Sharma Ji Ki Chai, Lucknow
A morning institution in Lucknow's chowk area, the kind of chai shop that becomes a routine before you even realise it.
Lucknow's chowk area has magical food hands: whatever is made here tastes a little better than it would anywhere else.
Sharma Ji Ki Chai became my morning ritual in Lucknow. The kind of chai shop that you visit once and then find yourself returning to every morning without thinking about it.
Yash standing outside Sharma Ji Ki Chai in Lucknow's chowk area, holding a glass of chai
The chai here is classic north Indian: strong, well-brewed, and exactly what you want at 7am on a Lucknow morning. Nothing extraordinary, nothing trying to be extraordinary. Just very good chai in the right place at the right time.
The chai at Sharma Ji Ki Chai: a regular glass of hot chai, the kind that becomes your morning anchor
I was having this in the mornings and heading to Sabir Kashmiri Tea in the evenings. Both serve completely different things, and together, they cover Lucknow's chai culture pretty well.
Part of the Iconic Chai Stops of India series.
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