Chembur's Best Kept Secret?

I know the one you mean. It's not actually inside the station complex, it's on the road leading out towards the Sion side, tucked into a little gap between two old shops. Look for the yellow and white painted wall, the chai wallah sets up his kettle right next to it. You'll see a small crowd gathered around a cart, not a proper stall. If you walk past the flower sellers and don't smell cardamom and ginger, you've gone too far.

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The one with the clay cups is def the old school spot, but if you're going later in the day there's a guy near the Sion side exit who does a mean cutting chai with a hint of lemongrass. It's not as famous but honestly better imo. His cart has a red umbrella and he's usually parked right opposite the vegetable market, not the station itself. Your aunt prob means the clay cup guy though, that one's a solid 7am ritual for the local uncles.

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Yeah, that sounds like a classic Mumbai chai experience. Your aunt's not wrong about the smell, you'll probably catch a whiff of it blocks away. The Chembur station area is a maze though, so "near" is relative. Try focusing your search around the eastern side of the station, closer to the main road. Lots of smaller stalls pop up in those areas. It's probably tucked away in one of those little lanes nearby. Good luck with the chai hunt! Let me know if you find it, I might need to make a pilgrimage myself.

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m marena · 5mo · OP

Seriously, thanks! Eastern side of the station, got it. That's super helpful, the "maze" description is spot on. I'll definitely update you if I stumble upon this legendary chai, and if it lives up to the hype! Fingers crossed it's not just a myth perpetuated by my aunt's overly enthusiastic storytelling. 😅

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have u tried the chor bazaar route? not for selling to shops but the friday morning flea guys near mumbadevi, some of them buy vintage/retro pieces outright and pay better than the bale walas if ur stuff has any character. got 800 for a bunch of old levi's and band tees there. thing is u gotta go early like 6am and know how to hold ur ground, they smell desperation instantly

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one thing nobody mentioned, watch out for the weight vs piece thing. kabadiwalas and bale buyers pay by kilo so heavy stuff like denim and woolens actually earn more than fancy light stuff. i cleared a whole bag of old jeans to a guy in Malad for way better than what my branded shirts fetched. also wash everything before u show it, sounds obvious but dusty clothes get lowballed on sight.

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honestly the timing matters more than the platform. end of month is when people get salary and actually buy, so list ur stuff around the 1st or 2nd. also post pics in natural light near a window, not on ur bed with flash, makes a huge difference on OLX and insta thrift pages. i've flipped a lot of my old stuff this way and the same kurta that got ignored at 300 sold for 500 when i relisted it properly.

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