Chaiiwala Indian Street Food Cafe opened in Elm Grove, Southsea on Friday, December 20. While it is a new restaurant to the area, the company was founded in India just under 100 years ago and now has sites across the UK.
The cafe serves a range of food from kebabs and burgers to Bombay bowls and naan wraps. Owner Ghufran Hadi explained that its main item is its tea. He said: “Some people say masala tea, or some people describe it as spicy tea, that is the tea that Chaiiwala call Karak Chai. That is the main feature of Chaiwalla.”
Ghufran first took over a Chaiiwala franchise in 2022 when opening a branch in Southampon. It was something that he and his family had wanted to do for a long time after falling in love with the cafe during their visits to London.
Gufran’s daughter Kunsuma said: “We started because we used to visit the Southall branch of Chaiiwala, me, my mum and my sisters, and we loved it. We contacted them asking if we could open one locally and about a year later they got in touch and we had an interview with them.
“It went really well and they accepted us, and that's how it all got started. We just really love Chaiiwala. It’s a South Asian Indian street food restaurant. This is our second branch as we also have one in Southampton and we are hoping to open another one in Bournemouth in a year or so.”
Here are five pictures of the new Chaiiwala Indian Street Food Cafe in Elm Grove:
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1. Chaiiwala Portsmouth
Chaiiwala was opened by owner Ghufran Hadi and his daughter, Kunsuma Hadi. | Habibur Rahman
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2. Chaiiwala Portsmouth
This is the second Chaiiwala cafe that Ghufran has opened with the first one opening in Southampton in 2022. | Habibur Rahman
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3. Chaiiwala Portsmouth
The café specialises in tea and Indian street food | Habibur Rahman
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