The Chai Cart

Came around 2:00pm on a break and the cart was out of Chai! It had very little of the normal one left, so the girl mixed it with some of the malt version of Chai they had. She still charged me half price! I should have gotten it for free. What I drank was some kind of strange concoction. I understand this is a bad review because they ran out, but the girls recommendation to me was to go three blocks down and to try the other cart. Uhhhh… no way I’m walking three blocks with 5 minutes left to spare on my break! Will try again in the future, but it has definitely left a bad experience in my mouth.

Best Chai in the city… I was beginning to think there were no good options in SF. The Masala Chai is spicy, delicious, and not too sweet. Just the way I like it. I can’t believe it took me four years to stop — but now I’m hooked!
Plus the workers are always super nice! A great way to start the day :)

Walked by on a record hot day in the city and decided to try their iced chai. Shouldn’t have chosen that for my first time trying the cart… watered down and mediocre. Meh. Will be back to try a hot chai and hopefully have the same experience as the rest of these reviewers. For now, over hyped.

Love it. It actually improves my mood, Go figure.
Somedays I have to go back and get a second cup.
They also sell the spices in a separate tin. If you buy that it is so worth it to make it in the directions specified — you will have some kickass tea.
I do that at home. I can tweak the water to milk ratio to my taste and it is da bomb ! :-)
They need to start having carts all over the city.
I often need chai around 7 or 8 pm in the Mission but no chai cart at night, so I do Al-​Hamra (which is pretty good chai and that too just a $ 1)

I tried this chai cart for the first time this week on a weekday around 4 pm. I LOVED it! I am Indian and it tasted like a true Indian Chai tea.
I tried their 8 OZ Ginger chai tea with half ginger chai and half malt chai. It was delicious. Sugar was pretty much close to what I would drink but I added some this time. Very delicious and hot! Price was $ 3
Highly recommend it!

I really love the masala and malt chai here. A bit on the pricey side for tea, comparable to the price of a cappuccino or latte. On the other hand, the spices seem fresh as they’re super strong and aromatic. The tend to run out of some of the chais after 3pm, so best get there early! I also bought some of their loose leaves as well so I am able to replicate their amazing chai at home. Friends I’ve made it for say it’s the best chai they’ve had!

Love the rose chai! Go for masala chai if you like strong flavors. The closest chai to Indian chai I have tried in US.

In a nutshell:
+ Tasty chai (for once, actually takes like Indian chai)
~ It’s a cart, no seating or anything.
~ a bit pricey
Heard about this place from a colleague and made into my Friday afternoon coffee/​tea places rotation. It’s a small cart and easy to miss — I’ve walked past it multiple times without realizing it was there (no longer though).
They have 4 variety of chai — Masala, Malt, Ginger, Rose.
— Masala is a must try if it’s your first visit but beware this is not your average Starbucks «Chai Tea”* abomination — it’s a bit on the spicy side (in a good way). My personal favorite and haven’t been disappointed… yet.
— Ginger is for those adventurous spirits as it’s strongly spicy and your throat will feel it. Really good if you’re starting to get a cold or on a cold SF day though.
— Haven’t tried the other two, will update later: P
The prices is $ 3.5-$ 4, which I feel a on the pricier end but I will (on any day) get this than the «Chai Tea». The «Chaiwalas» (baristas, but for tea) are friendly and open to a little bit of small talk if there’s no queue. If you’re looking for a seat to enjoy your tea, there’s one of those POPOS close-​by.
* «Chai» is the Indian version of «Tea». Don’t even get me started on «Chai Tea Latte».

Great masala chai. Really enjoy coming here with my team Friday afternoons :)

Went in expecting some authentic street side Indian Masala Chai, but was kinda disappointed. It just didn’t taste right. The taste wasn’t ‘full’ although the water: milk ratio looked about right.
But this will definitely do for San Francisco. No, actually it won’t. San Francisco deserves better Indian Tea.

Cute cart in the middle of Fidi. Their Masala Chai has great flavor, but my favorite is the Ginger

Chai tea doesn’t get any better. Super spicy with organic milk… this is nothing like the overly sweet, bland stuff you get at Starbucks.
And they are always super nice and encourage you to try different flavors.

Service is always great. Morning flavors are Masala, Rose, and Soy Masala Chai. Afternoon flavors are Ginger and Malt. Afternoon flavors come between 12:15 — 12:30. My favorite flavor is the malt or 50 masala/​50 rose. I Love this Chai :)

Great chai. A bit spicy on the first taste, but you settle into it and it’s good. I like to blend the flavors and get half and halves. Great chai option.

For the same price as a subpar cup of whatever-​you-​buy at Starbucks, the Chai Cart sells a large perfectly spiced delicious cup of Masala Chai. I really wanted to try the Malt Chai but it wasn’t available when I went. Also, I didn’t realize you could sample the other flavors. Now I have three reasons to pay them a return visit.
PLEASE bring one of your adorable carts to the East Bay so I can visit you more regularly. Buying your delicious brews to make at home is a great alternative, but ordering a cup when you’re on the go is a far superior experience.

I am a Chai connoisseur, I make my own Chai every morning for years. This is very good Chai, I bought a tin to take home.
The only complaint is it not super hot which is how I like it. I’ll get more when I am downtown, thanks Chai Cart.

Instantly fell in love with this humble chai cart and the simplicity of their chai drinks. No added flavoring or sweetness. I also love that they stay in the same location, so you don’t have to track them down via Twitter (like some other traveling food stands).
I recommend the Soy Chai Latte. Though it is a bit pricey at $ 3.75 for a large (12oz) and $ 3 for a small (8oz), every penny is worth it. Each sip has a mild spicy gingery kick. After trying the chai latte here, I can never drink the chai lattes from any chain establishments (Starbucks, etc.) again. Seriously no comparison.
The people working at the cart are super friendly. Ask for a small sample if you’re not sure which chai to get!

I’ve passed by this cart several times but never stopped to try for some reason.
I tried the ginger chai and rose chai today. The ginger had a faint taste which was disappointing since they said they use fresh ginger. I expected it to be spicy but it wasn’t. The rose was fragrant and soothing. I’ll definitely get another rose next time.
They allow you to sample the flavors before purchasing which I really liked! It was 1pm when I stopped by and I got the LAST cup of rose chai.

Cute little cart not for the faint of heart. Bold spicy flavor except for the rose which I ended up getting.
Nice girl working there let me try everything. I commented on how I did not like ginger and she let me know that the masala chai and ginger chai and malt chai all have a gingery kick. I tried them anyway and yeah, they were all too overwhelming for me in flavor.
I think I just like my chai from Starbucks. Not authentic and sweet and not spicy.
So why the five stars?
They have a yummy light floral rose chai! Very well done. A small which is very small costed 2.75. Sweet and cozy atmosphere at this little cart on a cold SF day. Have never seen rose chai anywhere before.

On a chilly, overcast day, the Chai Cart is like finding your best friend in a Pakistani bazaar: odd, yet awesome, and it makes you so giddy with excitement, you can’t even get your question out, like «when did– why didn’t you– how did you get here?! Nevermind, nevermind, let’s just enjoy each other’s company.»
That’s exactly how I feel about this cart. I won’t question a good thing, I’ll just enjoy it while it’s there. They have three options in the morning: the masala chai has a perfect spiciness to it and the rose chai sort of sweetens it all up. It’s not obvious and it’s not cloying; it’s perfection. They also have a soy chai and serve ginger chai in the afternoons.
$ 2.75 for a small cup.
$ 3.50 for a large cup.
$ 16 punch card for 5 large cups.
A bit pricey, yeah, but it’s the good stuff, the real deal. So, skip the Starbucks and the Peet’s and support your local vendors.