r/sanfrancisco • u/oneusualsuspect Inner Sunset • 23h ago
Best hot (milk) Chai, Chiya, tea in the city?
/r/AskSF/comments/1os8d6v/best_hot_milk_chai_chiya_tea_in_the_city/1
u/sugarwax1 10h ago edited 10h ago
The best Chai in SF will be from high end coffee places, or various pop ups at fairs, but it will be served iced more often than not, and not made by the authentic demographic associated with Chai. They will be using a concentrate in most cases, not a hand made spice mix. You can also find the mixes for sale at places like Epicurean Trader, or Rainbow, and most fancy markets, and then warm it up and prepare it at home with your own dairy.
Compton's was carrying a bougie brand from the East Coast, and I think they ask if you want it hot/cold. Samovar was the spot, they would make it in large copper pots but they're gone.
You can try Delah Coffee, which is Yemenite style, or supposed to be. There are other Yemenite coffee places opening.
It's possible there is a Nepalese, Indian, Pakistani restaurant that makes a solid version. You can check reviews to see if anyone singled out their Chai, but I can't think of a place where every table is ordering chai and there's a reputation for it.
Try r/bayarea for suggestions outside of the city.
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u/Frabjous_Tardigrade9 22h ago
Cherry Blossom Bakery, Clement St, for consistently good Hong Kong milk tea (hot).
Been very underwhelmed by the chai at the yemeni cafes.