwich A thick bread stuffed with a thin layer of a spinach corn & cheese filling. The taste of bread was majorly overpowering the filling which was minimal. The sandwich is too heavy because of the bread itself.

Dessert

6.Kulhad Jalebi Extremely thin, immensely crispy jalebi, which tasted more like your snacking wafer sticks.The jalebi was made tasteless and crispy and then dipped in sugar syrup: not the conventional taste, but the concoction created was more of a chewing-to-pass-your-time kind of food.

The fragrant aroma of chai is always present in the outlet and as described, Chaayos sticks to its definition of being a chai cafe: A variety of chai with a limited yet precise menu to go along with it's theme.

Go chill...

" Ek Garam Chai ki Pyaali ho"

Kaha? Only at Chaayos !

"A cup of Kadak Chai functions like autocorrect for my brain" - Chaayos.

Many judge me for not being a tea addict. But yes it's a fact. I am an occasional tea drinker and Chaayos is a place where I had tea after a long time.

It's winter and sipping hot chai feels good.

Oh wait. Chai and pakore also seem perfect in monsoon.

Chai is a magic key to refreshment of most of the people and I had an amazing one at Chaayos, they call it " KULHAD CHAI" typically desi.

So Chaayos is a nice cafe with its outlets spread across many places in Mumbai.

It's a rescue to many people as it functions from 7am to 1am. So one can drop in any time of the day and enjoy meals and beverages.

The interiors are basic and uncomplicated giving a simple vibe to its patrons.

The service was quick enough. It's basically a self-service funda that is implemented here.

What I ate and drank ?

So along with Kulhad Chai I ordered for a

PANEER BURJI BUN

This had a very homely taste to it. Not very spiced nor bland. But just too good. It was a good one to start my dinner with. These were 2 buns topped with a layer of Paneer Burji.

BUTTER CHICKEN KULCHA

These were 2 thick kulchas with 2 kulhads having butter chicken in them. The quantity of chicken pieces was good enough to suffice with the kulchas. It is sufficient for one person. The cardamon and cinnamon were holding a very prominent taste in the dish. I'm a big butter chicken fan and yes I enjoyed having them in a desi style from kulhads.

DESI COLD COFFEE

So when I read desi, I assumed it to have a desi twist to it. But I found it to be a regular cold coffee in a plastic glass. Didn't go well with the name.

So Chaayos also has iced tea's and milkshakes available with them for those who aren't used to sipping hot beverages.

CHICKEN OPEN PARATHA

This was an open paratha that looked much as a pizza cut into 6 portions. An Indian dish being served in a westernised form. The taste was really good. This dish is a hit from Chaayos and you must try it. It has keema chicken over this not-so-thick paratha. I may be wrong but one minor suggestion would be to serve something along with the paratha.

PALAK PATTA CRISPIES

These crispies are one of its kind with its chatpata flavors that linger over your tongue. The tangy chutney plays a good role over the spinach base crispies.

CHICKEN KEEMA CUTLETS

Minced chicken with herbs and spices served along with a dip. This is again one good appetiser to enjoy. Have it while its piping hot.

They have quite a good Nashta menu and also healthy sandwiches that you can relish. Their meals are very satisfying.

DESSERTS

CHOCOLATE FACTORY CAKE

It's a gooey chocolate explosion cake that has a very nice texture to savor your sweet cravings and also some nuts to balance the gooey-nutty proportion. It looks plain and dry but taste wise you won't regret ordering.

KULHAD WALI JALEBI

So Chaayos is serving some good desserts but if you've got the typical Indian palate do opt for Kulhad wali jalebis and enjoy freshly fries ghee jalebis from a kulhad. They were amazing.

Chaayos is a sure good place to meet over chai or for meetings or for a quick meal...

Such a cozy outlet and perfect vibe with a variety of options for all the chai lovers. Things I tried here are:

•Kulfi Shake - A boring filler to keep the non-TeaTotallers occupied while a Chai lover relishes their cup is what you'd expect this beverage to be. But Chaayos surprised you yet again. The presentation of this beverage does throw you off for it to be basic, yet with the delicious Kulfi flavour with a tinge of rose and presence of dry fruits, this makes for a great drink that Chaayos can encash more! A solid 9/10 for this Beautiful Desi dessert in a Glass.

•Kulhad Masala Chai - A product that the Food-service team recommends with pride and confidence can make or break the game of food that one steps out to dine for. This time we ended on the greener side of the fence because the staff recommended and USP of the brand, the Kulhad Masala Chai did steal the show for the evening with it's simplicity yet attention seeking nature. This cup of awesomeness gives you the familiar Spiced Chai that you may expect in the grand form it deserves. An 8/10 for this Chai but a +1 for the confidence that the team has on the food they serve.

•Chilli Cheese Toast - An unconventional serving of what you have been relishing since childhood is the only way to describe the Chilli Cheese Toast that Chaayos offers. They do not shy away from letting you know their agenda to bring to you the flavour you know and want. Two long sliced bread with some delicious cheese sauce and fresh green chillies on it breaks every expectations you have from a Chilli Cheese Toast, yet you fall in love with this invention never found. A great 10/10 for flavour, and creativity. They can definitely play the field for garnishing it but that definitely is not a deal breaker.

•Kulhad Mutter and Kulchha - Keeping the new-old traditions of food and bringing them to the modern dining, Chaayos sets a great example with their presentation of this simple but an enticing affair to look at. Two beautiful Kulhads with a good helping of Matar curry garnished just right, along with two fluffy modern Kulchas, this dish does set a bar with it's beauty that one may feel the food taste could not reach. This one time go scores a 9/10 for its presentation and food service!

•Baarish wale pakore - This is a dish that tries to reach your nostalgic heart with it's simplicity and the belongingness to the Chai that Chaayos prides upon. A great mix of Onion, Chilly, and Paneer Pakoras (Gram flour fritters) definitely act as a bridge between your Plate and the heart for the Chai to flow. You certainly feel there was a missing element of missing the oh so famous Aloo Pakoras (Potato Fritters) in this mix but you are not disappointed once you dig into the food. This order scores a...