Our final story takes us to India and Asheville, where famed restaurateur, Meherwan Irani, has lovingly recreated the taste and sensations of Indian street food.

It's called Botiwalla and it's so much fun.

[enchanting folk music] - Hi, I'm Meherwan Irani.

I'm the co-founder, the chef, and the CEO of Chai Pani Restaurant Group.

Botiwalla is essentially a love story with my childhood.

Pretty much tried to take a piece of what I grew up with and put it here in Asheville, North Carolina.

And it's about immersive storytelling.

It's an Irani cafe, and these things were institutions in India.

There's maybe less than 20 left, and I wanted to save one, preserve one the way I remember it and bring it home.

[enchanting folk music continues] - We want people to feel transported when they enter our space.

We want them to feel like they're being welcomed into a street corner in India into an Irani cafe.

Might step back in time just a little bit, but to feel like they're walking into a gathering spot where they feel welcome and happy and comfortable in the space.

- I'm a Parsi.

There's probably about 50,000 left in the world.

And my particular tribe, the Iranis, created this really unique cafes in India that had a little bit of a Victorian feel and also a little bit of sort of a very Indian feel.

They were characterized a lot by a juxtaposition of sort of white marble-top tables and sort of formal Victorian dark mahogany colors, and then also just bright splashes of color.

And I'd say one of the defining characteristics is probably the family wall, where essentially the entire lineage of my family is up on these walls, and it's in keeping with the way these cafes used to be back in India.

[lively folk music] - Meherwan and I traveled to India in 2015 on a kebab tour just eating our way across and figuring out what we loved and what we felt like we could recreate.

Botiwalla brings you that in the setting of an Irani cafe.

We brought the street-grilled India into that cafe setting, which really speaks to Meherwan's roots as a Parsi, but his love of kebabs.

So bringing those two things together into a casual setting with delicious made-from-scratch food is what we do.

- This is my first time here and I'll definitely be back.

It's got a great vibe and the flavors are awesome.

And I wanna try a bunch of other things on the menu.

[lively folk music continues] - Our menu is authentic, but not traditional.

One of our most special dishes is the SPDP.

SPDP is an abbreviation for sev potato dahi puri.

And these are puffed flour shells that are stuffed with potato, onion, and cilantro, tamarind chutney and green chutney, topped with yogurt.

And then on top of that we put sev, which are extruded chickpea noodles.

And this is a very unique item that you get on the streets in India.

It's a street food item.

SPDP is an item that we recommend to every new customer.

It's something that may look intimidating, but the second you take your first bite, it blows you away.

[lively folk music continues] - Crave-worthy Indian street food.

We're introducing people to Indian street food, and that's super fun 'cause it's a new cuisine for many people.

Here, this is really an aspect of Indian street food that many people haven't experienced.

We also have a location in Charlotte located in Optimist Hall.

That has lots of different restaurants so people can come and get a little something here and get a little something there, which is really how our food is meant to be enjoyed.

[lively folk music continues] - This is my first time at Botiwalla.

The gobi, okra fries.

[smacks lips] The vibe's cool.

It's nice lighting.

You got chandeliers, you got nice music.

The staff's cool.

- The staff are some of my favorite people.

The food is incredible, so much good flavor, but it doesn't hurt.

It feels so good.

[vocalists singing in foreign language] - In every Irani cafe in India, you'll see the rules of the cafe, and they sort of reflect the proprietors of Irani cafes in India are known to be strange characters but also lovable, beloved.

So we have our own take on that.

It's an homage to the Irani cafes of India.

- I love the fun of it.

We're trying to create a party atmosphere in here but one that's a party where you feel like you belong.

We want people to feel really seen and invited into the space.

- Botiwalla is a restaurant for everybody.

Someone who's been eating Indian food their whole life will come in and be very satisfied at the level of flavor.

And someone who's never had it before can find things to taste, and I'm sure that they'll love it and come back for more.

- I hope that when people walk in the door that they feel the aesthetic and the experience, hand in hand, is unique.

I hope that people feel our sort of humor in a welcoming way, in a curated way, that I hope people find ultimately funny, and fun, and irreverent.

[lively folk music continues] - The way I'm trying to do Indian food, the way we're trying to do it is, at the end of the day, a part of the American culinary fabric.

It's fully integrated, all the ingredients, everything that goes in the cuisine.

While it's assembled in ways that may feel different, they're all familiar.

Most folks are familiar with the curries and the naan.

And you come to Botiwalla, and I want you to go like, "Whoa, it's delicious.

I didn't think I liked Indian food.

I love this."

That's what I want them to walk away with.

[lively folk music continues] - Botiwalla by Chai Pani is at 697 Haywood Road in Asheville, and they're open daily for lunch and dinner, beginning at 11:30 a.m. To find out more, give them a call at 828-209-8627, or go online to botiwalla.com.