Chashni Cafe — Restaurant in Montclair

I had brunch at Chashni Café in Montclair with my girl, and I’ll be real, this spot surprised me in the best way. It’s creative without trying too hard, and everything we ordered actually hit.

We started with these drinks: She had the Strawberry Matcha ($7.75) — smooth, not too sweet, and blended clean. You could taste both the matcha and strawberry without either one overpowering the other.

I got the Honey Cardamom Latte ($6.50), iced with oat milk. It was everything I didn’t know I needed — subtle spice, smooth, refreshing. One of those “glad I ordered this” moments.

I ordered the Breakfast Burrito ($12) and added beef bacon — and that instantly took it up a notch. The bacon had the right crisp and flavor without being tough. Add in the ranchero-style home fries, black beans, scrambled eggs, cotija, avocado, and that chipotle aioli… every bite was locked in. That aioli brought everything together.

She had the Desi Breakfast Bowl ($13), which had a real depth of flavor — masala home fries, eggs, mint chutney, pickled onions. It was bold, fresh, and flavorful without being heavy.

We wrapped it up with the Gulabi Waffle ($14), and I’m not gonna lie — that thing knocked me out. The waffle was warm and soft with gulab jamun vibes, and the kulfi ice cream on top was literally the icing on the waffle. Sweet, creamy, a little floral — but balanced. A solid way to finish the meal.

Whether you’re pulling up with your girl or just want a solid, elevated brunch spot with good energy — Chashni’s worth the stop. Food’s original, the vibe’s cool, and you’ll leave full...

I’ve been to their Montclair location a few times and didn’t enjoy the food or drinks any of the times. The first time I went with friends and we got their gulabi waffle , egg sammy , spicy smash burger , date salad, and matcha latte. The gulabi waffle was not good. I like rose water flavored things but this was not good …the rose flavor was too strong. The date salad was alright. The egg sammy was really good and their spicy smash burger was really good. The “hot” matcha had. cute latte art, but the drink was not hot at all. Not only was the drink not hot, but they also did not have a lot of non-dairy alternatives. I like almond or soy milk in my matcha lattes , but they only had oat milk as a non-dairy option. I went another time with my friends and we ordered a chai teapot with some desserts and once again the chai was not hot ….it was cold. I love drinking chai on a daily , but their chai did not taste like Pakistani chai at all!! It was watered down and cold. They also brought the tea out way too fast so I don’t think it was made to order , which it should be so it’s warm. The drinks and food are not cheap it cost over 15 bucks for a tea pot so the least they can do is make sure the drinks are good and make sure they are not cold if ordered hot. I will say the aesthetic of the place is nice! In my opinion, if your looking for good chai, their are better places like Qawah house in Clifton. Qawah house has very very good Yemeni chai and it’s always hot. Overall, it overpriced and they need to improve...

I will start with the positives: great food, pleasant atmosphere. I visited today (Sunday) and all the empty tables, except for one had a reserved card on them. My partner and I arrived before the rush started. My partner’s dish (waffles) came out about 20min after mine, after we asked about it and were told the order ticket didn’t print. We also ordered an affogato and the espresso had a significant burnt taste. I love espresso and can take bitter but this was beyond that. We asked for a refund and one of the staff on the floor said she would issue it. We then had to ask numerous times for the refund, to the point of going back to the register area where the young woman taking orders asked the other customers in line if it was ok she take a moment to issue us the refund! She issued less than the amount paid. Then we asked for the manager’s business card and the person working the espresso machine told me they didn’t have a business card but that he was the manager on duty. I asked him how to get in contact with the manger and he directed me to the cafe’s website. He never asked if he could help with anything or resolve the issue. Also to note, many people seeking to sit were turned away because the tables were reserved. As a small cafe with order at the register and no servers, you should not be accepting reservations, especially on his traffic days, such as a Sunday. There were limited staff working for Sunday brunch. Hopefully they resolve these...