The Chai Box Cafe is what happens when three generations of chai memory meet French pastry technique.
On a wall inside The Chai Box Cafe is the photograph of a weathered blue doorway. It is the entrance to founder Monica Sunny’s mother’s childhood kitchen in Banga, Punjab. “There are so many memories behind that door,” Monica said. “My grandmother cooked there. My mother learned to make chai there. Then she taught me.”
This photograph, along with others on the wall, offers a way into the story of The Chai Box Cafe. Photographs of tea estates of Munnar, homes in Punjab and Kerala, and family vacations in India come together to bring memory, belonging, and community to the space.
Like generations of South Asians, I have also associated chai with family conversations, neighborhood gossip, rainy afternoons, train journeys, and welcoming guests into homes. On many recent visits to India, I noticed how the beverage has luxuriously expanded from home kitchens and neighborhood chai stalls to dedicated brick-and-mortar chai establishments, complete with tableside service and an array of freshly made sweets and snacks. Even here in the U.S., I have noticed New Yorkers lining up at places such as Kolkata Chai Co., Chai Spot, and other independent cafés that have elevated India’s everyday cup of tea into a modern café experience.
Like most food trends, this concept took a while to make its way south, but Atlantans embraced it whole heartedly once it arrived. Judging by the crowds outside The Chai Box Cafe during its soft launch, Atlanta had been waiting for exactly this. On my multiple visits, I have found families, students, remote workers, grandparents, young professionals, and curious neighbors lined up outside the door.
Designed Like an Indian Home
Located off I-75 at Howell Mill Road The Chai Box Cafe feels different from the stereotypical “Indian-themed” spaces. It is bright,modern,and intentionally understated. Black-and-white tiled floors, warm brass accents, earthy tones, and only a handful of tables create an intimate café that encou ages conversation rather than turnover. Another focal point in the café is a customized mural-like wallpaper, inspired by Indian miniature paintings and Jaipur gardens, designed by artist Soni Mehra of Marble Lotus. Monica discovered her work years ago in San Francisco and knew she wanted it in her future café. “We wanted it to feel homey,” Monica told me. “Soft colors, fabrics, Indian touches, but still airy.”
Beyond Masala Chai
Don’t expect plain kaapi and masala chai at The Chai Box, though they are available for the traditionalists. The drinks menu goes beyond anything I had imagined incorporating various tea blends and Driftway Roasters coffee beans into concoctions that tingle the taste buds.
A refreshing iced Lychee Coconut Latte brings together tropical flavors without becoming cloying. The Gulab Jamun Affogato combines chai, vanilla ice cream and two whole, soft, warm gulab jamuns a playful dessert that reminds me of an ice cream sundae.
Each syrup is prepared in-house, including cardamom and lavender, along with an indulgent malai cream inspired by the thick clotted cream traditionally spooned onto chai at roadside tea stalls across India. “Malai existed long before cold foam,” Monica laughs. She grinds fresh green cardamom before blending it into cream that slowly melts into hot chai. The result feels both nostalgic and indulgent.
Rooted Supply Chain
Since its founding in 2016, The Chai Box has grown from a side hustle into a nationally recognized brand, featured by Oprah and sold at Costco. I ask Monica how she has been able to meet the growing demand for her products while working with small Indian farmers. She tells me that her tea leaves continue to come from farms in Munnar, coffee from Chikmagalur, and spices from trusted suppliers with whom she has built long-standing relationships. “We want to grow,” she said, “but we also want to continue to stay true to our philosophy, which reflects a commitment to quality over rapid expansion.”
France Meets India
I never thought I would say this, but there’s nothing that fits better with a cup of hot chai than a spicy samosa wrapped in French pastry!
Chai Box has hired a dedicated pastry chef with Michelin-starred restaurant experience. Amber Lattimore attended culinary school in Napa Valley, trained in New York, and worked at a three-star Michelin restaurant before returning to her home in Atlanta. A childhood friendship with Monica eventually brought her to The Chai Box Cafe.
“I’ve known Monica since I was 12,” Lattimore tells me with a big smile. “When this opportunity came about, I felt it offered me a unique challenge to marry French pastry techniques with Indian flavors.” Together they spent nearly a year developing recipes that are unexpected and yet are rooted in South Asian flavors.
A buttery croissant encloses a spiced potato filling, and somehow its flaky exterior works just as well as the crispy shell of a traditional samosa. Monica’s mother’s saag paneer recipe fills a delicate Danish pastry, topped with a tiny whole red chili. Rich rose-pistachio tarts draw inspiration from the floral flavors of India’s hill stations. Japanese milk bread becomes a fragrant cardamom maska bun, perfect for dunking into hot tea.
And the house-made cake rusk turns out to be the best rusk I have ever tasted. Lattimore says the freshness, high-quality ingredients, and her trusted cardamom make it extra special.
Lattimore estimates having produced well over 4,000 pastries during the café’s opening month alone and receiving close to 1,000 RSVPs for their ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 7. “The reactions make it worth the effort,” she said. “Especially hearing from the Indian community that these pastries remind them of home.” That may be the greatest compliment a pastry chef can receive.
A Café That Reflects Atlanta Today
The Chai Box Cafe feels different, yet familiar. The drinks and pastries on the menu begin with familiar Indian flavors and go on to tell evolving stories. The photographs on the walls remind the visitors that behind the menu is a family history stretching from Punjab and Kerala to Atlanta.
Watching the café throughout the day may be the most satisfying experience of all. You can see Monica’s sons and their friends enjoying chai-inspired drinks, while welcoming first-timers and greeting traditionally dressed grandparents. Monica has not only made chai approachable and fun but also created a gathering place that South Asians can take pride in.
Atlanta may have waited longer than New York for its chai café, but perhaps the timing was exactly right. The Chai Box Cafe proves that even as chai travels across continents and takes on new forms, it can still do what it has always done in South Asian homes: bring people together, encourage conversation, and make everyone feel welcome.
That’s a trend worth waiting for.
Sucheta Rawal is an award-winning food and travel writer who has traveled to over 120 countries across seven continents, experi- encing the world through her palate. She inspires people to travel more meaningfully and sustainably through her nonprofit, Go Eat Give, and her books, Beato Goes To. Find her on social media @SuchetaRawal.