Chai Pani restaurant to relocate, second Botiwalla coming to Asheville: What to know
ASHEVILLE - Big things are happening for Asheville’s James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Chai Pani.
The cozy Indian restaurant with limited seating will soon relocate to a larger venue with more offerings to enhance guests’ experiences.
After Buxton Hall Barbecue closed last November, ending an eight-year run, speculations began to circulate around the community about whether Chai Pani would take its place at the more spacious 32 Banks Ave. in the South Slope brewing district.
Chai Pani Restaurant Group, founded by Chef Meherwan Irani, has confirmed that this is indeed the plan, and that Chai Pani will move out of its original location at 22 Battery Park Ave. where it opened 15 years ago.
Also, a second Botiwalla – the company’s fast-casual Indian street food restaurant ― will open at the Battery Park Avenue site.
Chai Pani is expected to close for two weeks ― dates unconfirmed ― as it moves into its new home. The new Chai Pani will tentatively open in late March/early April.
Then, work will begin to flip the original Chai Pani location into Botiwalla, which will be the second location in the city ― the first opened last August at 697 Haywood Road in West Asheville ― and the fourth location for the company.
Chai Pani, founded in Asheville, Botiwalla and the company’s spice brand, Spicewalla, has stores in North Carolina and Georgia.
Chai Pani, the 2022 winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, has struggled with limited seating at its current location, leaving some diners waiting up to two hours for a table, according to the restaurant group.
Currently, Chai Pani, which does not accept reservations, offers 49 seats in the 1,800 square-foot space ― the kitchen is 600 square feet.
By moving to the South Slope building, the restaurant’s seating capacity will triple in the 10,000 square-foot space.
The additional space will allow Chai Pani to expand its reach into the community to feed local neighbors and offer services like event catering and private dining to host family reunions, fundraisers and special dinners, according to the restaurant group.
The former Buxton Hall Barbecue building has had paper coverings on its windows, which sparked more questions about what was going on inside.
The answer is that the interior of the historic 1920s Banks Avenue is undergoing renovations to transform it into “a Bollywood wedding meets Bombay Gymkhana meets Tata truck parking lot.”
Chai Pani menu favorites are to remain on the menu, but the back-of-house staff will have the capacity to flex their skills and cooking techniques in a much larger kitchen and with more equipment.
The bar’s cocktail program will be expanded, too.
Irani and culinary director Daniel Peach, who’s worked with the restaurant since its inception, will lead the charge. Former executive chef and pitmaster of Buxton Hall Barbecue Nick Barr will step into the role of chef de cuisine for Chai Pani.
According to the restaurant group, last month, Barr and Peach visited India, including Mumbai and Pune, for an immersive research trip for Barr to experience the food, culture and hospitality of India.
At Chai Pani, street food experiences will be offered, too, like pani puri ― a crispy, hollow, deep-fried breaded sphere filled with ingredients like potato, onion or chickpea and spiced water ― on the weekends and a chef’s tasting experience.
From 2012 to 2019, the restaurant group operated MG Road bar on Wall Street downtown. Once the new Chai Pani space opens, “MG Mini” will be introduced on the restaurant’s mezzanine.
Follow the Citizen Times for updates on the openings of the new Chai Pani and Botiwalla locations.
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Botiwalla, sister restaurant to James Beard-winning Chai Pani, coming to West Asheville
Asheville chef named one of 15 innovators changing the food, beverage industry
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Chai Pani restaurant to relocate, second Botiwalla coming to Asheville
