Café
Wenger’s
A Connaught Place bakery with roots in a Swiss couple's 1920s catering business, known for plum cake, shortbread, lemon tart, patties and pastries.
Indian Coffee House
A no-frills, worker-run coffee house on the top floor of Mohan Singh Place, serving cheap coffee, dosas and omelettes to a crowd of regulars since the 1950s.
At a glance
- Type
- Cooperative coffee house
- Area
- Connaught Place, Delhi, India
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Budget
- Rooftop-level seating
- Workers' cooperative
Why we recommend it
The Indian Coffee House in Connaught Place is less a café than a piece of Delhi's political and social history. The national chain is run by workers' cooperatives: when the Indian Coffee Board decided to close its coffee houses in the 1950s, the staff, backed by the communist leader A. K. Gopalan, took them over and formed cooperatives, and the Delhi cooperative was established in December 1957. Today there are nearly 400 Indian Coffee Houses across India, but the Connaught Place branch is the capital's best known.
The original Connaught Place coffee house opened in 1957. According to staff, it was shut during the Emergency in the 1970s, and its building was demolished; it then reopened on the top floor of Mohan Singh Place, a shopping and office complex whose lower floors are filled with clothing stalls. Staff say that at least nine prime ministers have been regulars over the years.
The menu is simple and inexpensive: coffee, dosas, omelettes and finger chips, the kind of tea-time snacks that have hardly changed in decades. A cup of coffee costs a few dozen rupees, far less than at the city's modern chains. Nobody comes for culinary innovation; they come for the conversation, the price and the sense of time standing still.
Expect mismatched chairs, faded hand-painted signs and slow ceiling fans. There is no air conditioning, only fans and a cooler, so midday visits in May and June can be uncomfortable, and the cooler months or late afternoons are more pleasant. Tables fill with older men deep in long discussions, students and young activists, sometimes straight from a protest, which makes for good people-watching.
It suits budget travellers, writers, history enthusiasts and anyone curious about the Delhi of earlier decades. Families and groups are welcome, though the place is about atmosphere rather than comfort. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for coffee and a snack.
Mohan Singh Place is on Baba Kharak Singh Marg on the edge of Connaught Place, within walking distance of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and the Inner Circle. The coffee house is on the top floor, above the clothing market.
Indian Coffee House FAQs
Where is the Indian Coffee House in Connaught Place?
On the top floor of Mohan Singh Place, Baba Kharak Singh Marg.
Who runs it?
A workers' cooperative; the Delhi cooperative was established in December 1957.
What is on the menu?
Coffee, dosas, omelettes and finger chips, among other simple snacks.
Is it cheap?
Yes, a cup of coffee costs a fraction of the price at modern coffee chains.
Is there air conditioning?
No, only fans and a cooler, so midday in May and June can be hot.
What is its history?
The original Connaught Place branch opened in 1957 and later reopened at Mohan Singh Place after its building was demolished.
Who goes there?
Regulars include older men in long discussions, students and young activists; staff say several prime ministers were once regulars.
How long should I allow?
About 45 minutes to an hour.
What is nearby?
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and the rest of Connaught Place are within walking distance.