Chai City
The rise of Asian tea places in London
The rise of cafes and street food diners centred around serving traditional Asian chai in London, UK, is more than a drinks craze; it signifies community and cultural reclamation.
Londoners Adam and Kamal, and cafe manager Dawood, talk about the love of chai and the rise of chai shops in the city
Londoners Adam and Kamal, and cafe manager Dawood, talk about the love of chai and the rise of chai shops in the city
Chai, shay, chá.
It’s the name given to tea in much of the east – from China to the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East – and is still a long-standing staple, in all its variations, across diaspora households.
Whether it’s masala tea – boiling black tea with a choice of spices, including ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves – or “karak” for a stronger version, the story of chai is nuanced and political.
As a person of Indian origin, I can’t help but feel insulted that my culture is being marketed in such an undignified way.
It goes back to colonial Britain, which exported the product from pre-partition India, resulting in shortages; working-class Indians would then make up half the quantity of the tea with spices. However, the karak version became so popular in the Gulf via South Asian migrant labour that many associate it with the region.
Fast forward 80 years or so, the by-product of Empire is carving out a notable space in the UK with chai places – cafes or street food diners with chai as the main event – popping up all over the country, with many turning into chains or franchises and even taking up spots in London’s mainstream food scene.
Each establishment offers a unique take on tradition, sparking conversations around authenticity, cultural representation and community connection.
Results from an Instagram poll on sentiment and awareness around chai shops in London – 9 May 2025
Results from an Instagram poll on sentiment and awareness around chai shops in London – 9 May 2025
“I’m happy to see the rise of chai spaces, as long as they’re authentic, fair trade and give back to the communities they’re profiting from,” says Anu Shukla, a music journalist known for bringing her own masala chai mix to festivals.
One of the first popular and most prolific of London’s chai places is Chaiiwala, which originated in 1927 in New Delhi, India, opening its first UK branch in 2015 in Leicester. There are now 27 Chaiiwalas in London alone. It’s joined by at least 130 similar concepts in the city, among them are 14 with more than one shop.
While many are located in areas known for a high concentration of South Asian and Middle Eastern communities, such as Tower Hamlets or Ealing, some are encroaching into more central areas with a heavy tourist footfall, such as Chai Guys in the Seven Dials Market, Covent Garden.
Map displaying chai shops in Greater London. Data collated through Google Maps search
What they all have in common is their offering of several varieties of chai but their aesthetics can vary from kitsch murals, to bare bones tables and chairs or something more versatile.
Chapati & Karak in Knightsbridge offers an upmarket experience and traditional Middle Eastern majlis seating you can reserve, in contrast to the Pakistani truck art-themed decor of Cha Sha in Wembley or Tooting.
Most establishments have food on the menu, including street-style snacks. While some are more purist by limiting their beverages so that the masala and karak versions stand out, such as Chaii Master, others mix it up with an array of coffees and western items to appeal to a broader base.
Many chai shops are adorned with murals depicting traditional images related to chai in the Indian Subcontinent
Many chai shops are adorned with murals depicting traditional images related to chai in the Indian Subcontinent
That’s why Haider Aziz, founder of Chai Spot, went with a “neutral” concept and now finds it popular among the area’s residents, with inside and outside seating occupied on any given evening.
“It’s sort of become like a community hub,” says Aziz of the cafe he founded in 2020. “I think it also comes down to sort of the environment that we’ve created.
“When I opened, I was 24, so it was more a place for youngsters to go to that isn’t a pub or a club.”
Based in Acton, West London, Aziz explains how his clientele reflects the area’s rich diversity, including a healthy Muslim population.
“During the [evening], during Ramadan, it’s very much a place to go after people finish their prayers or whatever they’re doing that night. It’s just the spot to end your night on.”
He adds, “Everyone loves the chai.
“We brew fresh – a lot of places, they brew from powder. So we brew our tea for 30 minutes and it’s the same recipe we’ve used since we started.”
Chai spaces with more than one branch in London, UK
Masala chai typically includes a blend of spices – e.g. ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black peppercorns; star anise or nutmeg make for a more fragrant version – before adding plenty of milk and sugar. Karak chai is boiled longer with a higher tea to milk ratio.
Kashmiri chai, also known as pink tea or noon chai, uses a blend of spices including green cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cloves, along with green tea leaves, milk and sometimes a pinch of salt or sugar. The addition of baking soda turns the green tea pink. Crushed nuts are added for garnish.
Kesar tea typically features saffron as its main spice with optional others – the Chai Guys chain supplement it with rose for a delicate addition.
A light tea option involves just cinnamon where the bark is simply infused in water and with black tea, if desired.
Mint tea has become a standard chai shop item – the herb is added to water or black tea and allowed to brew in the pot.
It’s important that we make true masala chai accessible and educate the majority on what it is.
When Shukla is in her East London home, she happily grabs a chai as long as it’s not too culturally diluted.
“In India, chai is a way of life. There are so many different types of chai, each inspired by regional customs and traditions. So, having a real deal chai is reminiscent of my travels there and tea time with extended family,” she adds.
More often, however, she’ll make her own “healthy” version at home: “It’s essentially a homemade herbal tea brewed with traditional spices like cardamon, cloves, cinnamon and ginger – all steeped in teapot with hot water minus the tea bag and milk.
“It stands in stark contrast to the corporatised ‘colonial chai’ that we see repackaged by white-owned brands that commercialise my culture with pretty labels and inflated prices, marketing it as if spirituality were a commodity for sale.”
Kashmiri or "pink" tea at Chai Tapri in Tooting, South London
Kashmiri or "pink" tea at Chai Tapri in Tooting, South London
“As a person of Indian origin, I can’t help but feel insulted that my culture is being marketed in such an undignified way.”
While more accessibility of traditional Asian chai may be generally welcomed, mainstreaming it comes with caution.
“From my visit to London last year, it was so refreshing to see chai shops, rather than cafes that serve chai. The focus on the art of chai makes a difference,” says Jasmine Bachman, American blogger and founder of the site I Try Chai. “That being said, I had some really good experiences and also some not-so-good ones.”
I Try Chai blogger Jasmine Bachman enjoying a cup (picture courtesy of Jasmine Bachman)
I Try Chai blogger Jasmine Bachman enjoying a cup (picture courtesy of Jasmine Bachman)
Bachman explains that a good chai shop will understand what makes a good chai – the right amount of good quality, crushed and whole spices, sticking true to the classic brewing method, tea and just the right amount of milk.
“It’s important that we make true masala chai accessible and educate the majority on what it is,” she adds.
In some locations, accessibility is rarely an issue with clusters found on Ilford Lane and Whitechapel in East London, for instance, which means plenty of competition.
It’s sort of become like a community hub.
In Acton, at one point, there were three in one stretch of road, metres apart.
“I’ll be honest, when I first got my keys for the shop, I had no idea there was going to be a Chaiiwala and Karak Chaii,” admits Aziz.
“At the same time, I knew I had something different from both,” he adds.
That’s why, Aziz says, they continuously adapt and try different things every six months. He’s now opening another Chai Spot in Wembley.
“There are so many cafes on a street selling coffee and everyone seems to be doing well,” reasons Aziz, “So there’s never going to be enough chai places.”
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