What began as a kitchen ritual passed down from generations in Monica Sunny’s family is becoming a full-fledged cafe. The Chai Box Cafe is set to open in the former Doughnut Dollies space on Howell Mill Road in November. This 625-square-foot Upper Westside shop is the first retail location for Sunny’s nationally recognized chai company—and the only dedicated Indian chai cafe in Atlanta.
Sunny founded the Chai Box in 2016 and has spent years blending her family’s tea recipes with her own modern twist. When her sons were in elementary school, she began teaching them about chai. Soon their friends’ parents wanted to learn. She kept her spices in “the Chai Box” and wanted to share her family’s special “chai time” with others.
“I started drinking chai when I was two and blending teas at 12,” she says. “For me, chai is more than just a drink—it’s a connection to my heritage.”
Courtesy of Laurent Liz Photo
She hopes that connection will permeate the cafe, from the traditional Indian seating and richly colored decor to the scent of hand-ground spices wafting from the chai bar. Guests can choose from four to five rotating chai varieties—served hot or iced—plus espresso drinks, Indian filtered coffee, and seasonal chai lattes infused with house-made syrups like cardamom or rose. There will be a couple of fusion desserts like chai waffles and chai affogato with gulab jamun. Small savory bites such as samosas will round out the concise menu.
Behind the counter, chai will be brewed with intention. The Chai Box uses sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients, working with small farmers in Kerala, India. Every chai blend and concentrate is made in-house in the company’s Marietta facility, where Sunny’s operation has also diverted more than 68,000 pounds of waste into compost that helped grow tens of thousands of tomatoes.
Courtesy of the Chai Box
The new café will double as a retail shop selling 15 tea blends plus strainers, steepers, cups, and chai-inspired gifts. Sunny also plans to offer educational classes about chai brewing and its health benefits—from digestion to inflammation reduction to circulation.
Though select Chai Box blends are available at Costco, the Daily, Little Tart Bakeshop, and East Pole Coffee Co., among others, the Chai Box Cafe represents a personal dream.
“I’ve always wanted a little chai cafe like the ones you see on street corners in India,” she says. “We want to be that neighborhood chai shop—where people gather, learn, and enjoy.”
Courtesy of the Chai Box
