Chaiwalla

The atmosphere is cute, like you’re in someone’s home. However, the food also seems like it’s coming from someone’s home — doesn’t have a professional, restaurant quality. Nothing was bad, I just felt like I could’ve made everything myself fairly easily. The exception is the tomato pie, which is fantastic!
The big teapot is a nice touch.

Mmmmmm artichoke grilled cheese. Add watercress. You won’t regret it.

With an atmosphere and wait staff reminiscent of your crazy aunt’s parlor, Chiawalla delivers an experience both forgettable and annoying.
Lackadaisical and doddering staff fail to seat guests, leaving them guessing if this is family style casual or Parisian ambivalence. Bus crews treat table cleanup with a quick rag wipe and a shrug of resignation. Menu’s might appear after three requests if you are lucky, but you still won’t be seeing your tea anytime soon. It’s almost as if the formula for producing hot water and steeping tea was beyond the abilities of this tea house. While there certainly is an art to the process, 35 minutes is a tad extreme. Once placed the orders entered a void where only minions of Lovecraft lurk. We saw some of our meal at the 45 minute mark and the rest arrived 10 minutes later. I’m sure there are excuses, but the end result is one star.

Wonderful little restaurant in the heart of Salisbury CT. Thoughtful service, delicious cuisine, beautiful ambiance. The owner Mary is very pleasant and attentive to all customers.

The ambiance feels like someone’s very welcoming home — from the look, set-​up of the dining room, to the yummy smells from the kitchen. Great for breakfast/​lunch and really great desserts. No coffee available (it’s a tea place!) and they usually send you out to another café down the road for coffee. My only feedback is for the service staff to be more in-​tune with their guests — we seated ourselves, took a while for someone to take our order, I wanted some extra mustard and had to go up to the counter because no one looked after us after we had our food, took a while to get the bill, etc.

I mean, Chaiwalla is just the best. There’s not much more to say. I’ve been going there literally my entire life, and it’s probably my favorite restaurant in the world.
Favorites include: Tease Toast, French Toast, Chicken Club-​O-​Rooney, Potstickers, and of course, Chai tea. Also, ALL the desserts. If you go to Chai’s and don’t get dessert, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! (I especially love the chocolate banana, but they are seriously all amazing.)
Yes, it can get crowded, and people complaining about service should keep in mind that there are very few servers dealing with many, many customers. I, for one, have been to Chai’s literally hundreds of times, and service has always been excellent.

Can’t pass through Salisbury without stopping here. Think of it as stopping in someone’s home, with an open kitchen that turns out amazingly fresh breakfast and lunch options, perfect tea, and what seems like a dozen homemade dessert options. The Tomato Pie is the go-​to dish, and shouldn’t be skipped. French Toast is also a favorite of mine, and is well beyond the standard mushy Challah-​and-​syrup option you might get elsewhere. The individuals that run it are incredibly sweet and care about the food, and the flavors show that.
I’m sad to see a few negative reviews, but they’re surely aberrations. There’s no hostess stand, so you simply wait inside the front door until seats become available. On weekends it can be quite busy late morning or early afternoon, but some patience pays off and it is very pleasant to take in the smells and the sights of the nearby desserts while waiting. As it is a popular spot, it’s disappointing to hear another reviewer complain about being told their entire party should be present before being seated… more often that not, that’s the case with any popular spot.
Chaiwalla is a wonderful experience, and for me it’s a must-​do when in Salisbury.

The food is truly fantastic, whether you get the savory or sweet variety, but any trip here without choosing from the cakes is a missed opportunity. Besides that, Mary’s tea selections are perfect.

After reading the reviews I made sure to plan my lunch at an ‘off’ time to make sure it was not too busy to get in. I work across the street so I know first hand just how packed their parking lot can get. I made a good decision. My friend and I were promptly greeted at the door with warmth and friendliness. We walked into an intimate space with subtle antique furniture and showcased on the walls were photographs which as it turns out the restaurant showcases a new artist every month so you will get a different feel with each visit. How much fun is that!
Because it was a warm day we had the mint iced tea which was subtle in flavor and quite refreshing! The soup of the day was Lobster Bisque which I had a cup of (and a cup there is a soup bowl, I wonder how big the bowl would be had I ordered a bowl of soup instead, no skimping here!) and, of course, I had to try the Tomato Pie! Yum, just a perfect combination of cheese and tomatoes with a light flaky crust. My friend ordered the Shoppers Lunch which is an open faced sandwich on a grain bread loaded with artichoke hearts with a light creamy cheese sauce. I got to taste it and it was super delish! There were also tomatoes on the side. I would eat each of these dishes again.
Thank you, Mary for having such a little bit of paradise nestled up on the hill and making my first experience there a memorable one. I will be back with my mom!

Unrivaled. This restaurant is a perfect example of a modern tea room without the pretentious formality of more Victorian templates. A small dining room set in the once-​foyer of a cozy home set behind the windows which look out upon a small, tranquil, and bird-​filled garden. The kitchen staffed by the friendly owners is visible and serves only to tempt beyond the already tantalizing smells it produces. This is not your grandmother’s tea but it is reminiscent of the comforting ayer.
I very much enjoyed the selection on the menu: Tomato pie of a perfectly tender crust, rich ripe tomatoes, basil, and a mixture of light cheeses-​perhaps mozzerella and brie. A sandwich of spicy-​sweet tuna curry salad laden with plump raisins and tart apple upon toasted Bread Alone bread. A daily soup of savory, rich, and wholesome mushroom soup drizzled with a clean EVOO and beside a chewy-​crusted but airy spice muffin. Of the few menu items I tasted, more like the chicken salad sandwich, sauteed mushroom tartine, Irish oats, and classic egg dishes, only give more reason to return.
As for the sweeter side of things, wonderful looking bread puddings, fruit filled tarts, richly iced cakes, and sweet chai deck the menu. The tea assortment is broad, with many blacks, a fine Sencha green, several «exotic» blends, and a few herbal varieties compliment any forseeable menu choice.
Quite simply, Chaiwallah is a haven run by kind and caring owners. The prices aren’t low but for the region and quality, they are quite reasonable. A day of shopping at Barney and Sons teas in Mille town and a lunch at Chaiwallah: need life be more?

If I could give zero stars, I would, based purely on the unfriendly service we received at Chaiwalla today, and its disappointing contrast to our previous experiences. I met my mom there for brunch. My mom arrived early, after driving almost an hour to get there. I arrived ten minutes later, no more than that. In the intermin, my mom was seated, and then minutes after approached by a woman who said to her, in an extremely unpleasant tone, «Well, I really hope the rest of your party will be here soon, because I wouldn’t have seated you until everyone was here.» This type of policy is fine and not uncommon, but the tables were not full by any stretch, and if they didn’t want to seat her, they should not have done so and then spoken to her in such an unfriendly and ridiculously shaming manner. She was embarrassed and left, so when I arrived, she was waiting in the parking lot and did not want to go back in. I’ll never go back. On a street full of brunch options, there’s simply no reason to patronize an establishment where the service is openly nasty to repeat customers, regardless of the quality of the food.

I have been obsessed with Chai’s since the age of 13. I moved away from the area about 10 years ago and STILL have dreams about the strawberry rhubarb cobbler. I do not exaggerate: It is the best thing you will ever put in your face.
Mary runs the place and is about the nicest lady ever and the whole restaurant smells like HAPPY.
GET THE TEASE TOAST
other faves:
all desserts (check the dessert table first upon entering. If something you want looks like it may run out, CLAIM IT. I mean it. Dessert before brunch never killed anyone. Watching someone else take the last piece of carrot cake — just might)
the red BMW. (I HATE mayo but i will eat Mary’s herbed mayo, it’s divine)
the scholars delight
the TOMATO PIE
the fruit filled french toast
Basically. there is no menu item that will not make you cry with happiness. My friends and I have made special 2 hour drives from NYC JUST TO GO TO CHAI’s and then drive straight back. We order 2 things each (_​+ tease toast) because we can’t stand to not taste everything. IT IS THAT GOOD.
I know this sounds crazy but… Chai’s really is the best.

Despite living near this place for ages upon ages, I have only been here on one other occasion, perhaps when I was 14 or 15 years old. The one thing I remembered about that visit was consuming one of the best pieces of apple pie I had ever had the pleasure of placing in my mouth.
Flash to November 27^th, 2010…
I’m home in Connecticut, visiting my parents and my friends on an extended Thanksgiving vacation; some old childhood and high school friends wanted an afternoon tea date. As much as we love our Harney’s over in Millerton, NY, a little shake in the normal routine is exciting. Chaiwalla came to mind, and we decided to take the venture. On a day when the cold season’s first flurries gently floated around us like a snow globe, the inside of Chaiwalla welcomed us with pillow-​topped benches and chairs to sit on, an open kitchen, and a beckoning dessert table.
One thing I love about Chaiwalla: in a world of dozens of different chai syrups and concentrates, this restaurant does this seemingly unusual thing: THEY USE ACTUAL TEA. Yes, as in there are rich and authentic flavors floating in the hot milky cup in front of you, with grainy black bits in the bottom of your mug. HEAVEN. This is their «house tea», similar to a masala chai. It is served, made to order, from glass tea pots into glass mugs. The pot is placed on the table and heated with a glass-​enclosed tea lamp.
Once you have this, you’ll never want any other chai ever again. (Seriously, peace out Starbucks. I knew you were never authentic, but you always hit the spot… until now.)
Also, the beckoning dessert table beckoned fiercely indeed, and the next thing you know, there is a slice of Devil’s Food Cake with homemade vanilla frosting in front of me, with a slice of Raspberry Cheese cake to my left and a slice of Whiskey Cake to my left. There was no apple pie to revive those past childhood memories of mine, but I can now say I ate the worlds best Devil’s Food Cake, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Whiskey Cake whilst at Chaiwalla.
Oh.
My.
Word.
Makes me sad that I didn’t frequent this place more when I lived back in CT.
Makes me glad to know that I will frequent this place more when I go to visit my parents and friends in CT.
Makes me realize that I need to start putting money aside to I can splurge here next time I go back to CT.