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West Bengal

Indian Coffee House

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map

January

10.9 - 29.8 °C

February

12.4 - 33.9 °C

March

18.2 - 37.5 °C

April

21.1 - 38.8 °C

May

21.8 - 39.0 °C

June

23.9 - 37.8 °C

July

24.3 - 36.0 °C

August

24.6 - 35.3 °C

September

23.9 - 35.5 °C

October

20.9 - 35.2 °C

November

16.0 - 33.1 °C

December

11.9 - 30.0 °C


Major Airports :

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport (CCU), Kolkata

Nearest Railway Station :

Howrah Railway Station (HWH)

Sealdah Railway Station (SDAH)

Major Airports :

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport (CCU), Kolkata

Stirring minds and palates for years

Indian Coffee House, opposite Presidency College on College Street Kolkata is not a regular café but a cultural statement. The humble, rustic facade can fool the novice but the seasoned know the epic and iconic historic milestones that have unfolded in the honoured halls of this building. Beginning from freedom fighters to notable writers to nationally and internationally revered authors, artists and filmmakers have visited this place, enjoyed cups of coffee, and discussed scripts, stories, and struggles. 

A very interesting and heart-warming specialty of this coffee house is that you can sit for hours engrossed in conversations or your thoughts, without ordering, and yet no one will come to break you out of your reverie. The air is not rushed, but calm, intelligent, and inspiring. In a few words, it's a living, breathing testament to the city's rich cultural heritage, where the simple pleasure of a cup of coffee transcends boundaries and unites souls.

The heyday of this iconic spot might be behind it, but every day youthful minds, thinkers, and former patrons keep coming back, eager to immerse themselves in an atmosphere thick with dialogues, the aroma of coffee, and the wistful embrace of nostalgia.

Catching glimpses of colonialism with coffee

Before it was popularly called the Indian Coffee House, it was known as the Albert Hall. The stately mansion was built in 1876 to commemorate the visit of the crown prince of England. The christening of the hall was a dedication to him. After it was completed, the Coffee Board decided to start a coffee shop out of Albert Hall in 1942. Post-independence, the Central Government rechristened it the Indian Coffee House - part of an expansive chain of about 400 outlets across the country.

It is said that initially Albert Hall was lived in by Ramkamal Sen, Treasurer of the Bank of Bengal and Secretary of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, in the early 19th century. But later when it got remodelled and turned into the famed Indian Coffee House, artists, literati, and people from the world of art and culture convened here to immerse themselves in the air of intellect and culture.

Just a few years after its conception, the management wanted to pull down the shutters of the place. But professors of Presidency College and Calcutta University floated a special petition to the government, to save the heritage edifice. Later, it was hit by a colossal financial breakdown that prevented the cooperative society from undertaking renovation of the coffee house. Organizations like Asian Paints approached the society with offers to renovate the restaurant, but they were turned down due to a mismatch of ideologies. 

When the stars come calling

The revered halls of the Coffee House have seen many stalwarts across art, politics, and literature. Filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen, Mrinal Sen, and Aparna Sen have spent hours here. Scholars, editors, artists and writers like Ritwik Ghatak, Narayan Gangopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay, Samaresh Majumdar, Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Craig Jamieson, Sukhamoy Chakraborty, Tapan Raychaudhuri, Barun De and Sumit Sarkar are a few who to have spent their years at the Coffee House. In the early sixties the young and the hungry wanted to steer a change with their literary works, cultural movements and poetic narrations.  That’s why revered poets and the brother duo Malay Roy Choudhury, and Samir Roychoudhury also visited this place very often. However, as their content was stirring, they were arrested and prosecuted. The coffee house was the hot seat for gatherings of freedom fighters also. Important meetings, strategies, and political warfare were discussed in these very walls.  Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was sworn in as the Congress president in the 1920s in the Indian Coffee House. It was frequented by several other noted leaders of the freedom struggle like Mahatma Gandhi, Shishir Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, and others.


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Timings

Opening time - 10:00 AM

Closing time - 11:00 PM

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After the cuppa is over

Coffee House is right in the canter of one of the busiest and historical neighbourhood of Kolkata. Just a few steps away is College Street, famed to be the biggest second-hand book market in the world. You will find alleys lined with book stalls, literary enthusiasts, intellectuals, and students. You can even drive a few kilometres away and enjoy the majestic Victoria Memorial. The masterpiece stands amidst sprawling gardens, lawns, and sculptures. You can take a stroll in and revel in the presence of exquisite galleries and exhibitions.

But if you are looking for spiritual solace, you can pay a visit to Kalighat Temple. It has an aura of devotion and reverence that enchants devotees from far and wide. But your trip would be incomplete without a visit to the Hooghly River, where the iconic Howrah Bridge stands as a symbol of the city's enduring spirit. 

Together, these places of interest invite visitors to embark on a journey of discovery through the heart and soul of Kolkata.