Most of India eats without meat most of the time. An Indian menu that treats vegetables as the side option has got it backwards.
At Chai St the vegetarian cooking is not a separate kitchen or a separate list. The Vegetarian Feast thali is the most ordered plate in the room, by anyone, and it can be made vegan if you ask when you order. The kari section has six vegetarian dishes against seven with meat or fish. Chaat, the street-food section, is almost entirely vegetarian because it always was. The tandoor cooks a whole cauliflower the way it cooks lamb chops.
Vegan, specifically
Vegan dishes are marked in the allergen tool, which filters the whole menu by dairy, egg, nuts, gluten and eleven other allergens. The short version: five dishes are vegan as they come (jackfruit ishtu, chole Amritsari, green mango curry, the charred cauliflower steak and the onion bhaji, plus masala fries and poppadums); the black dal is finished with butter and is not; the Vegetarian Feast can be made vegan on request; the breads and most chaats use dairy, so ask and the kitchen will swap or leave out. Tell the floor team when you order and the kitchen will plate accordingly.
What to order
A whole vegetarian evening
Start with pani puri (£5.50) and avocado papdi chaat (£8). Share chilli paneer (£8.50) or the onion bhaji (£5) with the first drink. Then either the Vegetarian Feast, or two kari dishes between two with roti and basmati. Finish with gulab jamun or a chai flight. At brunch, the Kejriwal benedict (£10.50) and aloo paratha with butter and pickle (£7.50) are vegetarian; the iddiyappam with vegetable stew is vegetarian.
Mixed tables
The usual problem with a mixed table is that the vegetarian gets one dish and everyone else gets the menu. Thalis solve it: a Lamb Thali and a Vegetarian Feast side by side are the same size, the same price range and the same number of bowls. The Maharaja Thali for two (£48) can be made half and half.
Allergens, calories, and asking
Every dish and drink is in the online allergen and calorie guide, with a printable version. The kitchen handles nuts, dairy, gluten and mustard; tell us about a serious allergy when you book and again when you order. We would rather be asked twice.