10 Tea Rooms In Kolkata For The Finest Chai

With its understated, minimalist décor and antique furnishings, the Darjeeling Lounge at ITC Royal Bengal will transport you back to the colonial past. You will be reminded of Darjeeling's well-known Glenarys by the verdant walls. Despite being extremely simple, it has a large, chic, and aristocratic aesthetic. Design elements from the Northeast's tea farms have been expertly incorporated into relaxed, modern styles. The best teas from China and Assam are included in addition to Darjeeling tea. Margaret's Hope and Makaibari are examples of first flush teas that offer smooth, fragrant tastes that are reminiscent of almonds and hazelnuts. The Darjeeling Lounge is a pleasant destination for tea enthusiasts, catering to modern preferences with inventive products. Inspired by Dalhousie's street chaa near the Stock Exchange, Share Market Chai is a popular beverage among all. It consists of Assam tea with strong spices and Gondhoraj cookies. 

Timing: Open 24 hours

Must-Try Food: Tomato and Cheese Sandwiches served with Potato Wedges + Salad and in-house dip, Spaghetti Aglio Olio, and Chocolate Mousse

Price: INR 1,500 for two

Contact: 033 4446 4646

Google Rating: 4.1/5

Instagram: @itcroyalbengal

The Glenburn Cafe has been renovated from an old warehouse site. It gives the feel of a European tea room and is part of the famous Glenburn tea estate in Darjeeling. Upon entering, you will be mesmerised by the quaint white louvred windows, the vintage décor, the chequered marble floors, and the flower-filled boxes underneath each window. It's a wonderful spot to enjoy Glenburn's renowned tea and some delectable cakes and pastries. Hot and cold drinks from the 8th Day Café, a roastery in Kolkata, are offered, along with a wide variety of 23 varieties of Darjeeling, Assam, and tasty mixes from their tea plantations in Darjeeling and Khongea, Assam. Tea from Darjeeling is served with a squeeze of fresh Gondhoraj lemon. 

Timing: 9 AM - 9 PM

Must-Try Food: Yorkshire curd tart, spiced grilled chicken salad alongside regulation avocado toasts, aloo parathas, white butter, and classic English fish and chips

Price: INR 950 for two

Contact: +919073912550

Google Rating: 4.1/5

Instagram: @glenburncafe

Trincas is a place where buoyant vibes and vintage charm mingle! Ideal for a get-together with friends, a date night, or a family meal. Trincas made its debut as a tearoom and bakery in 1939 at its current Park Street address. The location, which later transformed into a restaurant, remains faithful to its tea room origins. You will love the tea-infused drinks that are served at this city favourite these days. Their Calcutta iced tea combines the sweetness of their house tea with a dash of your preferred gin.

Timing: 11:30 AM to 12:45 AM

Must-Try Food: Shepherd's Pie, Makhmali Cheese Kebab

Price: INR 850 for two people

Contact: 082402 59201

LBB Tip: If you're lucky, you might even see Usha Uthup perform live!

Google Rating: 4.4/5

Instagram: @trincasrestaurant

Also called the "Queen of Park Street," Flurys serves the best view of this iconic street with a side of English charm in Kolkata. Flurys originally had been established as an old English tearoom by Mr. and Mrs. J. Flurys in 1927. Well-known around the world for its rich, creamy cookies, puddings, and pastries, and hot beverages too, decades later, the restaurant is still as well-liked, featuring chandeliers, fancy furniture, and pastel colours that evoke the atmosphere of European tea salons. The tea blend offered at the flagship location on Park Street will appeal to you. Namring Upper Tea Estate supplies the second flush Darjeeling tea, while the company-owned garden at Budlabeta supplies the Assam tea. Darjeeling is the source of the green tea. They also have an upcoming tea set that will have the logo stamped on it, which includes tea, milk, sugar pots, cups, saucers, and a strainer.

Timing: 6 AM - 11 PM

Must-Try Food: Chicken Al Greque and Creamy Penne Pasta, English Breakfast, Rum Ball, Butter Cookies, Shortbread Cookies, Mille Feuille (Napoleon Pastry), Chocolate Éclair

Price: INR 1,000 onwards

Contact: 033 4000 7452

Google Rating: 4.2/5

Instagram: @flurysindia

History is always on the menu at The Garden Café. Traditional teas, comforting coffees, and timeless yet fresh meals may be found tucked away inside the Elgin Fairlawn, which was first constructed in 1783 and briefly housed Canadian Air Force men during World War II. Standing tall at the intersection of Madge Lane and Sudder Street, The Elgin Fairlawn features colonial architecture from the 1700s. When you pair their English breakfast buffet with some Earl Grey, you'll feel as though you've travelled back in time.

Timing: 10 AM - 10 PM

Must-Try Food: Mutton Patty Burger, BLT Sandwich

Price: INR 1,500 for two

Contact: 074397 23501

Google Rating: 4.1/5

Instagram: @elginfairlawn

India's first female tea taster opened her own tea business in Kolkata in 1988. Dolly Roy, who goes by Dolly, launched Dolly's – The Tea Shop inside Dakshinapan Shopping Complex. Dolly's been serving exceptional blends and educating people how to enjoy tea the way experts do, long before tea rooms and lounges were trendy. Try raw tea, particularly Darjeeling tea without milk, also referred to as liquor cha in the community (no, it isn't made with alcohol; we prefer tea made with tea leaves). And also the Mango Tango if the heat rushes to your head! You can also purchase tea to take home. With vintage, retro music playing in the background, the atmosphere is terrific. There is something for everyone, including herbal infusions, specialty blends, and black and green teas.

Google Rating: 3.8/5

Timing: 10:30 AM - 7:30 PM

Must-Try Food: Ham Sandwiches, Pasta, Fish Fry, Salads

Price: INR 500 for two

Contact: 033 2423 6445

Like a scene from your current book, this is where all the BookTok girlies, bookworms, and literary romantics congregate. If you enjoy falling into a main-character mindset, the Cha Bar within Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, is the place to start your story. Purchase a book and immediately begin reading it while enjoying some tea and pastries. While enjoying what is arguably the largest selection of teas in Kolkata, including several tea-based mocktails, you can read and write at your leisure. With over 150 different types of tea, Cha Bar's tea menu includes Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan, Russian, Sri Lankan, South African and Thai teas in addition to a variety of single-origin Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim and Oolong teas, flowering teas, organic teas, herbal teas, fruit teas and bubble teas.

Timing: 11 AM - 9 PM

Must-Try Food: Walnut Cake, Fish and Chips, Quiche, Chocolate Truffle

Price: INR 850 for two

Contact: : 093300 20986

Google Rating: 3.9/5

Instagram: @chabarofficial, @oxfordbookstores

A charming and comfortable tea room where you may sit and sip your tea while surrounded by a selection of teas and the supplies needed to prepare a revitalising cup of tea. Handmade items from Pondicherry are also sold in one section of the store. Savour a little cookie and a cup of second flush Darjeeling tea. Karma Kettle is particularly well-known for its stone-ground Japanese matcha green tea, which is imported straight from Japan. For people who prefer matcha with a touch of sweetness, like dessert in a cup, without feeling bad about it, Vanilla Matcha green tea is ideal. A great tea to start the day or replenish your energy in the afternoon is Matcha lemongrass ginger. It is temporarily closed for dining but will open up in the next few days.

Google Rating: 4.4/5

Timing: 11 AM - 7 PM

Must-Try Food: Ham Sandwich, Lemon Tart, Fish and Chips, Almond Financier, and Shortbread Cookies

Price: INR 1,200 for two

Contact: 098312 75568

Instagram: @karmakettleteas

LBB Tip: You can also buy matcha powder and tea from the shop at the cafe, the official website, and various other online shopping platforms. 

If you enjoy drinking tea, this should be your first choice. You can work from here while enjoying tea and nibbles all day long. Try Nimbula Moonshine (light and cold) and the first flush (Giddapahar). Here, the Mixed Thukpa is also excellent. Their fall flush and second flush teas are also quite well-liked. The Makaibari variety is the most popular, and the majority of its tea comes from colonial gardens in the Darjeeling hills. A place where you may spend time with your carefully chosen companions while sharing arcane stories from the books they sell.

Timing: 8 AM - 10 PM

Must-Try Food: Egg Mayo Sandwich, Spaghetti Carbonara, Breakfast Platter

Price: INR 900 for two

Contact: 033 4044 2885

Google Rating: 4.4/5

Instagram: @firstflushindia

The Tram Tea Shop is a tiny shop located directly at the entrance to Kumartuli, the neighbourhood where the idol-makers reside and work. From the outside, everything appears simple, but as soon as you enter, you feel as though you have travelled back in time. A variety of teas, including the traditional dudh cha (milk tea), are available at the tea shop. The Tram Tea Shop honours Kolkata's trams, which were formerly an essential component of the city's transit network. Madan Pal, the store's owner, has been selling tea in Kumartuli for more than 40 years. He decided to preserve the memories of trams by opening the Tram Tea Shop in 2020. Ginger chai, cardamom chai, and masala chai are just a few of the flavours available. Oh, and the bhar (clay pot) that you get the tea in? It is a miniature dhunuchi (a traditional Bengali incense burner)!

Timing: 7 AM - 1 PM, 4 PM - 11 PM

Price: INR 10 onwards

Google Rating: 4.2/5