Indian Coffee House

-m2-

What's happening with this venerable institution?

Arriving in New Delhi in 1969, you couldn't miss the Indian Coffee House as it took up around 1/4 of Connaught Circus -- a collection of huge tents, filled with with 10,000 or so businessmen, students, travellers and the impecunious, slurping delicious coffee, tea, and snacks delivered by rapidly moving waiters decked out in clean linen outfits topped with a garish cap, and all for prices that were so low as to be almost unbelieveable. I think this branch was still around for a couple of subsequent trips until the city wanted to reclaim this prize real estate, and a couple of branchs were opened in non-descript market blocks.

My eyes have always 'locked on' branches spotted in other cities -- it seems that as it became a worker co-operative, many branches were opened around the country, particularly in the south. Always great service, great (snack type) food, and very low prices. They cudda become a Starbuckw, or even (shudder) and Indian McDonalds as they seemed to be so good and so popular. Granted, I haven't been travelling extensively my last few trips, but seems to me there are *less* branches around rather than *more* and this is disappointing.

I checked out Google to see if I could read a bit of history, or get an idea how many branches are still around. The first item turned up is a page for the Indian Coffee House, Albert Hall, Calcutta. "our motto is to serve people in a quick and hygienic manner with low cost" Their site, and be sure to click on the menues, can be found here:

http://www.get-it-now.com/coffeehouse/


Any more India Coffee House fans here? any anecdotes, or favorite branches?

Alan D

Ah yes, -m2-

I remember it well! I remember sitting in the Indian Coffee House in 1966 at Connaught Place watching these two guys mowing the grass on the inner circle with a cow drawn lawn-mower, beating them with sticks, while the odd vechicle slowly passed by.

It's true, the waiters were immaculately dressed, but they had already, by then, had their fair share of western free-loaders who had sneaked off without paying their bills so one had to pay the waiters in advance for the food and drinks ordered.

The story goes that the Indira Ghandi Government during the "emergency" saw this place as a hotbed of dissent and closed it down. It was a very relaxing place to eat and drink, much better than the place on the third floor of a nearby building on Baba Kharag Singh Marg where the Indian Coffee House is now located. Still, even this place is a pleasant area to bask in the winter sun, while eating an excellent massala dosa.

I obviously didn't remember it that well. After checking my slides it would have been 1969

Annie_T

Yes...although I never knew the New Delhi Indian Coffee House. I have however frequented the Indian Coffee Houses in Calcutta, Shimla and one in Southern India (I just can't think of the name of the place...small town with lots of cashew nuts where you can catch a boat north to Allepey).

I first visited the Calcutta branch in about 1989...my friend and I were entertained by a old man with a remakable likeness to Gandhi who gave us a brass shoe horn (just what we needed to lever our chappels on and off)! At one point in the conversation a group of young guys at the next table tried to get into the conversation by asking the old man something. He turned around and told them "I do not know you so I do not talk to you". It worked for him, but I have never managed to deter anyone from bothering me with those words!

Tomi

I went to two of them recently, both in Kerala. The one in Trivandrum, near the train station, was very good food well presented, and fun, in a strange Guggenheim-like spiral building. The one in Ernakulam (Kochi), near the ferry terminal, was dingy, demoralized, and they didn't have most of the items in the menu. The elaborate headdress on the waiters was a good metaphor for both: clean, starched, upright, proudly worn in Trivandrum, and limp and ill-fitting in Ernakulam.

steven_ber

ah Tomi, i remember the place in Trivandrum well, i was having a 'not so good' morning and the staff there cheered me up with there hard work and never ending smiles.

an interesting building kind of like the 'tower of pisa' without the 'leaning'.

if you were having a realy bad day you could go there and sit right at the top, the poor waiter would be knackered by the time you have had your 3rd cource, 3rd drink and bill (all ordered seperatly ), i think you may need to give a large tip.

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neoncarrot

Its funny Alan D mentions Indian coffe house in connection with hatching plots. Sitting in the branch on the Mall in Shimla, I could imagine the leaders of the Quit India movement hatching the demise of British rule over a coffee.

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-m2-

I think that's the one in Alleppy (Alapphuzha) your thinking of, Annie -- at least there used to be a rather quiet, but pleasant, branch in a spot handy to some of the downtown hotels there.

I checked Google again and found a link to a picture of a waiter with the head-dress we've been talking about. hope this link works:

http://www.csuohio.edu/india_experie...1999/pic15.htm

I suppose the non-growth is partly changing times. I notice the special menu of the Calcutta branch is all Chineese food -- found that a bit ironic.

hey, welcome neoncarrot!! appreciated your post in the Laptop thread -- hope you'll hang around -- i'm pretty sure you can bring a raft of useful experience to the board.

m2

pquekel

The branch in Quilon/Kollam was not to clean and crisp either, but very friendly and a good place to shelter for the occasional heavy rains in July...they nicknamed me Gandhi because I bought a nd carried a big umbrella in a shop there (excellent repellent against stray dogs and sun too!!) and of course because i wear silver coloured spectacles and shave my head...the coffee and eggs and toast were fine...

vasuki

The one at Shimla... is probably the oldest (!)... Have seen this place from ages... A joint of 35 plus age group... Place has a lively atmosphere in the afternoons and evenings..

The place offers fork & knife when one orders Dosas.. (ummmmm..) used to be a novelty... and the food tastes the same.. since .. I can remember.

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-m2-

do they use the upstairs rooms as well? that really looks great...what a location!

vasuki

Nah! Upstairs is a guest house..

Indiantoo

Too right neoncarrot, the historic significance of the Coffee House is that it was used by Indian revolutionaries to discuss plots to overthrow the brit colonists. Very often I am told they were served coffee on credit/on the house.
Needless to say, Gandhi was not party to this movement...

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Quizman

There's one on M. G. Road in Bangalore. It is quite popular, but I never quite understood the reason behind its popularity. Neither the coffee, nor the food appealed to me.

There are plenty of Baristas and Coffee Days, but they are modelled after the Starbucks' chain. In other words, overpriced and packed with teens :-)

snain

I accidently discovered one in the Sector 17 market of Chandigarh. Great coffee, Nice ambience. I can never find good black coffe in India. Barista/ and Coffe house are good but they are costly.
I didn't know they have a chain of Coffee Houses in India.

-m2-

I'm not sure it is really operates like a typical chain or a franchise; probably the worker's co-op formula has kept it from growing beyond a few isolated outposts with varying standards, menus, and facilities. I've always looked forward to running across one when I get to a new city as it's pretty well assured you'll get a good cup of coffee and some tasty snacks. I kind of wonder what would have happened if an entepreneur had picked up the ball long ago when it was clearly such a promising concept.