Through the ages, the public yet very private space of the café has reigned without control. These spaces have sculpted great artistic and political phenomena by allowing the tender exchange of conversation. People from all walks of life frequent cafes, which make for democratic pockets unspoiled by technology; where people can differ, debate, or even light a cigarette and immerse themselves in quiet contemplation. A site for dreaming, defying, and a breeding ground for ideas, fierce friendships or even feral rivalries.
Here are some famous cafes that have withstood the changes of time.
Established in 1876, the Coffee House in College Street has seen the soft and silky footsteps of the passing years, a place that has seen the mighty British Raj crumble, and what rose from the debris of time, was the haze of cigarette smoke, the brew of coffee and evenings fritted away in fierce debates, conversations and chance encounters. Stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray have sipped coffee under the high ceilings of Coffee House. During the 60s, Hungryalist poet Allen Ginsberg and his lover, Peter Orlovsky had made acquaintance with Bengali poets Shakti Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay at the Coffee House. Sunil Gangopadhyay often met the gifted actor, Soumitra Chatterjee in the Coffee House. A student of literature, Soumitra was a regular at the ICH where he used to co-edit a magazine. Even after he became a celebrity following the world-wide fame of the Apu Trilogy, Chatterjee continued to visit the Coffee House. The late feminist poet Kabita Sinha and writer-academic Nabaneeta Dev Sen also frequented the coffee house. It was the epicentre of Calcutta’s intelligentsia.
United Coffee House in Delhi’s Connaught place used to be a confluence of cultural and political discourse. Intellectuals and politicians would throng at the café. In its initial days, it was a café that served only coffee and savory. Today it is a restaurant with a menu ranging from Mediterranean to continental cuisine. In a world unmediated by online food portals, the coffee house used to be frequented by serious coffee drinkers or afficionados. In its earlier days, this 75-year-ol café’s Cona Coffee assured free refills. In the last decades however, there has been a seismic shift in imagination. The symbolic spaces of intellectuality or creativity has also changed with this. Today, the café is a symbol of what it used to be.
The lost years of the Parsee-café culture, only grows older and younger in Mumbai’s café Britannia. Berry Pulao served with Pallonji’s Raspberry that used to come in tall transparent bottles, with soda bubbles ebbing to the top bears testimony to countless summers. The Parsi-Iranian cuisine at the café attracted tourists, students, office goers, journalists, businessmen and women. Theatre actors would often spend hours rehearsing and savouring a bottle of the inimitable Pallonji’s Raspberry soda. Late Boman Kohinoor, the owner of the café had written letters to the Queen of England, inviting her to his café. In response, he received a note of thanks from the Queen- a letter he has framed in his café. Ballard Estate’s Britannia is the beating heart of the Parsi café culture. Its crème caramel, kheema pav and dhansak tend to make the dizzying worlds of the past come to life.
Very recently, director Christopher Nolan was found shooting for his film ‘Tenet’ within the walls of the historic Café Mondegar in Mumbai. The released motion picture reveals brief yet vivid glimpses of the café. For, such is the appeal of Mondegar. Each of its walls are embellished with Mario Miranda’s prints. The Goan cartoonist and illustrator’s murals are a representation of life in Bombay. This 140-year-old café on Colaba is no less than an enigma. The aroma of coffee here, remembers more than you do. It has a vintage jukebox that plays songs of your choice and the menu ranges from Italian, Chinese to Continental. Be it any season, Mondegar is always full of laughter, colour and light
Established in 1952, Koshy’s began as a bakery. But today, Koshy’s comprises two restaurants- Parade Café and Jewel Box. If you’re sitting at a table in Koshy’s Parade Café on St. Marks road, you will invariably see the traffic plunging ahead of you, the inertia of passersby drifting in the streets and most often there is a song trembling in the air. . For many, the day doesn’t begin without Koshy’s strong and milky coffee, while for some, breakfast at Koshy’s is a ritual. Patrons savour their customary omelettes, bacon stuffed mutton, mushroom and chicken liver on toast. Popular amongst millenials and older patrons, the magic of Koshy’s lives on like a charm.
Established in 1947, Chennai’s Ratna Café is a living and breathing page from history. Over the years, governments have come and gone but the taste of the sambhar, idli and filter coffee has remained the same. This landmark café is known for its fresh and wholesome meals. Initially, the café had a very humble beginning, but today, one has to wait in a queue in order to get a table. The café is much celebrated for its sweet pongal which is served on the occasion of festivals.
Time stands still at the Coffee House in Church Street, Bangalore. Frequented by intellectuals, politicians, professors and students, the coffee house has been a melting pot of social, political and economic ideas. What gave impetuous to conversations and debates was the strong coffee grown by native Indians- one that used to be a stronger concoction than it is today. A lot like Calcutta’s Coffee House, the India Coffee House is frequented by people from all segments of society. It’s pocket friendly menu makes for an ideal hangout. Even today it is frequented by professors, lawyers, students, serious card players, artists and writers, it’s walls are adorned with old posters. Due to the passage of time, the posters have assumed the colour of coffee as if. This is how art collides with life and coffee in Bangalore’s coffee house. Life can indeed be measured out in coffee spoons in Bangalore’s Coffee House.
Established in 1871, the Leopold café has a tumultuous history. Bustling with life and with a momentum quintessential to Bombay, in 2008 the Café was attacked by terrorists. A prelude to the attack on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, the café was razed by grenade explosions and gunfire. Today the café stands for a site of resistance. In spite of the abrasions of the past, the legacy of the café lives on in the hearts and minds of all the people who have visited it. Considered one of the most egalitarian cafes of the city, it is a nerve Centre for tourists, writers and artists. The café has also found mention in in the novel Shantaram, written by Gregory David Roberts. During his time in Mumbai, the author was a familiar face at the Leopold café.
The iconic Kayani Café is one of the longest surviving Irani Cafes in Mumbai. Established in 1904 by Irani immigrants, the café serves a mouthful of nostalgia with its patent bun maska, keema pav, nankhatai and Irani chai. Its wooden tables, high ceilings and colonial architecture give dimension to its fascinating history. In the years that led to the freedom struggle, freedom fighters and British officers would frequent this café. Amongst many others, the café has also lived up to the likes of MF Hussain, Shashi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.
The popularity of Mavalli Tiffin Room in Bengaluru can be ascertained by the long queue outside it, at any time of the day. Its rava idli, filter coffee and crunchy dosas make for a sumptuous breakfast. Most of Mavalli’s patrons are local customers. Workers, students, lunching ladies, commuters and office goers swarm the place all through the day. It’s uninviting basic décor, plastic chairs, steel plates and glasses might be devoid of any swank, but the roaring momentum of the Mavalli Tiffin Room only keeps growing.
