For 15 years, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant has been housed in a small, vibrant space on Battery Park Avenue — but now, Chai Pani is on the move. After Eater Carolinas broke the news, the restaurant announced on Friday, Feb. 16 that it will be taking over 32 Banks Ave., the former home of Buxton Hall Barbecue.
The 10,000-sqft space will have three times the seating capacity of the downtown location (a relief if you’ve ever had to put your name down on Chai Pani’s waitlist), and it’s currently being transformed into “a Bollywood wedding meets Bombay Gymkhana meets Tata truck parking lot.” Once the spot is up and running, the team also plans to offer street food experiences on the weekends, chef tastings, and an expanded cocktail program. Plus, the upstairs mezzanine will house MG Mini, a revival of the defunct Wall Street party bar MG Road, to take care of guests while they wait.
The relocation is planned for late March or early April. Once Chai Pani has moved, Asheville’s second Botiwalla will open in the downtown location.
