Opening Summer 2026. The Chai Box is not yet accepting cafe visits — the brick-and-mortar at 1963 Howell Mill Rd is still being built out. The information below describes what the shop will be when it opens; the retail line (available at thechaibox.com, Cook's Warehouse, Costco, and SAMA Food) is active today.
The Chai Box has spent years as a CPG brand — you might recognize it from Oprah's Favorite Things, where it landed in 2020 — and in 2026 founder Monica Sunny is opening the first brick-and-mortar shop on Howell Mill Road in what used to be the Doughnut Dollies space. The 625-square-foot café will be a dedicated chai bar pouring blends made from spices sourced directly from small Kerala farms and blended in-house at the brand's Marietta facility.
The cafe side will run house-brewed masala chai, cardamom-forward "elaichi," a Kashmiri-rose version, and seasonal limited editions. Pastries and Indian-inspired bites will fill out the food side. The retail section will sell the same blends and concentrates you'd find in a Whole Foods, alongside strainers, steepers, cups, and gift bundles that pair the tea with the tools.
What will distinguish this from a coffee shop that also serves chai is the depth of the program. Monica is building toward a calendar of brewing classes, tastings, and community events — an educational space for chai that Atlanta doesn't currently have.
Practical notes: Opening date is "Summer 2026" per thechaibox.com/pages/chai-cafe. Follow @thechaibox on Instagram for the opening announcement. The retail line ships nationwide in the meantime; Cook's Warehouse carries it locally.