Read, Work, Meet: This Kothrud Cafe Doubles Up As A Community Hub

In one of Kothrud’s many lanes huddled amongst several buildings, we found The Book Cafe. The open space is no ordinary cafe, you could use it as a reading spot, a coworking space or to meet your hobby group. 

Abundant with fruit trees that naturally create a green roof for the open space, a swing, garden chairs that sit pretty, weaver birds’ nests - have we walked into someone’s garden? Well, someone’s garden has literally been converted into the cafe, so that vibe is intact. The Book Cafe has a rustic, homely feel to it. It’s like we’ve walked into our home’s backyard and are free to curl up with a book and a mug of hot coffee. If you do actually do that, the cafe honestly won’t mind. 

The cafe’s owners have maintained the simplicity. A part of the garden has been roofed and shelves full of books await readers. The books have been stocked courtesy of donations, so you’ll find common titles in English, Hindi and Marathi. There are some old magazines to read too, and an old transistor radio sits on a shelf but we’re not sure if it’s for decor or if it actually works. 

While this may be a book cafe, it also doubles up as a coworking space that’s easy on the pocket. For INR 50 a day, you can use the WiFi and lounge and work; there’s a plug point on each pillar too. So if you’re a freelancer in the area or a mushrooming start-up, you could drop in and not have to worry much about costs. Of course, the food and drinks will be charged separately. The owners are planning to come up with a nominal membership fee soon, which will include all amenities. 

Gamers can lounge in the game room where there’s a PS4 equipped with a few popular titles. And for board gamers, there are a few games too. The cafe also recently hosted a board game meet-up, where a group came in with their own set of European board games to use the space. So the idea of hosting more such meetup groups and workshops is already underway.  

There isn’t much of a menu here, you’ll get hot and iced tea and coffee with few variations. There’s maggi, sandwiches, burgers and fries. It’s a small menu, adequately priced, offering the bare minimum to those who’d like to munch on something whilst working or reading. 

They plan to host shayari nights and invite authors to come in for a reading as well. So, there’s a lot in store as the cafe slowly finds its feet.

The Book Cafe is building its library based only on donations. So if you’ve got books, board games and old magazines to give away, drop them off at the cafe. They’ll surely be super happy to receive them.