Tracing Pune’s oldest cafes

They have been landmarks. They have a century-old legacy behind them. As the fate of Mumbai’s iconic Café Mondegar, which might shut down due to legal issues, hangs in the balance and Café Samovar having shut shop recently, here’s to Pune’s old cafes. Rustic, old-world charm and generations of serving food — they have been there and witnessed all.
Vaidya Uphar Gruha, bUDHWAR PETH Established in: 1910
Vaidya Uphar Gruha is probably among the first five eateries in the city that sprang up in the 1900s.It was frequented by freedom fighters and artistes alike, who came to dig into the only missal serving joint in the city then. “It is probably the oldest missal serving institution in the city. Missal at that time was not accompanied by breads, but puris and was served for eight paise. In the eighties, we revised the rates for the fourth time and made it to `3. Now, it costs `45,” said Deepak Joshi, fourth generation owner of the joint.. Yashwant Rao Chavan was a regular here, and so was author Pralhad Keshav Atre, who used to visit it between 1915-1917. “At a time when medicines were not as popular as today, our ‘sample’ was famous for curing cough and cold. We still make the kairichi daal, that was introduced by my great grandfather,” he added.
Dorabjee & Sons Restaurant, CAMP Established in: 1878
Back in the 1800s, Pune used to have only one restaurant, El Moretos, located in Camp. It was an Italian restaurant and dance bar, which could be accessed only by the British officials stationed in the city. In 1878, Sorabjee Dorabjee began a tea stall serving Irani chai, where the present restaurant stands. “However, in six months he realised that the city had a good demand for food. So we began the restaurant here serving to both Indian and British guests. At that time, there was no trend of eating out, so the place was mostly frequented by foreigners,” said Darius Dorabjee, the fourth generation member, running the restaurant. El Moretos shut, Kayani Bakery came up there in due course. However, Dorabjee & Sons still went strong. In fact they still have the menu of the 1940s, when food was priced in annas. Even the menu remains the same: mutton biryani, dhansak, patrani macchhi and other Parsi delicacies.
Poona Guest House, Laxmi road Established in: 1935
Nanasaheb Sarpotdar, who started Poona Guest House, was a close friend of Dadasaheb Phalke. Phalke often stayed at the guest house which was used for lodging by the actors who starred in Phalke’s films. “It costed 20 paise for lodging then. “Whenever Dadasaheb Phalke was in Pune, he would stay here. My great grandfather also started the restaurant, which served snacks at 2 paise. Later, actors like Dev Anand, Kishore Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar also visited and stayed at this place,” said Kishore Sarpotdar, a fourth generation member of the family.
Bedekar Missal, narayan peth – Established in: 1954
Bedekar missal still serves missal on Sundays and the kairi panna that was introduced in the 50s. There are gulkand laddoos, a dish that has been carried forward by three generations along with kokum sharbats and other Maharashtrian snack items. All these items costed less than a rupee in the 60s. “Now it is around `50,” said Manali Alhad Bedekar, a third generation owner. Café Goodluck, deccan – Established in: 1935
It came up in the same year as the Poona Guest House. In 1932 Narayan Seth bought a small place which was later taken over by Haji Hussain Ali Yakshi. In 1935, Haji Hussain set up this food joint here which served Irani chai and bun maska. “The challenge after we took charge of the café was to revive the menu, which was monotonous. So we introduced the tawa recipes for the young crowd. Earlier, it used to be biryani and basic snack items,” said Kasim, a part of the restaurant.
Badshahi, Tilak road – Established in: 1937
By the 1930s, the trend of lunch and dinner serving restaurants had evolved in the city. Badshahi is one of the pioneers in serving thalis. Artistes used to throng the restaurants to dig into the thalis, that were priced between 2 to 4 paise. And the menu has not changed much since. “We still serve four chapatis, two sabzis, rice and curry. We also have a special Sunday and Thursday menu. In the 70s, the price of our thali was around `15, it now costs `90,” said Sadanand Chhatre, fourth generation owner of the place.
George, camp – Established in: 1936
George is a landmark in the city. It has been around for the past 79 years and there have been no changes in the menu since its inception. “Except for a few additions, we have retained whatever it used to have in the 30s. George has a legacy of its own and the biryani served here is made from the same recipe used in the 1940s,” said Jawad Jawadi, who has been the restaurant’s manager for 22 years.
Prabha Vishranti Gruha, narayan peth – Established in: 1940
It was the peak of freedom struggle in the country, when Prabha Vishranti Gruha sprang up in the city area. It served snacks to the freedom fighters who used to huddle up there to chalk out plans of driving away the British. “My great grandfather started out with our special batata wada, sabudana wada and khichadi. They were priced at 2 paise then,” said Ketan Paranjpe, a fourth generation owner of the place.
Kawre Ice Cream, laxmi road – Established in: 1952
Since the concept of ice-cream came to the city, the Kawre Ice-cream centre has been around and so has its mastani and faluda. Sundaes were introduced in the 90s and the Peshwai and paan flavours in the early 2000s. However, Kawre still serves the same flavours that were available in the immediate years post-independence. “During the fifties, we produced as per the daily requirements and as there were no storage facilities, we had to sell everything on the same day. Also, seasonal fruits mattered to us a lot back then, since we did not get the canned fruits,” said Rajiv Kawre, a third generation owner.