Chai Pani Decatur

Reviews 6

GL

Glass Tiger Tinting

You can tell by my profile that I dont do a lot of reviews, but I felt compelled to do so after visiting this restaurant. First of all, the food was really good. I had the Sloppy Jai, and I have to say it was excellent. Not overpowered with curry seasoning like you will find with some Indian restaurants. Loved the feel of the restaurant as well, laid back, a cool kind of dive bar restaurant feel, which I enjoy. Im not one for frills, but thats just me. My brother was also very satisfied, but I cant remember what he had. The plates are kind of small so any other food that you want to put on the plate makes it a bit tough to keep everything tidy, without pushing food onto the table with your fork when you dive in. But no big deal. Just can lend to a bit of a mess if you arent careful. I am only giving 3 stars, mainly because of the service. We both quickly ran out of something to drink, and had to go find something on our on. Had the Chai tea, which was wonderful, and they advertise free refills, but no one is paying attention. After they bring you your food, the service pretty much stops. After I ran dry, I was watching the rest of the wait staff to see what was going on, and I could see the entire restaurant because I sat near the end. Plate after plate came out, but there was absolutely not one person coming around to check up on their patrons after the food was served. If you wanted something to drink, just ....punt. Or go get yourself a refill, which is right over....there. The owner of this establishment is sitting on his laurels, based upon the fact that he does not respond to reviews, of which he has many, and try to address the situation with a reply. Listening to the general publics comments would be a clear indicator of where this restaurant is missing the mark. I see some other customers stating the same thing. So it is inconsistent. The wait staff and the girl that was taking the orders at the front door all have that 1000 yard stare if you know what I mean. They know you are there, but dont quite see you. I will definitely come back for the food again, but I know what to expect. I dont go out just to eat, but look to have an excellent experience, which this place is sorely missing on the service side. Paid 18.00 for what I had, which included a 3.00 tip for no service, because I dont want to be a stiff. This place really needs a tuneup, and would be so easy to address this one single issue.

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SH

Sheara J

This is not your typical Indian restaurant-- street food is the theme and they do an amazing job! Fun and lively atmosphere. Went here on a Friday night-- parking is a bit tough, but there is a decent amount of street parking nearby. They do not take reservations, so be prepared to wait a little. On Friday and Saturday nights they sell a snack in the waiting area (5 mini- puris for $2.50. Not too spicy, a tiny bit messy to eat, but fun while you wait). It is easy to over-order because there are so many fun things to try. The food re-heats well so dont let that stop you from trying lots of things. Good drink menu-- definitely recommend trying the "Aromatic Rickey" as it was a personal favorite at our table. If its your first time, I would recommended some non-spicy items (Matchstick Okra Fries, Green Mango Chaat) mixed in with some great spicier items (Chicken Pakoras, Bombay Chili Cheese Fries, Kathi Kabob Roll). They also recommend the Sloppy Jai, (which come on a bread roll) but we realized that the meat is the same as what is put on the Cheese Fries and we loved the crispiness of the fries. They also serve Thalis for those looking for a more traditional meal of rice, meat, veggies, and a dessert all served on a platter in individual silver dishes. Hands down, one of the most delicious thalis that I have ever tried! Service was excellent and I cant wait to go back soon!

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ST

Stephen T

I dont know why its taken me so long to go here. It was fantastic. My friends and I got a little carried away and we ordered way more than we could handle. We pretty much sampled all the appetizers and a couple of the main dishes. We had the okra fries, the Bombay fries, chicken pakora, green mango chaat, sloppy jai, chicken thali, bhel puri, and the kathi kabab roll. Every single thing we had was awesome. For you non-spicy lovers, theres plenty to eat here that wont make you cry so dont worry about the heat. Picking a favorite is difficult. I would say that the okra fries were awesome to start off with. Just a tad too salty, but outside of that, I couldnt stop eating them. The Bombay fries were awesome. It was topped with what I think was paneer, cilantro on little matchstick fries and a liberal amount of some lamb curry. Parking here can be a little difficult because it shares parking with Farm Burger. Its typically crowded; so plan accordingly!

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NI

Nisha Patel

We went to eat at chai-pani once but will never be back again because Ill tell you my reasons. First of all before going there I heard lot about this restaurant and had a high expectations from it. apon arrival at the restaurant there was a waiting on Saturday which is fine so we eat pain-puri (very expensive) 5 for $3.50 and it was less then ok if someone doesnt know what is pani-puri then it is for them not for a pani-puri fan. After seating us on a table for some time no body would attend us so we had to raise the hand many times to get their attention to serve us. We ordered 2 to 3 different dishes but to my disappointment they were very bland not a real Indian food its more of a American food with Indian food labeled. Well that was our opinions but there are people might like this kind of a food but its definitely not my kind of a taste food. Over all one line I can say " its highly over rated restaurant Ive ever been to"

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GE

Geethal Fernando

I am a Canadian from South Asian origins living in the South. During my visit to Asheville we decided to try this out due to good reviews. The ambiance was great and we had samosa with channa as an appetizer. They were good, not too spicy. I had the thali for the main course that came with butter chicken. Boy was I disappointed. The dhal had too much cumin and butter chicken was so watery. It lacked tomatoe paste and more cream. It was a bad chicken curry and not even close to butter chicken. I make better butter chicken at home than these guys could. The "Naan" they served is NOT naan. Its a poor quality pita bread. If youre new to indian food, maybe this may please you. But people who have experienced authentic Indian food will be disappointed. Its not worth the money. Service was good however and food was a disappointment.

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AS

Ashwini Jindal

love this place! the best street indian food you can get in America or at least in atlanta that I have tasted. I tried another spot in Portland, OR called Bollywood Studios but it was nothing even close to this place. I try to visit this place as often as i can but its a little too far from where I live. if it was closer I would be visiting them at least once a week if not more. their new addition to Gol Guppas or pani puri as some might call it, is just amazing and very tasty and very friendly services. Tea is usually good, however last time we visited about 2 weeks ago it was not as great as it usually is. Still the food is always great and very friendly staff.

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