Chai Pani

Chai Pani has been packed daily since its opening last year. Attribute the response in part to the care that owners Meherwan and Molly Irani take with the food: The kitchen grinds its own spices and makes sauces from scratch, a rarity among typical Indian restaurants. Jump into the meal with Bombay chili cheese fries topped with incendiary lamb hash and paneer or the whole-leaf kale pakora fried in curried chickpea batter. Move on to matchstick okra fries flavored with lime, uttapam pancakes topped with tomatoes and cheese, and glorious masala fish wraps.