Topsy-turvy décor, a Bollywood-style welcome and chaat all the way from Mumbai: A pitt-stop at South Campus’ coolest cafés

We’ve already given you a list of some of the coolest and quirkiest cafés to hang out at in North Campus. Now, we list some interesting theme-based cafés that one can chill at in South Campus. If Hudson Lane is the new ‘cool’ place for students in North Campus, then Satya Niketan, or ‘Satya’, is the place to be in South Campus when it comes to cafés, or fun places to chill.Be it quick bites like sandwiches and rolls, or pocket-friendly multi-cuisine restaurants, Satya has a lot to offer. Located right in front of Sri Venkateswara College, and at walking distance from other South Campus colleges, all these cafés are located right next to each other, giving students several options to choose from.

Bombay Brunch
Dilliwallahs can never have enough golgappas, and Mumbaiwallahs love their pani puri. So when Mayank Kamboj, from Delhi, got married to his wife, who is from Mumbai, she could never develop a taste for the golgappas you get here. Mayank, who is also a pani puri lover, then decided to open a café to give students a taste of Mumbai’s famous chaat. "Our entire staff is from Mumbai, and all our masalas are only available in Chandni Chowk. We offer everything – from paos to dosas to pani puri," says Kamboj, executive director of the café. A pani puri vendor outside the café is the main attraction of this Bambaiyya-themed joint.
Cafe Sportsvilla
Located near the PG area of Satya Niketan, you can easily spot this café. It is an ideal spot for sports lovers. The first thing that you notice as you enter are the seat covers, which are designed like jerseys or in the shape of footballs. The roof of the café is covered with shuttlecocks and sports medals. One section of the café is dedicated to football – the seating area is inside a football net. "Since our café has a sports theme, we wanted to include as many sports as we could. Business seems to be good and the place is safe, because we don’t serve alcohol. Problem zyaada tab aati hai. Jab student crowd hai toh sahi rehta hai," shares Chirag Chopra, owner of the café.
The chai story
This small and cozy café offers different types of chai and snacks, all under `99. The café is open to students for when they want to study or just relax over a cup of tea. There is also a section in the café that has book shelves in the shape of teacups. "The idea was to offer them a space where they could study and relax. India runs on chai, and students prefer chai over anything," shares Neha Paul, owner of the café.

Dishoom
This café looks like a fight club, with a rustic motorcycle that has ‘Dishoom’ written on the number plate hanging from the balcony. The seating booths are separated by scaffoldings, and to give it a more rustic feel, oil drums made of steel are hung from the ceiling along with another deconstructed motorcycle on one of the walls. "Each part of the bike has been deconstructed and put on the wall. We also have a shutter inside the café, which is like that place in most fight clubs where fights happen," says Amit Gupta, owner of the café.
Canteen Till I Die
As each college has a canteen with its own distinct features, this café’s owner wanted to open a common canteen for students from various colleges to meet at. The café has wooden desks, chairs and a defaced wall – deliberately designed to give customers the feel of a college canteen. "We wanted it to look like this because if you look at the college canteens, they all have walls like this," says Jaspreet Singh, manager of the café.
Café Hera Pheri
One is bound to draw parallels between the movie Hera Pheri when you enter this café. As the name suggests, the café has been designed in such a way that everything looks confusing and chaotic. For example, the doors look like they’re attached to the wall. "Yahaan sab kuch ulta-pulta hai. If you look at our door, windows or lamps, everything is upside down. I’m the manager here, so I’m like Babu bhaiyya from the movie Hera Pheri," says Kunal Deep Rajput, manager of the café. Rajput even has yellow bow to go with his black and white suit, which he wears with specs that have no lenses. "People call me Babu bhaiyya here, that’s why I don this look," he adds.
Superstar café
As you walk up the stairs to this café, a Bollywood-style red carpet along with posters of various actors welcome you. Frames with posters of movies like Thanedaar, Wanted, Ishaqzaade and many more, are placed on either sides of the wall. "Nobody in this area has a Bollywood-themed café, and Bollywood has a deep connection with Delhi University (DU). Many celebrities have graduated from DU, and there have been many movies based on DU colleges, so that’s why we came up with this idea," says Aman Garg, one of the owners of the café. The café also has a separate section where postcards with pictures of celebrities are put up on a wall.
ALSO READ
DU aspirants, pick your favourite cafes too