Chai stalls punctuate the main street, the road to every viewpoint, and the trailheads to the forts. The tea is the standard Maharashtrian style: strong, milky, sweetened, boiled together and poured through a strainer into small glasses or earthenware cups. A glass costs a few rupees.
On a cool monsoon morning, or after a fort trek, a glass of hot chai by the side of a rain-soaked ghat road is one of the better simple pleasures Lonavala offers. The stalls near Bhushi Dam and Tiger's Leap also do biscuits, instant noodles, and corn — enough to keep you going between sights. Not a destination in themselves, but an ambient pleasure that runs through the whole visit.