Chembur's Best Kept Secret?

Question

I'm heading to Chembur next week for a family visit. My aunt always talks about this amazing little chai stall near the railway station, says it's been there for ages and makes the best cutting chai in the whole of Mumbai. She's incredibly vague about its location though... just says "near the station, you'll smell it!" Seriously?! So, my question is: Any chance someone can give me some more precise directions to this legendary chai stall? It's gotta be worth the hunt, right?

regine · Answer

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.

adelina · Answer

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.

valeskaschmitt · Answer

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.

lilli · Answer

Have you tried asking at the Irani cafe just opposite the station, the one with the faded blue sign? They've been around for decades and the uncles who run it know every vendor in a 2km radius. If your aunt is thinking of the stall that serves chai in those small unglazed clay cups, that one usually sets up around 7am and is gone by 9am, it's more of a morning commuter thing than an all day spot.

susan · Answer

That's definitely the stall run by Prakash, he's been there since the early 90s. If you exit the station from the main west side ticket counter, take an immediate left and walk about 30 steps towards the cycle repair shop. He's parked right next to the paanwala with the broken mirror, usually has a blue tarp overhead and a small gas cylinder visible. The chai is worth the hunt but go between 8 and 10am when he's got a fresh batch of ginger boiling, the evening batch gets a bit weak.

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