07-07-2025
Atlanta to Get Its First Chai Cafe
When you walk into an Indian home, instead of hello, you may be greeted with one simple question: Chai?
Tea time is an integral part of many Indian households, and no one knows that better than the Chai Box creator, Monica Sunny, who makes aromatic cups of meditative chai on her Instagram while running the country's forefront chai brand. The Atlanta resident is now set to open the city's first chai cafe in Upper Westside in the former Doughnut Dollies space on Howell Mill. It will open late this year.
'Chai time has always been sacred in our home — an invitation to slow down, and connect,' says Sunny, whose chai was one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2021. 'You can get a chai latte at just about every coffee shop; you can order chai at most Indian restaurants. But there's not a single place here in Atlanta that's fully dedicated to chai, the way there are chai wallas and street-side tea stalls all over India. Opening this cafe gives us a platform to bring that experience to life.'
Expect Sunny's popular chai blends sourced from India at the cafe, including rose, masala, and kadak varieties, in addition to Indian filter coffee, seasonal drinks, and chai-inspired desserts (think chai waffles). The cafe will also include a retail section to take chai blends and other local goods home.
Sunny has had a meteoric rise since opening her company in 2016 out of Marietta. Not only did it land on Oprah's Favorite Things list, but her viral chai concentrate was picked up by 21 Costco locations. Doraville's soju distillery, Minhwa Spirits, also collaborated with Sunny to create a chai gin called Queen Huh last year.
'Opening a chai cafe has always been a dream and part of my vision for the Chai Box,' says Sunny. 'I wanted to create a space where people could experience chai the way I grew up drinking it.' See More: Atlanta Restaurant Openings
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