The Best Writers' Cafés In Mumbai

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.

You’ll know you’ve found the right café when the little furry Zizou welcomes you. Gostana is a pet-friendly café tucked into the back of a regular building near Linking Road. Once you’ve found it, however, there’s nothing to stop you from spending hours there, as it’s a café that’s just cozy enough (only three tables and one floor seating). Lovely owners who will do everything to keep you comfortable, great music along with the high chance of hearing very interesting conversations among the regulars at the café make this place a writer’s dream. If you’re hungry, try their burgers, hummus and chicken spread. Gostana, Ground Floor, Prabhat Kunj, Near Elbo Room, 24th Road, Khar, Mumbai, India,+91 22 3015 0820

Prithvi Cafe

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.

Prithvi Cafe, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, Mumbai, India, +91 22 2617 4118

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.