Chai Wallah
Restaurant · Plano ·
Authentic Kashmiri chai, fusion cuisine, and desi desserts
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Authentic Kashmiri chai, fusion cuisine, and desi desserts
"This lovely tea house on the Frisco border is one of our favorite meeting spots in Plano, where you can sink into zebra-print couches and catch up with friends over tea and snacks. The Kashmiri chai, infused with cardamom and crushed nuts, is almost as comfy as the furniture, and as colorful too—pink from a 20-minute brewing method that involves baking soda. You can get classic Desi street foods like samosas and pani puri, or something more substantial like a butter chicken tikka sandwich if you’re looking to make a meal out of it." - erin booke
"This lovely tea house on the Frisco border is one of our favorite meeting spots in Plano, where you can sink into zebra-print couches and catch up with friends over tea and snacks. The Kashmiri chai, infused with cardamom and crushed nuts, is almost as comfy as the furniture, and as colorful too—pink from a 20-minute brewing method that involves baking soda. You can get classic Desi street foods like samosas and pani puri, or something more substantial like a butter chicken tikka sandwich if you’re looking to make a meal out of it." - Erin Booke
"Though it was made popular by Samina Qazi’s pink Kashmiri chai, Chai Walla is not just a cafe. Specialties from Peshawar, a northwest city in Pakistan, such as the chicken or beef pulao (seasoned Basmati rice with nuts and dried fruit) and the chicken or beef karahi (a spicy meat stew) from Qazi’s family recipes, also make worth a visit. The cafe serves lunch and dinner, as well as afternoon tea, in a comfortable, coffee shop-style space with couches, chairs, and coffee tables. It’s great for meeting up with friends to catch up. On weekends, it serves brunch from noon until 3 p.m." - Didi Paterno
"It took 30 years of running three gas stations across the Metroplex before Samina Qazi achieved her dream of opening a chai cafe. Chai Wallah is the first of its kind." - Didi Paterno
"I began my independent work with a farmers market stand called Chaiwalla, an early incarnation of my cooking that later evolved into the pop-up series Anjore and ultimately the Puli-Ra food truck." - Nadia Chaudhury
