Chai Chenak Cafe in New Brunswick: Spanish Latte, Moroccan Motif, Boho Chic

Chai Chenak Café's interior is Bohemian beauty meets Moroccan motif, and the menu is Pakistani palate meets American appetite - all influences culled by Moiz Syed during his quest for the perfect cup of coffee.

Untold cups of java later, he launched the café earlier this year in a space that had been used for storage or occasionally as a waiting space for customers eager to be seated in the mother restaurant next door, Chai Chenak.

Syed had a vision for 351 George St., though, where a serene setting welcomed people living downtown, Rutgers students, local professionals and steady customers from the restaurant to come in, punch in their order on the screen at the front of the shop, sit down, sit back and slowly sip their coffee or tea.

It's been the busiest around dinner time - people having a hot or iced coffee or tea later in the day is traditional in many Middle Eastern cultures.

"I've been a coffee fanatic all my life, for years now," Syed said. "And I've tried pretty much every shop in New Jersey you can think of. I did a lot of research, even out of state. So, my inspiration for the place was I took bits and pieces from other coffee shops and just kind of combined it all together. But, I still wanted to put a Pakistani touch, too."

You can find those touches on the walls and in the menu, said Syed, who came to the United States from Pakistan when he was 9.

The menu is spiced with items such as chutney roll with paneer (a versatile cheese), aloo papri chaat (a traditional Middle Eastern street food) and chicken cheese paratha (a traditional flatbread).

The walls are lined with large framed photos of some of Pakistan's greatest musicians, including one of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose fame in Pakistan reached Beatlemania proportions, Syed said.

The Syed family opened Chai Chenak in 2019, and watched it become a favorite, particularly among Pakistani Americans living throughout Middlesex County. Forget about trying to get in the place on holidays such as Eid, an Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

While the opening of Chai Chenak in 2019 and the opening of Jinsoy at 335 George St. sprung from the hospitality business run by Syed's dad, Mahmood, and brother Khizer, Moiz was initially on a different path.

Syed went to Rutgers initially, then Kean, where he studied exercise science and sports medicine. At Rutgers, he was a student trainer, helping Scarlet Knights football players, including NFL star Isiah Pacheco, recover from sprains and strains, wear and tear.

He dreamed of opening his own practice one day, helping high school athletes and weekend warriors. After graduating last spring, however, he was greeted by a saturated job market.

That's when his mind drifted back to the family business.

Launching and running his own café was a big leap for Syed, 24. For one thing, he had to win the approval of his dad, who had spent 13 years as a regional manager for Taco Bell. And even after getting his dad's blessing, Syed felt a lot of pressure.

"Initially, it felt great," he said, "but the only thing was, I couldn't disappoint him because there is an investment going into it."

So, Syed ordered some light-wood benches and tables made in India, adorned them with clay pots - very Boho chic. He lined the floors with this distinctive Middle Eastern pattern and hung wicker basket light accents from the ceiling.

He sprinkled the menu with trendy items, such as matcha tea, with items you don't see at other cafés, such as Spanish coffee. The Spanish coffee, that's all the rage in the Middle East, has been Chai Chenak Café's calling card since opening several months back.

"Spanish latte is actually where I kind of set a reputation because you don't really see Spanish lattes really at all," Syed said, pointing to one other café in Union County that serves it.

"You go to the Middle East, any country, you go to Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai - Spanish latte is like a cappuccino here," he added. "It's in every coffee shop."

The ice Spanish coffee topped with a dusting of powdered mocha is the perfect soothing complement to the spicy kick and messy goodness of the chicken tikka quesadilla - one of the staples of the menu - and the masala curly fries.

Music has also become the essence of Chai Chenak Café, and that sort of happened by accident.

Syed invited two guys he knew through his cousin to play one night. He cleared away one of the comfy couches to give them a sort of stage.

The Zafar brothers - Fazeel and Rayyan - drew a crowd five deep that formed a semicircle around them and sang along. The brothers usually play unplugged concerts at the café once a month, and since a video of their performance garneredt more than 120,000 views on social media, Syed has had to start using a ticket-based system on the nights they play to limit the size of the crowds.

Chai Chenak Café at 351 George St. is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. -10 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m.-midnight; Saturday, 9 a.m.-midnight; and Sunday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. The café has a breakfast menu, a lunch and dinner menu, a drink menu and a spring drink menu.

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Story & Photo by: Chuck O'Donnell