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Jaipur Food Guide

Famous Chai Places In Jaipur?

Jaipur is witnessing an explosion in café culture. The term café brings up images of the ones lined up along the streets/ piazza/ squares in Paris, Milan and elsewhere in Europe. However, the café in Jaipur are not on those lines. The ones that we have here in Jaipur are styled with casual interiors and a dose of quirkiness. Garage look is really in! There’s immense creativity but none of them differs to offer new concept; they all are patterned on the same theme! As a breather, tea culture is catching up fast with a host of tea café springing up in Jaipur with names like Tapri Central, Chaisa, Tea Tradition and so on! So what makes these tea café in Jaipur so popular? Which are the best Tea café in Jaipur?

Here are few images of café in Jaipur thriving on quirkiness and offbeat décor!

India is a tea-drinking nation and therefore tea is the most popular drink. You can find a tea vendor at every nook and corner. South India is an exception where Filter Coffee is more popular.

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Tea café started appearing in Jaipur some 7-8 years ago as an affordable alternative to the cafe’s serving coffee. Catering to the young crowd especially students with affordable prices and Indian menu, the concept was an instant hit. With Chai cafés in Jaipur, there is a new dimension to the booming café culture. The atmosphere in the tea house is casual and relaxed.

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Most famous Chai Places & tea Cafe in Jaipur

The following places have reputation for serving the best tea in Jaipur. If you love Chai then visit these tea cafe.

Tapri Central

Tapri Jaipur realized the potential of untapped business through upmarket tea house at posh locations. It offers a huge assortment of tea from the usual Masala, Ilaichi, Tulsi Chai to a variety of green tea; drinking tea is no longer considered as downmarket. Tapri Central was conceived as a hybrid model offering best of east and west, affordable tea cafe and coffee brewing cafes. Serving popular Indian and International menu allowed them to cater to a variety of customers. tapri-central-opposite-central-park-jaipurfriends-at-tapri-central-jaipur-image-best-open-rooftop-tea-cafeProbably, a safe bet, to mitigate any loss-making situation. Imagine a scenario where Grandpa prefers Masala Chai with Parantha whereas grand daughter’s choice is a Latte with cheese garlic bread; no one has to compromise and it’s a win-win situation. This new niche was a runaway success. The business was so good Tapri opened many outlets in Jaipur.The most popular tea in Tapri is Adrak and Cutting Chai. The latter is regular milk based tea while the former has a strong flavor of ginger.

Gulab Ji Chai

This place sells only one variant of tea and it is Masala Chai. Some like like it, others don’t. But the long wait does prove its popularity. Originally, the outlet was at MI Road, opposite Ganpati Plaza. Later, Gulabji moced to Ganpati Plaza. The owner of Gulab Ji served free tea to the poor and homeless people every morning. Sadly, he passed away in 2020. The new generation has started a new and buzzing outlet in Bani Park near Collect-orate. The affordability factor coupled with consistent taste ensures a steady flow of patrons.

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Chaisa

Originally, started in Lal Kothi, the new outlet in C-Scheme is even more popular. Lik Tapri, they serve many variants of Chai including Pudina and Kesar.Affordability is a big USP when it comes to students.  Outstation students in Jaipur need a place to hang out. A place where they can chill, exchange notes and catch up with friends! Affordable Chai café or tea house fits the bill perfectly!friends-images-at-chaisa-tea-house-cafe-lal-kothi-jaipur

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Chaisa, Jaipur. A very popular chai cafe among students

Tea Tradition

Tea Tradition runs a couple of outlets in Jaipur. The most popular are the ones in Mansarover and C-Scheme. tea-tradition-c-scheme-image-best-cafe-in-jaipur-for-couples

Sahu Chai

Sahu Ki Chai is a very old shop selling tea in Chaura Rasta. It doesn’t have a seating facility and can best be classified as roadside Thadi. This shop has regular patrons. It serves only tea and rusk tea biscuit.

What makes Tea Houses & Chai Cafe in Jaipur so popular?

I think familiarity of our own food (read food habits) and culture provides some kind of comfort. Tea is part of Indian culture and also part of our routine & habit. Same holds true for Aaloo Parantha. Say what you may, we all feel at home with our own food. I’m sure on a rainy day, most of us will prefer Adrak Chai with Pakora than a coffee with French fries.

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Chai served at a new age Tea café in Jaipur. Tapri Central

In the past, Chai was associated with the roadside vendors which were referred to as Thadi. Students would gang up with their friends at these roadside tea stalls. In recent years, chai cafe’s are offering a better option for those who love Chai and a place to hang out.

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Tea house or Tea Cafes like Tapri Jaipur or Chaisa offer a break from the predictable menu and ambiance of the “me too” café. If you are visiting Jaipur do visit these tea café which makes for a differentiated experience and atmosphere.

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123 thoughts on “Famous Chai Places In Jaipur?”

  1. As usual a fabulous post. God the decor in these cafes is so upbeat! I love it because it livens up a place and relaxes you to just be yourself and enjoy. Indeed Chai has come a long way from being the preferred beverage only at home or at tapris/dhabas. You’re right, at heart we all yearn for what we’ve grown up liking or eating. Which was your favorite chai experience?

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    1. Pradita, the best thing about these chai cafe is that these are all casual places. So you can be yourself. In some of these places, you’re unlikely to find place on weekends. There’s huge waiting!
      I can have all varieties of Indian tea concoctions​. What’s yours? Something similar in Pune?

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      1. Yes Pune has some beat Chai joints too. There’s one next to my place called Tea Trails. But I’ve never been there…. U see I’m not much of a Chai or for that matter restaurant person 😁 But my favorite brew is Assam tea teamed with Fresh Khari. Theres an amazing old bakery here in Pune that supplies baked products to a lot of bakeries in the city. It’s called Santosh Bakery. I used to frequently hang out there with friends either in the mornings or evenings, the only two times of the day the bakery used to dole out fresh stuff. My faves were their hot cream rolls and Khari…. Oh good ol memories… Do these places serve cream rolls too? The tapris in Maharashtra almost always stock them

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      2. ah! So how come a Garhwali is giving a miss to chai?
        Happy to know about Santosh bakery. The bakery concept in Jaipur is more western so we have new age bakeries here and not the traditional kind you have in Pune. Cream rolls were certainly popular many years ago but it seems to have fallen out of popularity these days. None of Chai cafe’s serve cream roll. But some of them serve one “chotu” Parle G free with pot. 🙂

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      3. Yep, Parle G is as much a staple with Chai as is sugar 😂 This Garhwali is a little hatt ke. Never had an inclination towards tea. Coffee I love 😁. I get why cream rolls are falling out of favor with the junta. Too much cream and fat. 😁

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    1. I think Chai cafe is quite symbolic of our culture and it also means that we have become open to experimenting and not just choosing the western concept which was prevalent few years ago when cafe culture started gaining momentum. Which is most popular Chai cafe in Delhi? Do you visit it regularly?

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      2. I have seen Chaayos booth here in Jaipur Lit Fest. Wagh Bakri started their first tea lounge here in Jaipur almost 15 years ago – ahead of its time and closed them down within 2 years. You should definitely visit Tapri whenever you are in Jaipur.

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  5. I’ve been reading a lot about new and hip places opening up in Jaipur. Slowly becoming a foodie city, not that it already didn’t have a food tradition, but this is more new. A friend told me about a new Kashmiri place which is doing really well as well.

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    1. Definitely. Lots of new places opening up. The reason for this seems to be that young generation likes to experience, experiment and explore. At the same time new people and businesses entering food business. The focus is towards western and world food and also fusion like Farzi cafe. Haven’t been to this Kashmiri food place you mentioned but I keep exploring all new places.

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  7. I miss the North Indian masala chai. Here in South India, the sugar is generous and the masala, mostly none. Somehow, my home brewed masala chai also doesn’t have the same zing…

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    1. South Indian tea? well most North Indians don’t like it but I do. The reason why it tastes different is because of the way it is prepared and good dose of milk. Also most of the region uses Nilgiri tea which has a different taste. I also feel that even milk taste makes a lot of difference which might explain the difference in taste…quite similar to how Dosa in north never matches up to the level of the one in TN!

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  9. I am amazed how you have churned out such an impressive post out of an everyday, taken for granted beverage! A cup of tea and a friend near by! What more do you want!

    Tea can be prepared in so many ways and each one appears different. Too much milk or sugar in tea still seems to be popular but it actually originated in the villages where both the ingredients were freely available.
    I like English tea as its aroma, if it is brewed properly, is too good and tastes better than over boiled tea leaves…but it is a matter of taste, which are as varied as people! Hope the cafes are catering to all kinds. 🙂

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    1. I wanted to add this as well that each of us has our individual preferences. The way English made their tea is completely different from the way we Indians have grown up to be. They were more into the flavor and aroma, therefore the tea was boiled in limit. That is why Darjeeling tea is (and was) one of the most popular origin among tea connoisseurs. Of late, many people have started drinking green tea. Most of these chai cafe offer you wide choice of tea, I’m sure you will love visiting one. 🙂

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    1. I guess Chai scene is growing in many cities..not just Jaipur. With so many cafe’s opening up they do offer choice but in reality they all thrive on one common point. So in reality the menu, decor, prices etc are same! Chai cafe definitely breaks this monotony. So in a way, tea houses reflects this acceptance of our own culture. What do you feel?

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  12. So interesting to know tea cafes are becoming more and more the rage in India. As you said, it sounds like these places not only provide places to get together but a comfortable place to kick back. They do sound like they serve a wide range of drinks and snacks, and it must be hard making a choice what to eat and drink when you hang out at one of these places 😀 As you and Balroop alluded to, tea is prepared differently and we all prefer different kinds of teas. Personally I don’t drink tea or coffee anymore, but I always love the smell of these drinks. Very aromatic, makes me want to linger around 🙂

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    1. Mabel, for most people making a choice is not difficult since we all have our own preferences. But yes, sometimes when we want to try something new or different, it gets confusing with the kind of choices available. It is interesting to note that you prefer to stay away from both tea and coffee. Is that because of healthy choice or personal preference? So what do you fall back upon?

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      1. It’s a personal preference I stay away from tea and coffee, and my body feels overstimulated when I have both. I just drink water each day, and usually that is all I drink. So when I go out, choosing a drink is so easy for me. Just water 🙂

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      2. That’s great Mabel. Very few people are able to answer confidently with their choice for not opting for any drinks. Most people look bewildered when you say you are good without​any drink.

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  18. Pretty interesting to know this about Jaipur. I think times are changing and that is why cities are changing. With more people willing to spend time out of homes, the cafe culture is bound to catch up. Great pictures!

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      2. Ah! Both these towns have had an important say in the history of England! I’m sure Leeds must be having a unique culture and architecture. By the way, it was British who left the legacy of tea drinking! So I guess we owe it to them but we have it prepared differently!

        Curious as to how these cafe look in Leeds! 🙂

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      4. How beautiful…looks like a typical English Tea room. We have some of these only in old hotels from colonial days…although not here in Jaipur. Will love to visit someday.

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