Charista

15/05/25 Combination review from myself and my mother;

Mum -
Food: Lamb Kati roll was absolutely delicious.
Chilli paneer had a great kick to it.
Mango milk cake just delightful.

Service: Two very polite gentlemen serving. All round a perfect experience.  5*

Me -
Food was delightful, absolutely delicious food. I would say portions are small, not a place to go to fill up

Lamb Kati rolls (£7.95) are great, I could eat two easily, but was saving space for cake. The chilli paneer (£7.95) was delicious, of the best paneer I've had - not squeaky or chewy and with a thick chilli sauce opposed to a sticky sweet chilli you'd find elsewhere.

Cakes are made on the day, we stopped for lunch and some were not available which was unfortunate as they were being made later so that is something to keep in mind. The mango milk cake, Dhooder cake, (£6.95) was perfectly balanced, but I would have preferred the coconut or pistachio - so will have to come back if we are in the area.

Very polite service, apologetic about not having cake and quick with the food. There's lovely music playing for a relaxed atmosphere totally opposite to the busy road outside.

Not wheelchair accessible, has several stairs on the way up. The chairs and tables are at a slightly odd height, with the table being a bit low for the taller person.

Went for a quick lunch on a Thursday. It was quiet and really relaxing. The food comes in small plates. For the three of us we ordered two starters and two mains. Good size portions. Flavourful dishes. Especially the chicken byriani. Lovely staff. They don’t serve alcohol.

We went today, got the jhalmuri, fuchka, chilli paneer, tamarind sharbat and charista special chai. The food wasn't mind-blowing but it was alright. The atmosphere is cute and cosy. Unfortunately although the name is charista, we both found the cha to be the most disappointing part - seemed to be a bit lacking in flavour.

I would have forgotten to mention if I hadn't seen another review but a more thorough clean of the tables would be better as ours was slightly sticky.

Beautiful all round. The staff were unbelievably kind, friendly, patient and knowledgeable and the food was well-priced and delicious. We had fuchka, chilli paneer, subzi, cardamon chai and mango lassi. Stunning. And great level of spiceyness.

Overall, it is okay.  But it can be improved. Chanachur should be warm (please use a pan to heat up chanachur before making jhal muri and chanachur mix). Tea needs to be hot, and gurer cha needs more gur. Also, please clean the table with spray. My jacket and phone were sticking to the table. Would love to come back again.

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