This 88-Year-Old Hidden Gem Cafe in Kolkata is Still Serving Signature Pudding that Tastes like Time Travel

Tucked just beside the Jatin Das Metro Station in Hazra, The Cafe might be easy to miss—but its story is anything but. Opened in 1937, this quiet little eatery has stood still while the world changed around it. From old-school wooden furniture to a manually turnable wooden menu board, everything here feels like a soft rewind into pre-independence Kolkata.

While the city rushes ahead with new cafés and modern menus, Café sticks to its roots, especially with a dessert that has quietly become its identity—the English pudding. At just Rs. 85, Bhetki fry without chillies. It’s here that generations of Kolkatans have come, not just to eat but to relive. What makes it more fascinating is how this place hasn’t changed its recipes or its staff lineage; there’s no neon signage, no Instagrammable wall, and yet, by 5 pm, the crowd speaks for itself. And there’s a story here—of war, resilience, food, and a father's dream.

A Tasteful Journey Through Generations 

When we walked into The Cafe, the first thing that hit us wasn’t the smell of food, but a feeling. Slightly chipped blue-and-yellow walls, handpicked wooden chairs, Kori Borga roof and a modest tiled floor all whispered stories of the past. We met Siddheswar Banerjee, the second-generation owner, now in his seventies, who took us through the extraordinary journey that began with his father, Amarnath Banerjee, "my father used to be an accountant at the Consulate General of Japan in Kolkata but lost his job during World War II when the office shut down. But instead of looking for another safe job, he did something unthinkable at the time—he opened a cafe. Back in 1937, cafes weren’t a thing. It wasn’t common, especially in middle-class homes, to leave a respectable accountant's post and cook for a living." Siddheswar said with a smile, "But my father was quite a foodie, a curious man who used to visit canteens and restaurants, ask about recipes, read cookbooks in Japanese and German, and taught himself." That knowledge built what is now one of Kolkata’s oldest cafes. And the recipes? Still the same.

"There are no chillies here—none. Not even a pinch." Siddheswar chuckled. “I know people will laugh at hearing Indian food without chillies!" “But my father curated the menu like a fusion of Bengali and foreign delicacies, so we don’t believe in using chillies. No dried chilli, no red chilli powder, no green chilli, nothing. We use black pepper, coriander, fennel, poppy seeds—” And surprisingly, the flavours are still soulful and balanced. Their bhetki fish fry is crisp, fresh, and clean. It has that classic taste you expect, but without the burn. "Gravy chicken roast is another must-try", he said, "You can feel the difference in the quantity we don't serve in pieces. We serve an entire quarter piece of chicken, and we keep everything the same as my father started back then with a very affordable price." But if there’s one thing that brings people back again and again, it’s the English pudding—soft, fluffy, mildly sweet, and made with fresh bread, cashews, raisins, butter, and topped with a light foam. It melts in your mouth like a memory. And the price? Still Rs. 85. 

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“Even now, we whip the foam just like my father used to,” Siddheswar said.  “We don’t use basa or boiler chicken.” Remarkably, the cafe has no branches and never felt the need for one. “After 4 pm, the tables start filling up, "And now we also deliver, not for business expansion, but because many old customers asked for it. Some can’t visit anymore due to age or health, but still crave a bite of their childhood,” Siddheswar added. The wooden rotating menu is another fascinating detail—each board is flipped manually when a dish is sold out. There’s no LED screen here, only history, handwritten and turned over with care. It’s not old-fashioned for the sake of nostalgia. It’s just how things have always been. Even the staff is second-generation. “My father trained their fathers, now I work with their sons,” Siddheswar said. During our chat, Siddheswar chuckled as he remembered how film legends like Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar were regulars—Ray even sat here working on scripts. “Uttam Kumar never sat inside though,” he added, “he’d send his driver to pick up food, always from the car.” And he wasn’t exaggerating. Even now, people walk in saying, “My grandfather used to bring my father here, and now I’ve brought my son.” The place has quietly become part of many family trees. “We’re not just serving food, we’re serving the memory of someone’s father recommending this place, someone’s mother bringing home pudding for birthdays, currently we are also exporting fish fries to different cities and abroad like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai. We light fry these fish fries and export it across India.” Siddheswar said.  

The Cafe: A Tribute to Time and Heritage 

The Cafe isn’t just one of the oldest cafes in Kolkata—it’s a time-stitched thread connecting generations through recipes, values, and that unmistakable smell of familiarity. There are no flashy boards or paid promotions. Just a man running the café his father built, using the same ingredients, same methods, same passion. And it shows—in every bite, every plate, every quiet moment you spend inside those walls. Next time you're searching for an affordable weekend place in Kolkata or a lesser-known café to take your family—or just your appetite—The Cafe is where memory is always on the menu.

Where: 41/A, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, Hazra, Kolkata

When: 3 PM – 9 PM

Price: Rs. 300 for two people (approx.)