8 Kolkata Tearooms Where Tea Becomes Art
Kolkata’s culture is deeply rooted in its tea. From early in the morning until late at night, it is consumed throughout the day. The sound of dishes clattering and the smell of freshly brewed tea fill the booths of the chaiwallahs, or street merchants, who are everywhere. But Kolkata is also home to a few of the most luxurious tea rooms in the country, linked to the city’s colonial heritage. Here are a few interesting ones you can take note of.
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A modest tea stall on the street, a passionate dispute about politics, a newspaper in one hand and hot chai in the other. It’s peak Bengali behaviour. Today, though, the discussion shifts from the local tea stalls in the city to tea rooms in the city. What is a tea-room, you ask? A tearoom is a quaint setting where people congregate to savour different kinds of tea, frequently with light fare like cakes, sandwiches, or scones. With a steaming cup of tea, tearooms provide a comfortable and friendly setting where guests may relax, talk with friends, or even hold business meetings. Yes, it’s the European influence that still permeates these tea rooms in Kolkata. It’s all very Bridgerton, with tea cakes on the side, charming tea rooms and lounges, pinky-up while drinking, and laughing like it’s high tea at a royal estate. Tea rooms and lounges that radiate this vintage English charm abound in Kolkata. Continue reading to know where to go:
Dolly’s – The Tea Shop
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, speciality blends, and black and green teas.
Address: Shop No. G-62, Ground Floor, Dakhinapan Shopping Complex, 2, Gariahat Rd S, Dhakuria, Jodhpur Park, Kolkata, West Bengal 700068
Timings: 10:30 AM – 8 PM. Closed on Sundays.
Cha Bar, Oxford Book Store
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.
Address: 17, Park Street, Oxford Book Store, Park Street Area, Taltala, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016
Address: Ground Floor, 62/1, Golpark, Hindustan Park, Gariahat, Kolkata, West Bengal 700029
Flurys
Not only one of the oldest bakeries but also one of the oldest tea rooms in the city and country, Flurys has to be on your list. It serves the best view of the iconic Park 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 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.
Address: 18A, Park St, Park Street area, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071
The Glenburn Cafe
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.
Address: 7A, Russel St, Park Street area, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071
Image Credit: ITC Royal Bengal
Address: G9WX+G3 ITC Royal Bengal, 1, JBS Haldane Ave, Tangra, Kolkata, West Bengal 700105
Address: 21, 2, Gariahat Rd, Ballygunge Gardens, Keyatala, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019
Image Credit: Makaibari Bungalow
Makaibari Bungalow
Visit the recently built Makaibari Bungalow Life store at Taj Bengal to experience the atmosphere of a plantation. Excellent tea, beautiful handmade fabrics, and the sophistication of plantation furniture are all available in this immersive space. Celebrated for its 160-year history of creating outstanding organic teas, the renowned Bengali tea brand Makaibari at Taj Bengal in Kolkata is now offering its discriminating clientele a lavish bungalow lifestyle. The space features handcrafted goods from Luxmi Estates’ historical outposts, which are responsible for prestigious brands like Obeetee and Makaibari, each of which has more than a century of unmatched craftsmanship. This includes an amazing selection of excellent teas, well-wrought silver teapots, plantation furniture, beautiful carpets, and home linens, all of which are expertly intended to create an extravagant, handcrafted lifestyle.
Address: 34-B, Belvedere Rd, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700027
Cost: INR 95,000 per package
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