CHAI PANI RESTAURANT GROUP
CHANGING THE PERCEPTION OF INDIAN FOOD IN AMERICA
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Winner, Outstanding Restaurant 2022
Chai Pani Asheville
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"Prepare to have your mind blown"
Botiwalla by Chai Pani
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Recommended by MICHELIN Guide
Chai Pani Decatur
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"A sizzling delight"
Botiwalla by Chai Pani
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Chai Pani Asheville
Outstanding Restaurant 2022
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Chai Pani Decatur
Recommended by Michelin 2023
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Chai Pani Asheville
The 50 Best Restaurants 2021
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Sahar Siddiqi
Best Chef Southeast 2023
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Meherwan Irani
Best Chef Southeast 2020
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Meherwan Irani
Best Chef Southeast 2019
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Meherwan Irani
Best Chef Southeast 2018
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Meherwan Irani
Best Chef Southeast 2015
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Meherwan Irani
Best Chef Southeast 2014
Chai Pani
ASHEVILLE + DECATUR
Chai Pani Asheville opened in 2009, and immediately struck a chord with the public. The menu is made up of classic street snacks from India, along with home style thalis, presented in a fun environment that brings the vibrancy of the Indian street into the restaurant space. Menu items like the sloppy jai, kale pakoras, and okra fries were immediate hits. It was affordable, innovative, and mindblasting.
Chai Pani opened in Decatur in March 2013, and it was quickly named one of the best new restaurants by Atlanta Magazine. While the menu is very similar to our Asheville location, Decatur is unique in serving a daily lunch buffet. In 2022, Chai Pani Asheville was awarded the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant.
Botiwalla by Chai Pani
ATLANTA + CHARLOTTE + ASHEVILLE
The first Botiwalla opened in Atlanta in March 2016, and was named one of the ‘Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings in the World’ byBloomberg Magazine.
Botiwalla is Meherwan’s homage to his life-long love of late-night street food in India, grilled meats, and Irani Cafes. We opened Botiwalla in Charlotte in November 2020, and it was named one of the best new restaurants by Charlotte Magazine. We brought the Botiwalla concept home to Asheville in summer 2023.
Spicewalla
Meherwan founded Spicewalla years after opening his first restaurant in Asheville, NC, Chai Pani, which was named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2022 and changed the perception of Indian food in America. With Spicewalla, he and his team of chefs, creators, and enthusiasts are on a quest to help consumers harness the power of fresh and high-quality spices to become better cooks. Spicewalla offers chefs and home cooks 250+ spices and exclusive blends that are roasted, ground, and packed by hand. Taste & believe!
Initially founded to supply fresh, high-quality spices to professional kitchens, Spicewalla quickly expanded to home kitchens after being named to Oprah’s Favorite Things list and and has received countless accolades from outlets including Bon Appétit, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, Garden & Gun and others.
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CPRG Retired Brands
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Buxton Hall Barbecue opened in Asheville's South Slope in 2015. It was named one of Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurants and its menu was centered around 100% locally-sourced whole hog barbecue. It closed in 2023.
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Buxton Chicken Palace opened in the S&W Market in the summer of 2021. While it is no longer part of the CPRG family, it continues to serve Buxton's world famous fried chicken sandwich and Cheerwine slushies in Downtown Asheville.
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Nani's Piri Piri Chicken was our beloved rotisserie chicken shop with locations in Asheville's Grove Arcade and Atlanta's Ponce City Market. We served up radiant, healthy chicken plates, sandwiches, and sides from 2020-2023.
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MG Road opened in 2012, downstairs from Chai Pani Asheville. It had a glorious 7-year run, hosted numerous pop-ups, and was a staple of Downtown Asheville's social scene. MG Road shuttered in 2019, but its spirit lives on!