Did You Know? National Museum Has A Tiny Cafe Serving Chai, Parathas & Bombay Sandwiches

We recently visited the National Museum near India Gate and headed straight to the cafe because our motto is simple: Hummus before history and paratha before the Maratha. Okay, maybe not always but on this particular day, we were really hungry and it would’ve been unfair to the artefacts if weren’t giving them our undivided attention. 

The menu doesn’t try to outdo itself. You’re enveloped in that familiar aroma of fried stuff that’ll remind you of your house when it’s getting ready to host parties. The dishes are scribbled on the blackboard and we’re assuring you that they’re doing a lot more than just the staple samosa-lassi-paratha.

The canteen surprised us with new age-y additions like Chilli Paneer and rice, thin crust pizzas, cheese omelettes and red/white sauce pasta {gotta give it to them for trying to catch up with what the cool kids like}. Seeing matar kulcha, egg curry and paratha, tikkas, pakoras, rolls was a refreshing sight too.

After a lot of deliberation {and choosing a Bombay sandwich over a vada pao}, we ordered salted buttermilk and chhole bhature. The food was fresh and hot and the spicy chhole had that home-made quality we miss so much. The bhaturas weren’t dripping in oil and the sandwich had slices of cucumber and onions slathered with green chutney without making the white bread go soggy {quite an art, if you ask us}. The lassi, of course, was none of the watered down version that we’ve now made peace with – it came thick and smelling of fresh curd.

In short, our stomach had a great time and the simple meal here was nothing we didn’t expect. Except you know what? The man who served us ever-so-lovingly. Every plate that made it to our table was accompanied by a smile and a “thank you” in response to our “thank you”. Like we said, it’s a feel-good throwback to a simple time and we’re so glad we got a taste of it.

Make a day of exploring the many treasures {jewellery, arms, paintings, manuscripts, archaeological relics and more} and discuss/ponder over your observations at the Kafe @Museum. The sunshine-filled canteen will tell you why nostalgia is a great thing. BRB, chai break is calling.