Chiyaba — Restaurant in Tokyo

Amazing. Here’s my experience: I ORDERED👇 • Masala chai • Khukuri rum chai • Lemon chai tea • Holy Kathmandu chai • Oatmeal cookies • Cacao / Berries bliss balls

This was my second visit.

💡WHY I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT:

In short, I’d give 5 stars to everything. It is all so well curated. From each and every menu item, to the service, the interior, the music, the smell, the concept. Their「Masala chai」is amazing. It takes time to make it, and it’s a good sign. You can feel it’s made from scratch on the spot, the flavours are complex and you taste all the spices in there. Drinks are not sweetened. It’s all natural. +1000 points! If you really like a spicy hot drink when it’s cold outside, but don’t feel like drinking milk, I recommend the「Lemon masala tea」. Comforting and healing 🧘‍♀️ ⭐️A huge surprise was the 「Rum masala chai」: you basically get a shot of rum that you mix into the chai, and the resulting hot cocktail is an explosion of adult flavours that, combined with the atmosphere of the place, its low-light and bgm, makes you want to meditate for hours. If I wasn’t in a rush I would have started reading a book after that drink. The「Holy Kathmandu chai」was another pleasant surprise. It reminded me of coffee but it wasn’t. I would get it again. I would get everything again.

And love the staff! They were really nice and smiled at me the whole time. I’m especially happy that I could see their whole faces. Greatly facilitates human connections building. +1000 points!

🍪Their「cacao bliss ball」and 「berries bliss ball」paired so nicely with the spicy drinks, pleasant, healthy and naturally sweetened! My favourite was the berries one, it really had a pleasant combination of flavours and aromas. The「oatmeal cookies」, cacao flavoured, which I automatically proceeded to dip into the chai, reminded me of the classic Italian breakfast (milk+cookies) 🥰

🪑The interior is very aesthetic, good both for a relaxing chat with a friend, and I’d easily pick this place for a date. There are trees, pretty pottery, Nepal-themed history, recipe and tea books. The bgm goes so well with the theme. So so relaxing.

I want to go back for their「ginger oatmeal cookies 」, which were sold out this time! The donuts that someone else ordered smelled amazing, but we didn’t try them.

🔌There are power outlets, but no Wi-Fi. 💳 cashless payments only. Including PayPay.

🕰️I came both in the morning and in the afternoon on a weekend. There were lots of available seats in the morning before lunch time. There were a few available seats in the afternoon. No line.

We’re two Italian sisters going cafe/restaurant-hopping! Follow our Instagram account 👉 @italiansinjapan We share the best spots we find around...

Chiyaba was long on our visit list when it opened in 2022, but alas covid wouldn’t agreed to our travel plans.

3 years later, we arrived to this charming and charismatic space with a sleeping toddler, quite worried about his admission since we have a stroller on hand.

But any reservation that we had was quickly put to ease when we were warmly invited by the tending staff who spoke perfect english to let ourselves be at our own comfort inside.

It was inviting. We were surrounded by an alluring scent of spices that was playing softly in the background. Enough to be noticed, but not overwhelmingly attention seeking.

The host introduced to us the menu and recommendation based on our preferences. The drinks were crafted in front of us and brewed to perfection - both hot and cold.

The experience was a big highlight of our trip in Tokyo. We want to specially thank the shop manager who gifted us with such a hospitable stay and memorable servings of chai.

Arigato...

Fantastic chai!!!

I'm a picky chai drinker, as I usually make my own at home from scratch. However, I was craving a chai while on vacation and heard about this delightful spot under the train tracks. I'd already tried a few other spots in Japan and hadn't been able to find that authentic taste until Chiya-ba.

Here, you'll find a perfectly balanced mix of sweetness-spice-milk-tea. You can taste each element without any overpowering the others, a hard feat in the chai world. I got an iced masala chai to go and regretted not getting more. The staff are also super welcoming and friendly! If I lived in Tokyo, I'd come here every day...