CONCORD, CALIFORNIA – Downtown Concord has another destination for chai, Indian street-food-inspired snacks and late-morning meetups.
Chaiwala Shop has opened at 2008 Salvio Street, directly across from Todos Santos Plaza. The cafe occupies the former Cinnaholic storefront at The Shops at Todos Santos.
It is the third California location for Chaiwala Shop, following cafes in Fremont and Clovis. The business describes its concept as a modern take on the traditional Indian chai shop — a casual place to stop for a hot drink, a snack and conversation.
As its name suggests, chai is the centerpiece. A chaiwala is traditionally someone who prepares or sells tea, often from a roadside stand or small shop in South Asia.
The Concord menu offers an unusually wide selection of hot chai flavors, including ginger, cardamom, masala, saffron, fennel, rose, chocolate, paan and tulsi. Customers looking for something stronger can order kadak chai, a bolder and more intensely brewed version of Indian milk tea.
There are also blended options such as ginger-cardamom, ginger-masala and kadak-ginger chai.
One of the shop’s signatures is kullad chai, served in a traditional-style clay cup. The same idea carries over to the cafe’s kullad pizzas, which pair pizza ingredients with the distinctive clay-vessel presentation.
There’s food, too.
The largely vegetarian menu includes paneer pizza, Mumbai-style vegetable sandwiches, tandoori paneer sandwiches, grilled cheese, veggie burgers and several versions of Maggi noodles. Snack options include bun maska — a soft bun served with butter — along with cheese chutney buns, peri-peri fries and corn masala.
Customers who are not in the mood for chai can choose filter coffee, cold coffee, fresh juice, milk drinks, shakes or refreshers such as masala lemonade and kala khatta.
The opening also brings new life to a prominent storefront bordering Todos Santos Plaza. Cinnaholic opened in the same space in 2019, serving its customizable vegan cinnamon rolls before eventually closing.
Chaiwala Shop is currently listed as open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hours can change, particularly during the opening period.
Chaiwala Shop is located at 2008 Salvio Street in downtown Concord.
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