Homemade Indian Food Draws Foodies To Vienna Gas Station
VIENNA, VA — You may not expect it at a gas station, but you can get some fresh homemade Indian food at one of Vienna's gas stations.
Chit Chaat Cafe, opened in spring 2021 by owners Raja Puri and Bindu Puri, serves up food cooked fresh from the station's kitchen. The menu blends traditional Indian dishes like butter chicken and daal makhani with innovative offerings like the samosa burrito.
Word has spread about the gas station's delicious Indian food, which can sometimes lead to wait times. That opens the door for conversations with customers, a fitting routine for a place named Chit Chaat.
Patch is featuring small businesses like from Chit Chaat Cafe for a business spotlight series. If you'd like your business to be featured, fill out our Q&A form. Feel free to pass the form along to any businesses that should be spotlighted in our community.
Here is more information on Chit Chaat Cafe:
Business name
Chit Chaat Cafe
Location
200 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA
Website/Social media
cafechitchaat.com, @Chitchaatcafeva on Instagram
Hours
Food is available 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
When and how did the business get started?
We opened in the spring of 2021
What does your business offer?
We offer homemade, fresh Indian food - the kind you’ll find in our kitchens at home. Not super oily/loaded with heavy cream, and yet full of complex flavors. Every single item on our menu is cooked by mom (literally!). You’ll find traditional Indian dishes like butter chicken, daal makhani, palak paneer etc, and innovative dishes like our very own creation, the samosa burrito! We have actually kind of become obsessed with burritos, so you can feast on butter chicken burritos and lamb curry burritos!
What's your most popular product or service?
Samosa burrito, lamb curry burrito, chicken biryani
What's your favorite thing about the community your business is located in?
Being in Vienna has been an incredible blessing. The community here is like no other - we were welcomed with open arms and so much kindness! The people of Vienna are wonderful! Since we make everything at the station (we have a small kitchen in the back), the wait times for food can sometimes be long. No one has ever complained, in fact, often times these waits lead to wonderful conversations. Opening in Vienna was the best decision and we are so grateful to be here!
What kind of impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on business?
We have had to close our original location because of lack of available resources and employees. It was a really difficult decision.
Do you have any favorite memories at the business?
We have met some incredible people in this community since we opened last spring. People come for the food but stay for the chats, which is our favorite part of the day! However, the memorable moment was when Eater DC did a feature on us and we had a mini photoshoot at the station. That was so much fun!
This article originally appeared on the Vienna Patch
