Chai Pani and a lot more: This Indian restaurant has been voted the best in America

An Indian street food restaurant named ‘Chai Pani’ has been voted the best restaurant in the United States. The Asheville eatery in North Carolina has been named America’s most Outstanding Restaurant at the James Beard Foundation Awards in Chicago, Bloomberg reported. The awards were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as COVID-19 induced lockdowns forced closure of several US restaurants. “We are delighted to finally be back in Chicago celebrating the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards and bringing attention to our industry that still needs support," said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Tonight, as we recognize outstanding food and beverage professionals, we also honor our entire industry—and the incredible resilience, fortitude, talent, and leadership so many have shown over the past two years.” Indian-origin Chintan Pandya of Dhamaka restaurant in New York City, also won the Best Chef award at the ceremony. Chai Pani the Outstanding Restaurant A popular Indian food joint in Asheville, Chai Pani is known for its street food items like Bhel Puri, Sweet Potato Chaat, Chicken pakoras, Sev Potato Dahi Puri, and Green Mango Chaat, Aloo Tikki Chaat. The restaurant also serves fusion wraps and burgers ole Vada Pav, Crispy masala Fish Roll, and Keema Pav. Among other things, they offer a variety of South Indian dishes, North Indian thalis, bowls and dessert. “Restaurants are so much greater than the sum of what’s inside the four walls. A restaurant has the power to transform the people that work there, transform the people that come in, transform the communities we are in, transform society. Restaurants can transform the world,” Chai Pani co-founder Meherwan Irani said during the award ceremony.

.@meherwanirani of @chaipani, 2022 #jbfa winner of Outstanding Restaurant, talks about the transformative power of restaurants. pic.twitter.com/f7Hi95ZtCx

— James Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) June 14, 2022

The Outstanding Restaurant category is designated to the restaurant that “demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations, while contributing positively to its broader community.” Irani has earlier been nominated five times for the Best Chef category at the James Beard Foundation Awards. Although the name, ‘Chai Pani’, literally means “tea and water”, it is used as a phrase for going out for a cup of tea, a tasty bite, a snack, or “a little something”. “Some of the best food of any country is its street food, and Chai Pani features chaat - crunchy, spicy, sweet, tangy, brightly flavored Indian street snacks. And because there’s nothing more comforting and delicious in any culture than a home cooked meal, Chai Pani also brings you thalis - traditional family meals highlighting India’s amazing culinary diversity,” the restaurant’s website said. The restaurant was established by Irani, and his wife Molly, in 2009. The family-run business has now spread across seven locations, including in Decatur in Georgia, Charlotte in North Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia. As per the website, the New York Times was particularly taken by their “fresh, cilantro-strewn takes on Indian street food,” GQ Magazine lauded their “Indian street food with a twang,” and New York Magazine called it “a star in downtown’s dining scene.” The Huffington Post had the restaurant on their list of “Top 10 Cheap Eats in the US”. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.