Indian street food
What is bun maska?
Bun maska is a soft, lightly sweet bun split and slathered with butter. It is meant to be dunked in hot chai, and it is the simplest and most loved tea-time snack in India.
From the Tapri Chai kitchen · November 2026 · 2 min read
Maska means
Butter
Bun
Soft, lightly sweet
Home
Irani cafes
Best with
Strong chai
01
The name
Maska means butter in Hindi and Urdu, and bun is a bun. The name tells you everything: a soft roll with butter. Some versions add a little sugar or cream.
02
Irani cafe roots
Bun maska is closely associated with the old Irani cafes of Mumbai and Pune, with their bentwood chairs and marble tables. Locals went for a strong tea and a bun, and the combination became a morning ritual.
03
How to eat it
Tear off a piece, dunk it into your cup, and eat it while the butter is still melting. The bun absorbs the chai, and the butter and tea blend into something rich and sweet. It also works fine on its own with a hot drink on the side.
04
Why it works
Chai is sweet and milky, but the bun is plain, soft and buttery. They fill in each other’s gaps, and the warm tea softens the bun until it barely needs chewing. It is comfort food at its smallest scale.
05
Bun maska at Tapri Chai
Our Bun Maska is a soft bun slathered with butter and sweetened cream, best dipped in chai. It is $3.49 at 200 Kennevale Dr in Barrhaven, Ottawa. Order it with a Kadak Chai ($4.49) or a Kashmiri Chai ($4.99).
Questions, answered.
What is bun maska?
A soft bun with butter, served with hot chai for dunking. Maska means butter.
Is bun maska sweet?
The bun is lightly sweet, and the butter is rich. At Tapri Chai it is slathered with butter and sweetened cream.
Is bun maska vegetarian?
Yes. It is made from bread and butter. Everything at Tapri Chai is vegetarian.
What do you eat bun maska with?
Chai is the classic pairing. You dip the bun into the tea.
How much is bun maska at Tapri Chai?
Bun Maska is $3.49 CAD.
At Tapri Chai
Taste it for yourself.
Our kitchen in Barrhaven is 100% vegetarian. 200 Kennevale Dr Unit 104, Ottawa. Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 11pm. Closed Mondays.