The Best Writers' Cafes In Mumbai

Every writer knows the moment, you’ve spent all morning crafting eight, exquisite pages of meaningful prose, and in the past minute, you’ve deleted them all. It’s time to go out, get some fresh air, drink some tea (or coffee), and remind yourself that you’re part of the human race, all while working, of course. Here are the best haunts in Mumbai to settle down into with your laptop, that ridiculously large research book and your imagination.

1. KitabKhana

Bookstore, Building, Store

KitabKhana gets busy, it attracts a work crowd on weekdays, so you’re often battling between your next sentence and the conversation at the next table. But it has to be on this list because of the bookshop that surrounds it. You only have to walk through it to remember that good books still have a home (one that does not exist on virtual e-commerce platforms). The range reminds you of the categories life can traverse and why you fell in love with writing in the first place. It has the ability, for something inanimate, to transport you so completely into a new world, to soothe, excite and save. By the time you sit down, you’ll be inspired.

2. Prithvi Cafe

Cafe, Indian

It should come as no surprise that Prithvi is on this list. This café remains the go-to spot for anyone in the suburbs with a serious amount of writing to do. Expect to find some peace and quiet in the afternoon hours, along with the regular theatre and film crowd periodically making an appearance. Prices have remained relatively low, particularly if you stick to the sulemani chai, as do most regulars here. Prithvi has also spruced up their interiors, complete with atmospheric China lamps, features a lovely flutist on evenings and weekends, and offers Sangria on Sundays.

3. Bagel Shop

Cafe, Bakery, Coffee, American

Freelancers have been frequenting the Bagel Shop for ages. With great juices, a Parsi chai that makes you smile, and a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, this café makes you feel at home. On most afternoons, you’ll find some other solitary writer typing away at their magnum opus, or a reader curled up with a cup of coffee by their side. The sight is comforting, through the click-clack of laptops and the humdrum of soft conversation, it reminds you that as lonely as writing can sometimes be, you are not alone.

5. Birdsong Organic Café

Cafe, Indian

Crafted with exposed brick décor and bare bulb lighting, Birdsong Organic Café makes you feel like an avant-garde artist ushering in the next artistic revolution, and all you’ve done is sit down. It doesn’t hurt that it’s nestled in a Bandra by-lane, so when you look out, you see two-story buildings and low greenery that places you in another age. Try to avoid it on the weekends as finding a place can be a fight in itself, unless you book (and writers never book). Do try the hot chocolate though, there is enough sugar there to spark even the most latent of creative juices.

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