Areas we serve
Halal Chai and Desserts for Harrow
Let us be straight about the distance. Cha Cha Chai is one shop, at 56 Joel Street in Northwood Hills, and Harrow is the furthest of the areas on this site. From Harrow-on-the-Hill it is a few stops out on the Metropolitan line, through North Harrow and Pinner, and Northwood Hills is where you get off, with the shop directly opposite the station exit. By car it is a drive rather than a hop. Harrow has plenty of halal food of its own, so the reason to come this far is a specific one: a proper chai house with a dessert counter, no alcohol anywhere in it, and a kitchen serving until eleven at night and midnight at the weekend.
Everything we serve is halal. About our fully halal cafe in Northwood Hills.
How far it actually is, and which station you want
Harrow has more than one station and only Harrow-on-the-Hill is on the Metropolitan line, so that is the one to aim for if you are coming by tube. From there the line runs out through North Harrow and Pinner before it reaches Northwood Hills, so this is a few stops rather than one or two. Check the indicator, because some Metropolitan services run fast on this stretch and skip the smaller stations including Northwood Hills. Once you are off, there is no onward walk: the shop faces the station across the road. By car it is a drive of a few miles out to the north west and there is free and pay-and-display parking on Joel Street and the side roads around the parade, which is easier than parking in Harrow itself. The H11 and 282 also stop on Joel Street outside the door, and the TfL app is the place to check the route from your end.
Why anyone would come this far
It would be daft to pretend Harrow is short of options, so here is what actually pulls people out. The whole thing is halal, kitchen included, with a halal roundel on the door and no alcohol served in the building, which makes it usable for an evening out with anyone. It is a chai house rather than a restaurant that happens to sell tea: karak, masala and pink Kashmiri chai are the centre of the menu, all £3.25 for a small and £3.50 for a regular. The donuts are freshly prepared in store. The tables have ludo and snakes and ladders printed on them. And it is open late, until eleven Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday, which is when most of the traffic from further out arrives. If none of that is what you are after, somewhere closer to home will serve you better, and that is a fair answer.
What suits the trip out
Because it is a journey, this tends to be an evening rather than a quick stop. The wraps are all £4.95, in paratha or tortilla, and run through seekh, chicken tikka, paneer, masala omelette and sausage and egg, which is the easiest thing to eat if you are travelling on. Loaded chips are £6.95 with chicken, keema or paneer, cheese, jalapeños and house sauces. Toasties and paninis are £4.95 each. If you want to sit properly, chicken curry and rice is £6.95 and chicken biryani is £7.95, limited daily. For dessert, gulab jamun with ice cream is £5.95, the Strawberry Kunafa Cup is £7.95 and a box of twelve variety donuts is £14.95, which is the order for anyone taking something back to a house full of people. Mocktails are £5.95 and the viral hot chocolate is £4.95, topped with chocolate shavings, marshmallows, whipped cream and sprinkles.
Before you set off
Three practical notes, given the distance. First, weekend evenings are the busiest and slowest period in the shop, and waits are the most common complaint in the public reviews, so a long trip is better made on a weekday or earlier in the evening. Second, if you are coming as a group, ring 01923 918456 or use the enquiry form on the contact page before you travel, because the large tables and booths go quickly and a call costs you nothing. Catering and family platters are both done with notice. Third, on delivery: the menu is on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, but the delivery radius is set by those platforms and not by us, and from Harrow it may well fall outside it. Put your postcode into one of the apps and it will tell you in seconds, which is more reliable than any promise a website could make.
Coming from Harrow: common questions
- Is there a halal cafe near Harrow?
- Cha Cha Chai at 56 Joel Street, Northwood HA6 1PA is a fully halal cafe, restaurant and dessert bar on the Metropolitan line, directly opposite Northwood Hills station. No alcohol is served.
- How do I get to Cha Cha Chai from Harrow?
- From Harrow-on-the-Hill, take a Metropolitan line train that stops at Northwood Hills, through North Harrow and Pinner. Harrow & Wealdstone is not on this line. By car it is a drive of a few miles north west.
- Where can I get donuts near Harrow?
- Cha Cha Chai in Northwood Hills has donuts freshly prepared in store at £1.95 each, a box of five for £7.95 and a box of twelve for £14.95.
Getting here from Harrow
By tube
From Harrow-on-the-Hill, take a Metropolitan line train that stops at Northwood Hills, through North Harrow and Pinner. Harrow-on-the-Hill is the Metropolitan line station; Harrow & Wealdstone is not on this line.
By bus
The H11 and 282 stop on Joel Street outside the door. Check the current route and times on the TfL app.
By car
A drive of a few miles north west. Free and pay-and-display parking on Joel Street and the side roads.
On foot
Not walkable from Harrow. This is a tube or car trip.
56 Joel Street, Northwood Hills
Northwood HA6 1PA
What to order
The things people make the trip for.
Nearby areas
Other places on the same stretch of the Metropolitan line.