People keep asking us why our second store is in DC. Sometimes it's over a tin on the floor of our Grove Arcade shop, sometimes over a cup of chai.
Why would a spice company from the mountains of North Carolina open its next home in Georgetown?
And the answer is simple - Georgetown made us feel like family before we ever signed a lease.
It started at the dinner table
Last August, Chai Pani opened its doors in the Union Market District. It was our first restaurant outside the South, and we didn’t know what to expect! Would this city fall for sloppy jais and okra fries the way Asheville had?
DC answered that one fast, y'all.
Anniversaries, birthdays, Sunday suppers, weeknights when nobody felt like cooking. A year later, it's officially a part of our DNA. And now Botiwalla is about to join in Tenleytown!
Botiwalla is Meherwan's love letter to the Irani cafés of his childhood, those old tea and kabab houses where meat sizzles over charcoal and the tea keeps coming. His grandfather ran the only one in his hometown of Ahmednagar, so this one is personal.
But here's the part that makes me smile big.
Botiwalla sits at 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, and our new shop is at 1317! Same street, friends. So when you finish a plate of chicken tikka and wonder how to make it taste like that at home, the answer is a straight shot down Wisconsin.
Georgetown felt like home right away
We fell for this neighborhood fast. The brick sidewalks, the rowhouses, the people who stop to chat on the corner. Georgetown has been kind to us from the very first conversation, and a shop only works when the block wants it there.
We'll have good company, too! East Fork, the pottery makers from the hills outside Asheville, is opening right next door at 1313 Wisconsin. Two Western North Carolina buds on one Georgetown block? We couldn't have planned it better. Grab a bowl there, then come fill it with fresh, delicious spices here.
What I'd grab first
Walk in, and the first thing you'll notice is the smell. Then, your senses will explode! There's so much to see, touch, smell, taste. Handpainted walls, marigolds hanging everywhere, delicious spices and snacks. It's everything at once, in the best way possible.
Here's where I'd start.
Chaat Masala is the one you've probably tasted already without knowing it. It shows up all over the Chai Pani and Botiwalla menus, dusted over the snacks nobody can stop eating. Its tang comes from amchur, a powder made from dried green mango, and black salt adds a gentle sulfury funk that makes food taste more like itself. Shake it on fries, popcorn, or a bowl of cold watermelon. Want the restaurant experience at home? Try Botiwalla's Masala Smashed Potatoes.
Chai Masala tastes like the street chai Meherwan remembers, with ginger and green cardamom up front and far less cinnamon than the coffee-shop kind. For two cups, bring 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup water to a low simmer. Add ½ teaspoon of the blend and 2 teaspoons of loose black tea, let it bubble gently for three minutes, then strain and sweeten. Wrap both hands around the mug. Feelin' spicy? Make our Spiked Chai Masala next time your friends pop by to hang!
Garam Masala is a recipe that comes straight from Meherwan's family: cumin, black pepper, green cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Use it anywhere a recipe asks. My favorite move is a pinch over roasted vegetables right before they hit the table, when the aroma is at its fullest. Try our Apple Pear Pie recipe for an unexpected twist!
Za'atar is one of my two personal favorites in the whole shop, because it works everywhere. Sumac gives it a bright, lemony tartness, sesame brings a nutty crunch, and thyme, oregano, and a little Aleppo pepper round it out. On a weeknight, toss it with olive oil and whatever vegetables are about to go soft, then roast them hot. For something fancier, scatter it over whipped feta or bake it into Za'atar Focaccia. Snack time? Shake it over popcorn with some good EVOO and thank me later.
Pescado Verde is my other can't-live-without tin. It tastes like fresh salsa verde in dry form: garlic, cilantro, Mexican oregano, lime, orange, and a kick of serrano. Stir a spoonful into neutral oil and spoon it over grilled salmon or mahi mahi, and dinner is done in twenty minutes. Hosting? Make this Shrimp Ceviche from our Culinary Director, Alyse Baca, and watch the bowl empty.
Two more I can't put down right now:
- Chef Shuai Wang's Sichuan Hot Chicken Spice, with its electric Sichuan peppercorn tingle and cinnamon and star anise underneath (please make the Sichuan Hot Chicken Cheez-Its), it's really good on everything. Chicken nuggies out of the airfryer, bowl of rice, fresh cucs, on top of your fave to go food.
- Chef Cheetie Kumar's Rose Harissa, a smoky, floral blend from Meherwan's longtime friend at Ajja in Raleigh. It's perfect bloomed in oil, stirred into yogurt, on top of popcorn, on your go to grocery store hummus with EVOO, or roasted on veg and finished with a little honey.
Gifts for everyone on your list
We're opening right as gift season rolls in, and the gift table is ready!
The 18-Pack Kitchen Essentials Collection has been our #1 best-selling gift year after year, and The Strategist named it to their Gift Hall of Fame. Eighteen tins cover the herbs and spices everyday cooking calls for. Give it to the friend in a new apartment, or anyone whose cabinet is full of five-year-old jars.
For the person who owns more than one pair of tongs, our Grill & Roast Collections come in 3-, 6-, and 10-packs covering smoke, tang, heat, and herbs. Steak night, sheet pan chicken, the holiday bird: all handled. If they'd rather build their own lineup, our Grilling & BBQ Blends let you pick favorites tin by tin.
Come say hi!
Spicewalla Georgetown opens at 1317 Wisconsin Avenue NW in fall/winter 2027! Follow us on Instagram for updates, or sign up for our emails to be the first to know.
Come in, open some tins, have a cup of chai with us, and tell us what's cooking at your house. I can't wait to hear.
Spread love, cook food, and come see us in Georgetown! ❤️
Cara Manning, Spicewalla's Director of Marketing