It had been ages since I’ve visited Chat Patti, the vegetarian Indian restaurant off North Druid Hills, when my family and I visited on a recent Sunday afternoon. I’ve only been a few times, but frequently think to myself that I need to make a return visit to the smaller, casual and friendly eatery, which doesn’t feel like your typical buffet-style Indian palaces, showcasing troughs of the ubiquitous chicken tikka masala and butter chicken.
Don’t get me wrong, I like those dishes, but with Indian food, I feel somewhat like I did about Chinese food ten years ago or most Thai food today – you walk into a restaurant and without even looking you know what’s on 90% of the menu and 99% of it tastes the same.
It’s not to call the food at Chat Patti hyper-regional or cutting edge, but it definitely feels more real, as you order over the counter using the wall-based picture menu as your guide to the multitide of dishes and snacks ranging from panipuri to dosa to dozens of other chaat, accompanied by solid chutneys, stewed lentils, or the changing veg thali of the day.
It’s perfect for a casual afternoon brunch, with none of the waiting an hour for mediocre eggs and sausage nonsense which I can’t understand, not when we live in a world of Waffle House and Buford Highway and restaurants like Chat Patti.
vegetarian thali
potato dosa and samosa chaat
