Botiwalla Opens in Tenleytown: The Chai Pani Team's Kabab House and the Restaurant Jobs It Needs

WASHINGTON, DC — Wisconsin Avenue in Tenleytown has a new charcoal grill going. Botiwalla, the counter-service kabab and chai house from the Chai Pani Restaurant Group, held its grand opening on Wednesday, October 14, at 4000 Wisconsin Ave NW, the Upton Place building at the corner of Upton Street. It runs seven days a week, and that takes a crew.

A new restaurant open 11 to 9 every day, a short walk from the Red Line, is the kind of opening Northwest DC restaurant workers should have on their list this fall.

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📍 Business at a Glance

Business	Botiwalla
Opened	Grand opening Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Address	4000 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC (Upton Place, corner of Upton St NW)
Size	About 3,200 square feet, 65 seats inside and 40 on the patio
Hours	11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. daily, walk-in only
Concept	Counter-service Indian street food: charcoal-grilled kababs, chaat, pav sandwiches, chai
Owners	Chai Pani Restaurant Group, led by chef Meherwan Irani
Industry	Restaurant / fast casual

🏆 Who's Behind It

Chai Pani started in Asheville and built a national name, including a James Beard award, before it came to DC. Its full-service restaurant opened at Union Market last year and landed on Washingtonian's 2026 list of the area's 100 best restaurants. Botiwalla is the group's faster, counter-service sibling, modeled on the Irani cafes of India that chef Meherwan Irani grew up around. He told City Cast DC that Botiwalla "is what I always wanted Chai Pani to be."

Why that matters to applicants: a group already running a busy DC restaurant arrives with training and scheduling in place, plus a second local kitchen to grow into.

💼 The Jobs a Room Like This Runs On

Botiwalla has not published a hiring announcement or a headcount, and we are not going to invent one. Get your resume ready and watch for postings.

What we can say is what the format requires. Ordering happens at the counter, so the front of house leans on cashiers, food runners and a drinks station turning out chai and slushies. The kitchen is built around a charcoal grill, which means grill cooks, prep cooks who can handle marinades and chaat assembly, and a dish crew. Ten hours a day, every day, means at least two shifts. New restaurants often rebalance staff in the first few months, which is when a second hiring round tends to come.

💵 What It Pays, and Why the Address Matters

This stretch of Wisconsin Avenue sits less than a mile and a half south of the Maryland line at Friendship Heights, and the minimum wage changes when you cross it. The address where the work is performed sets the floor, not where you live.

Inside DC: $18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026, with a $10.30 base for tipped workers, according to the DC Department of Employment Services. If tips do not bring a tipped worker up to $18.40, the employer pays the difference.
Montgomery County, MD: $18.00 for employers with 51 or more workers, $16.50 for 11 to 50, and $15.95 for 10 or fewer, per Montgomery County.

Those are legal floors, not going rates. Compare posted pay before you decide.

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How to Approach a New Restaurant

Go mid-afternoon on a weekday. Between lunch and dinner is when a manager can actually talk.
Lead with your availability. A seven-day schedule lives on weekend and evening coverage.
Take the Red Line. Tenleytown-AU station is less than half a mile up Wisconsin Avenue, which makes this an easy commute from most of the city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Botiwalla in DC?

At 4000 Wisconsin Ave NW in Tenleytown, in the Upton Place building at Wisconsin Avenue and Upton Street NW.

Is Botiwalla hiring?

No public hiring announcement or headcount has been made. A restaurant open 10 hours a day, every day, carries a sizable crew, so get your resume ready and watch for postings.

What are Botiwalla's hours?

11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. It is walk-in only, with no reservations.

What is the minimum wage for restaurant work in DC?

$18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026, with a $10.30 tipped base that the employer must top up when tips fall short.

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