Our story
More than justa chai shop
Cha Cha Chai opened on Joel Street in 2023 and quickly became the place Northwood Hills ends up after work, after dinner, after everything.
Chai is the whole point. Everything else grew around it.
The karak goes on first thing in the morning and doesn't really stop. Alongside it: masala, pink Kashmiri, chai latte, and a karak coffee for anyone who wants the best of both. Small or regular, sugar-free if you ask.
Then the parathas, plain, aloo, keema and cheese, rolled and griddled to order and served with yoghurt and pickle, the way they should be. Samosa chaat smashed and layered under chutney. Pani puri. Vadapav. Loaded chips at midnight.
And the dessert counter, which is where most people's evening actually ends. Donuts fried and finished in store, milkcakes in pistachio and Biscoff and kunafa, Matilda cake, gelato, and mocktails bright enough to stop conversation.
It's a family room more than a restaurant. Kids, grandparents, friends who've been meaning to catch up for months. Usman and Hamza run it themselves, which is why the reviews so often thank them by name rather than the shop. Open from nine in the morning until eleven at night, and midnight at the weekend.
“Truth lifts the heart like water refreshes thirst”
What we care about
Four things we won't budge on
Halal, all of it
Not a halal section. A halal menu. No alcohol is served, and there is a proper vegetarian range rather than an afterthought.
Built for staying
Velvet booths, big tables and a room laid out so a group of eight is as welcome as one person with a book.
Games on the tables
Ludo and snakes & ladders printed into the marble. It sounds small. It is the reason people stay three hours.
Thirty seconds from the platform
Directly opposite Northwood Hills station on the Metropolitan line, with buses stopping at the door.
What they call us
Tag us at #chachachainorthwood and you might end up on the wall.