Hot chai and scrupulously spiced Desi street food are the specialty at a new eatery in Concord.
Chai & Co. opened in late November at 2115 Pacheco St., near Todos Santos Plaza, in the former spot of the Lettuce Inn. Billing itself as Concord’s first-ever chai cafe, the establishment brews various teas and has a menu of street food popular in Pakistan and India, ranging from samosas to masala fries to chicken-tikka wraps.
Spiced and often milky chai is popular throughout the South Asian subcontinent, and here appears in multiple forms. There is strong chai with warm spices (“karak”), smooth and comforting chai (cardamom) and creamy chai with floral notes (saffron). Pink-hued Kashmiri chai that you’ll often find at Pakistani establishments is here, as is traditional masala and jaggery chai (the latter named for its unrefined cane sugar).
The drinks menu also includes shakes blended with sumptuous-sounding mix-ins like Desi mango, brown-sugar Biscoff cookies and dates and khoya, a form of thickened milk. There are fruit lassis and smoothies and herbal teas, and a selection of “refreshers” that incorporate fizzy and fruity flavors.
Kettles are one side of the operation; smoky charcoal is the other. Hungry diners can dig into a number of wraps stuffed with fillings like spice-marinated barbecue chicken or grilled beef called bihari boti. Many of these are nestled in flaky paratha flatbread, and there are vegetarian options with paneer or dessert variations with Nutella and subtly sweet/buttery sheermal.
Fusion dishes heavy in carbs and flavor might appeal to the late-night crowd. There are masala fries and peri-peri fries, rubbed in the smoky spice blend, and burgers inspired by chapli kababs or the “flavors of Burns Road,” a historic street-food mecca in Karachi.
Smaller bites include samosa chaat topped with chickpeas and yogurt, bhel puri, “gol gappay shots” and potato puff pastries. And for dessert, there’s the delightful sponge balls called gulab jamun and shahi falooda, a sweet drink mixed with basil seeds, cream and rose syrup.
Details: Open 11 a.m-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m-midnight Fridays-Saturdays at 2115 Pacheco St., Concord; thechaiandco.us and instagram.com/thechaicocafe