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India is witnessing a surge in the popularity of cafes, marked by stunning establishments that prioritise purpose, taste, comfort, and décor over a formulaic approach. From celebrating Indian artisanal coffees and preserving their city’s inherent coffee culture to creating safe and cosy spaces, five of the top nominated cafés in the “Best Cafes In India” category will surely serve you coffee and food that feel like a warm hug!
Carnatic Cafe, Delhi
Founded by Pavan Jambagi and Shilpi Bhargava, the food served here is reminiscent of home-cooked Karnataka vegetarian fare. With a zeal to introduce more of Karnataka’s regional delicacies, this cafe has carved a niche for itself with its simple ingredients and bold flavours. Offering idlis, dosas, sambar, and vadas—of course, along with the famous filter coffee, these dishes have catapulted their fame to being one of the go-to South Indian cuisine cafes in the city.
Recently they have ventured beyond savouries and also serve ice creams made with fruits and spices, which are served in terracotta tubs and scraped coconut shells—the same coconuts that are used to make their famous chutneys! Delicious and eco-friendly, this cafe is truly a unique find!
Corridor Seven Coffee Roasters
Delicious coffee with a purpose! Passionate about coffee from a young age, Mithilesh Vazalwar, the founder, is a Q-Grader, roaster, cupper, and trainer. When coffee was unknown in India, this cafe was a pioneer in the speciality coffee revolution. Their life's work involves finding, roasting, and delivering the most exquisite Indian coffees. The goal of acquiring coffee beans directly from Indian farmers at Corridor Seven Coffee Roasters is to give them more agency in the coffee-buying process. The coffee's quality, transparency, fair trade pricing, and growers' ethical treatment are all strictly guaranteed as they source the crop themselves!
Boojee
Boojee was founded in 2019 by Rajdeep Singh as a small, 15-seater business on Perry Cross Road. His one true desire was to whip up some excellent coffee and tasty sandwiches made with just the freshest ingredients. When compared to its neighbouring cafés, Bandra's Boojee Cafe offers a far superior range of coffees (coffee connoisseurs say so themselves). Try the in-house Cold Coffee, roasted to perfection with Arabica beans grown on the estates of Thippanahalli, Bynemara, and Thogarihankal.
Get it made with two shots of espresso, a splash of milk, and a sprinkle of jaggery. Everything on the menu is made using minimally processed, freshly prepared foods that have never been frozen. Staffed by warm, kind individuals, their cafes are created to be welcoming places where everyone can unwind and enjoy themselves.
Sienna
Sienna Store & Cafe, situated in Hindustan Park, is driven by a shared passion for showcasing Bengal's skill and produce. The indie store and café, which served handmade bakes, was launched in 2016 on the ground floor of an ancient Bengali home by mother-daughter combo Shanta and Shuli Ghosh. Along with her husband Rewant and chef Auroni Mookerjee, Shuli has spent the past seven years refining the restaurant's made-in-Bengal emphasis on cuisine and goods. What makes Sienna work is the way the store and cafe come together so seamlessly.
From Shuli's jamdani cotton dresses to beautifully glazed plates, and from earrings made to look like miniature khorkhoris to Auroni's menu, which takes inspiration from Bengal's abundant market and culinary traditions, Sienna makes a modern take on the city's nostalgic and historically significant items. Our recommendations? Their Belgian Chocolate and Sea Salt Ganache on toast is a wonderful dish to try with their Nolen Gur Cappucino. For savouries, we suggest you to try their Ham and Cheese Panini or the Sienna BLT- bacon, arugula and tomato chutney!
Coromandel Cafe
Prepare to be amazed by the remarkable culinary experience that awaits you when you pair a chef who is deeply committed to ethically driven food with a community that is rich in cultural diversity. The perfect combination for Coromandel Café would be Chef Jay Adams and Puducherry. The café, which is devoted to showcasing the town in all its glory, offers modern British cuisine with Indian influences. The establishment is produce-driven, using materials gathered from nearby sources for everything.
The Coromandel experience is deeply Pondicherrian, with its palladian and art deco buildings, Coromandel coast tiles, and light fixtures salvaged from antique ships. The café, like the town, maintains its own character while welcoming change; for example, it has staged Creole culinary festivals and is now interested in Bengali food. The restaurant gained fame in the culinary world due to its idea of showing individuality through cuisine.
The establishments nominated in this category are constantly reinventing what constitutes a cafe. Taking things from good to great, whether that’s improving Indian coffee, highlighting and sourcing local produce, adding modern sophistication to simple cafe dishes- these cafes are definitely the ones to watch out!