Kaitlyn

This is a great third space. I tried the Kashmiri chai for the first time, which was good, though I don’t really have a solid reference for what “authentic” Kashmiri chai is supposed to taste like. The vibe is cozy, and the staff make it clear that no outside food or drinks are allowed, and you have to order something (which is totally fair). Overall, it was a nice experience, and I’d come back.

Vincent Pham

I believe the social enterprise is fantastic. 30% of the profits going to support women and children in Pakistan is great. If that means the prices are a little bit higher, then so be it. The drinks are fine and the samosa could have been warmed up some more, but the experience of sitting inside is very chill and fun to do with friends.

+1

Nadine Hosameldin

Very nice cozy and comfort spot, good for a friendly hangout or even a chill date. The atmosphere is pretty down to earth and they sometimes have a nice music selection I like to sing along to occasionally. The seats are very comfortable and the rugs give that familiar foreigner vibe.

+3

Christina W.

The drinks here aren’t spectacular but they’re not bad. I think the main appeal of this spot is the vibes. The inside is a large room filled with colorful couches and it’s a fun spot to enjoy your drink or to relax and get some work done. Came here on a rainy weekend and there wasn’t a problem finding a spot to sit. Note that you have to take off your shoes before entering.

+1

Good vibes but drinks are okay. No tables, just sitting around on the padded floor and sofas. Nice ambiance, but pretty dark. Lots of people were studying here, but not for me - Chai latte: 5/10, meh

Craving Calories Foodie

Seating is weirdly set up that you literally have to stand around and wait for someone to leave. People sit rudely taking space 2/3 times more than their company/group. Like 2 people will sit in between two sections occupying both sections. Dirty Cozy— like cozy but very worn out and dirty. Needs a wash. 5x more money to buy a cup of tea with very limited options to eat anything else. Everything is extremely expensive 🤦🏻‍♀️ only go if you want to have an overly expensive cup of tea. not suitable for a breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner. Only for a MINIMUM snacking. No available parking.

Daniel Schuman

Definitely agree with some of the other reviews talking about this place losing its charm. In theroy, this place is really cool with great vibes. The drinks are not that good. I like that a portion of their profits support women and children in Pakistan, but I'd at the very bare minimum like a decent drink for $7. And this isn't like going to dunkin and getting a large crappy $7 drink, this was a crappy like 8oz drink. Their back room was super loud with people yelling at each other and a couple doing some not very appropriate things in public. I came to get some work done on my computer but their network restrictions are so strict they restrict everything that isn't web traffic. That means you can't open any application that needs internet. I just want to open adobe creative cloud and it blocked me. Really frustrating. I do not think I will be coming back.

We’ve been coming here since COVID and genuinely used to love this place. The vibe was warm, the service was attentive, and it quickly became one of our favorite local spots. Unfortunately, over the past couple of visits, we’ve experienced consistently poor service and disappointing staff behavior. When we raised our concerns, we were told that they “have enough customers,” which was especially disheartening to hear as loyal patrons. It’s sad to see such a positive place decline in this way. We truly enjoyed supporting this local business, but unless there’s a change in attitude and service quality, we’ll likely stop coming here.

Honestly, I am surprised this place still exists. I went here a couple years ago. The chai was not only insanely overpriced and mediocre at best, but also, the cashier yelled at me when I went over to peek at the carpeted seating area to take off my shoes. I explained that I was simply looking and he dismissed me lol. When I did peek inside, I saw that people had their shoes on. Im not sure if I appeared unworthy of being a customer of this place, but this memory still haunts me. I have never felt so unwelcome in an area that I practically grew up in.

Pavithra gabriel

Super extra crowded on any given day. Its hard to enter the sitting area after ordering because everyone's shoes are on the floor and with the amount of people there were a ton of shoes thrown around. It looked really messy. I took the coffee to go because I did not feel like entering the mess. The coffee was really really good tho.

Ahmed Abbas Naqvi

Very disappointed with my experience here. The chai tasted off and the milk was clearly curdled, but when I raised this with the staff, they were dismissive and rude instead of addressing the issue. There was no effort to apologize, replace the drink, or even listen to the concern. Would not recommend based on both quality and customer service.

katrina khan

service is rude and slow, good luck trying to find a place to sit. People just end up lying down or sleeping for hours instead of making space for paying customers. really wanted chai so went to Kolkata chai instead which was amazing and about a 2 min walk from here

Manu Gomez

Most mediocre, overpriced chai I’ve had. As other local reviewers have mentioned, I wanted to like this place, the concept is great, a percentage of profits go towards Pakistan. The reality was very different. I had the traditional chai, which indeed tastes like cardamom flavored water, and my companion had the coconut rose chai, which was admittedly gross and watery. The bohemian vibe at the back is unclean at best. I don’t know what is going on with the playlist but it seems like some college dorm fantasy. The only saving grace was that since it’s early January the place was mostly empty. Sure, come for the IG hype and live your “authentic” experience or maybe you’re tired and need a place to chill. In any case, Chinatown is filled with too great places to come to this one to buy bad chai. Want some good chai? Try the myriad of other places with decent chai.

pyarali j

The worst chai I ever had. Its not a typical Doodh pati chai. The taste was wierd. If you are looking for Indian style chai then this is not the place. If you are looking for a place to relax then this is best place. They have lots of room to enjoy with friends/family.

Ranyah Khan

I ordered Kashmiri chai and they kept calling it ‘butter chai’ so I clarified ‘I ordered Kashmiri?’ And the cashier curtly says ‘it’s the same thing’. No it was not. It was literally butter milk not Kashmiri chai. And they gave my friend her chai cold. When she asked for it heated up, the ride cashier once again goes ‘you’ll have to buy a new one’. If you’re white and don’t know what chai is, sure, this spot is fine since that’s the demographic it caters to. Otherwise don’t bother.

MASHUK

I visited The Chai Spot recently, and unfortunately, the experience was really disappointing. It’s definitely not how it used to be. It was overcrowded and the atmosphere no longer feels inviting/friendly. It seems to have turned into a makeout spot more so than a place for friends to relax and hang out. The quality of the drinks have also definitely gone downhill. To make matters worse, our server made multiple mistakes with our drinks and while mistakes happen, the way he handled the situation was extremely rude. However, the manager was very nice, he came to apologize and rectified the drinks situation. All it all, we did not have a good experience. It’s really sad to see one of my favorite spots lose its charm and quality over time. Old Review (photos are from old reviews): Butter chai (Tea) is unbelievably good. Very friends and family friendly environment. Option to play games. Best place to chill after work in Chinatown NYC area.

+1

Akilah Rahmaan Bixler

Saw this spot on IG, and it looked like a must try! It was a disappointment. From the second we walked in the door the person taking orders continually yelled it was an hour wait to sit down in the lounge. (Even though there was a line - it was not an hour wait.) We ordered the Turkish Coffee, the Traditional Chai, and the Butter Chai. The only drink that was actually drinkable was the Butter Chai. The Traditional Chai tasted like cardamon in boiled water. The Turkish Coffee tasted like Cowboy Coffee. Both were disgustingly gross. There were gnats flying around our table and it was February (snowing outside). I honestly think this is the only place in the city with gnats this time of year. Our table had crumbs on both ends. The lounge area was a shoe free zone. The low tables and couches were unique and could have been cool, but it felt dirty. Overall, we wanted to like it much more than what it was like in reality. The saving grace was our server in the lounge area: Alex. Alex was awesome, super sweet and friendly. I would not recommend The Chai Spot. The drinks were overpriced, the front staff were rude, and although the lounge was decorated in a cool bohemian Middle Eastern vibe, it felt unclean. Even though it looked really cool on IG, this is one you’re not missing out on, and the IRL experience wasn’t worth it.

+11