Take it from me; trying to find a decent fast food restaurant that serves fresh, healthy, vegetarian food at a reasonable price without it being a damn bean burger is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Then, there’s Chaiwalla in Bath. Chaiwalla takes that non-inclusive, unhealthy haystack, burns it to the ground and hands you a bright shiny needle in the form of delicious, mostly vegan street food that doesn’t cost the earth. Not a bean burger in sight.
From their fresh samosas and curry, to their onion bhaji and falafel wraps, there is nothing on that menu that I couldn’t or wouldn’t eat. Literally. Everything on their menu is either vegetarian, vegan or gluten free. There’s even the option of delivery, making it perfect for work lunches in the area!
All of the food is cooked and prepared to order in front of you in their “hole-in-the-wall” style restaurant (there's one seat), that gives off more of an indie street food van vibe than a Michelin star establishment.
Everything about it screams independent in the best way possible, from the fresh, delicious options, to the fresh, friendly attitude of the staff. Even the décor is beautifully individual, with chalkboards displaying their menu and vibrant, colourful fabrics hanging on the wall. The whole restaurant smells and looks as good as their food tastes.
Our wraps were delicious; the crispy salad, zingy yoghurt and juicy mango chutney perfectly complementing our choice of filling (onion bhaji for Izaac and falafel for me!) and the samosa we shared afterwards was the perfect mix of fillings, with not a single bit of soggy pastry!
In short, it was one of my favourite lunches I’ve had a while. Fresh food, taken away to be enjoyed on a bench by the beautiful Bath Abbey, watching the world go by... If anyone can think of a better way to spend an hour, I would love to hear it.
It really is no surprise that locals and travellers alike flock to Chaiwalla and queue outside their door come rain or shine. So, next time you find yourself in Bath looking for something quick, easy and different for lunch, head on over and give them a try; you will not regret it.
*Full disclosure, sitting on a bench made it rather difficult to get good photos of these beautiful wraps without dropping the contents everywhere and inevitably coating a pigeon in mango chutney, so the pictures definitely don't live up to the quality of the food.
