Butter Makes Everything Better And This Chai At Jama Masjid Is Proof

Hidden away in lane no. 10, Gali Madarse Wali, opposite Gate no.1, Jama Masjid for the last 20 years, Waziruddin Ji, caters to all the late-night owls of the city, with his delectable butter tea/makkhan chai.

“tashreef toh farmaiyeh, mashwarah kar lijiye, mashwareh mein khair hai.”

The first thing most people ask right after taking their first sip, is the secret behind it. He always has the same answer, why don’t you study it, observe, and try it yourself. The secret as he suggests, is quite simple: it’s made with love, by his own hands, it’s how he chooses to welcome everyone, from the weary traveller, to the college student out at night looking for himself/herself in these lanes.

What has kept him a favourite amongst people who travel the city, is something he created on a whim, thirteen years ago: makkhan chai/Butter tea. In life one needs to keep experimenting, he said, as if nothing else would be good enough.

His small stall opens at midnight, and remains open till about 2am. After an hour-long break {we bet he’s drinking his own chai by the gallons}, he’s back to business at 3 in the morning, and doesn’t stop till 3pm!

When asked if he had a suggestion for people who have never tried Butter Tea/Coffee before, he smiled and said: just come with kindness in your heart, and a sense of curiosity.

His buttered creations cost INR 20 a cup, but the taste, and hospitality, is priceless.