Chai Guys in Tower Hamlets

We went to the location on Portobello road. Absolutely lovely staff who patiently explained the different flavors and gave us some samples. Selected the Kesar chai. Absolutely the best chai I have outside of an Indian home. Rich and full of flavor. Also tried the cardamon bun. Fantastic! Went to the Spitafields location today to enjoy it again. Consistently just as tasty as my first cup. Definitely worth trying. Two thumbs up!

Very brilliant idea to combine chai tea and pastries/breads. There are 4 types of chai on offer. Original masala chai with strong flavors and spices, vegan masala chai the original masala chai with oat milk, Kadak chai more creamier than the original one, Kesar chai, a blend of chai tea with saffron and rose. As a chai fan, I was satisfied with the taste. Pastries with beautiful shapes are appetizing. I tried kouign-amann with fresh creamy passion fruit curd, samosa pastry, masala pain suisse with chocolate and chai custard and spicy tomato aubergine danish. Everything is delicious, friendly staff….recommended!

The tea was overbrewed, had a strong tanin flavour and unfortunately while I like cardamom it was the most overwhelming flavour that you couldn’t taste the other spices

We went to the new Chai Guys in Notting Hill on Portobello Road, tucked between antique markets, vintage clothes shops and other small artesian food stores -- a great area to wonder around. Having spent a decade in India, it was fun to get a taste of nostalgia. It's not quite the chai of the ubiquitous chaiwallahs at the railway stations, in fact much better. It was a Sunday and crowded. Most customers queued up for takeout rather than wait to squeeze into one of the small tables and a stool or bench, but we enjoyed watching the bustle. The masala chai was steaming and tasty, but it was the pastries that blew me away. I had a Danish with a spicy samosa filling that was fresh from the backroom bakery, flakey and a wonderful combination of tastes. Chai Guys, the brainchild of Gabriel Unger and Abhilash Jobanputra, has been around for a few years in Spitalfields and Covent Garden. This one, which opened in November, added the bakery that makes it a standout.

London has so many Chai spots now that it’s common thing to find several Chai stalls and shops in an area. I got multiple chances to try Chaii Guys during my stay in Shoreditch area. The stall is located in Old Spitalfields Market which was at walking distance of where I was staying. I tried their Karak, Masala and Kashmiri Teas. As for customer service, as it’s a stall, you only interact with staff at the till who take and serve your order. One of them I found friendly, one acted just to-the-point and one just felt bored and agitated. So the spectrum is quite contrasting. Karak tea is their best item, it’s quite refreshing in taste. Masala tea is in the middle, sometimes it’s balanced and once it was overdone. The most polarizing item they serve is their Kashmiri Pink Tea. They do a savory variant and claim many people love it. For me a Kashmiri Tea is more about aroma of sweetness with added pistachio and cardamom, although abstract, their version was my least favorite. So quite average experience in this aspect as well. The pricing is same as Tea Shops in London, not a stall price but I don’t mind as long as there is quality. You can visit this place if you are in Old Spitalfields Market and a Chai craver like me. I suggest to try their Karak. For other items, to each their own.

One of the stalls at the Seven Dials Market was Chai Guys. Had the Kadak chai which was not very kadak (strong). A little disappointing since they claim to be the best chai in town.