Evocation of a vanished time.

[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Indian Coffee House (circa 1957) expresses its extraordinary romantic atmosphere in its run down furniture. The café is a tribute to the dignity of old times when there were no take-away McMaharaja burgers, no self-service counters and no stewards in baseball caps. Here is the evocation of an extinct elegance. Tea is served in the kettle, toast is accompanied with knife and fork, and the waiters are turbaned. The establishment is set on the second-floor of Mohan Singh Place, a dreary shopping complex, next to PVR Rivoli in Connaught Place. The principal hall is shabby and beautiful, a blend of solitude, conversations, and imaginary Chopin compositions. The section for “Ladies & Families” is less sophisticated. The terrace is cruder for it looks to the vulgarity of Connaught Place’s incoherent skyline. But the view only sharpens the relief one feels on entering here. The place, despite its soggy toasts and watery tea, is more civilized than the rest of the city. You go nostalgic for an idealized age of intellectual life when tempers flared only on the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes. The Delhi Walla presents a visual tour of the Indian Coffee House.

Where Mohan Singh Place, Near Hanuman Mandir, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place Time 9am to 9pm Nearest Metro Station Rajiv Chowk

Full menu

In search of the lost time

A pause in the conversation

“And Marx was…”

Man of the book

Of another time

Here’s your masala dosa

State of the world

The coffee counter

Delicate is the world

For ladies and families

Headgear

The terrace patrons

Where’s our coffee?

Palm reading

On a date

Job satisfaction

Cold coffee is here

Time is the essence