Cafe Illiterati | Mcleodganj, Dharamsala (India)

 

Cafe Illiterati
Cafe Illiterati

I remember first time when I went to Mcleodganj I saw a café on my way. The café looked quite exotic and inviting. Many times while on my way back to Dharamsala from Mcleodganj I would notice the café and think about visiting it someday.  Finally after many visits to this side of the country I managed to go to lliterati Café this time.

The café belongs to a Belgian Couple and is European in every sense.

My sister works in Kangra and she has been to Illiterati before. So we decided to walk down the lane to the café Illiterati from Mcleodganj. It is hardly 200 meters from Mcleodganj on Jogiwara Road.. From Dharamsala to Mcleodganj the café comes on Khada Danda Side and the distance is 5 KM.

Open windows and seating in the balcony facing the mountains are the highlights of this café. The walls are adorned by the humongous collection of books and that is their biggest strength. Nature of the books available here is as diverse as various dictionaries for foreign languages, Indian Culture, Other culture,  Harry potter series, Mythological books, Raghu Rai photography to a book on Ethiopian people and lifestyle. You can spend days if you go through their collection of books.

Books
Books

The wooden furniture, fresh flowers, candle light and music relaxes you instantly. A corner of the café has Piano and Guitar. Every corner here has windows and they keep it open which makes the ambience pleasant. My sister and I went there with friends. After a long day and a long walk we reached there by 6:45 PM. The whole ambience of the café was soothing and we sat in the balcony to enjoy the view. We lost the track of time and before we knew it the candles were lit and the sky became dark blue. In the midst of chatting, laughing and reading we found solace.

The Guitar and Piano Corner
The Guitar and Piano Corner

My friend enjoyed her Iced tea and my sister loved her Ginger honey lemon Drink. We sat there for some time and later we ordered

Ginger lemon honey Drink
Ginger lemon honey Drink

1)      Hummus plate

Hummus plate
Hummus plate

Focaccia Bread

2)      Penne porcini

Penne Porcini
Penne Porcini

3)      Chicken Schnitzel

Chicken Shnitzel
Chicken Shnitzel

4)      Waffle with honey butter

Waffle with Honey and Butte
Waffle with Honey and Butte

5)      Pancake with chocolate sauce

Pancake with chocolate sauce
Pancake with chocolate sauce

The hummus plate had sesame seed nachos with hummus and foccacia bread. The hummus was very tasty and the nachos were baked. The Foccacia bread was perfectly baked, seasoned and unlike the authentic bread this was oil free.  This was served with tomato and cucumber salad. This is highly recommended for someone who is a weight watcher.

The penne porcini pasta was very rich and creamy. The parmesan cheese was sprinkled with generosity along with the well cooked pasta (we tend to over boil the pasta but this was perfectly boiled)

Chicken Schnitzel was the dish of the day. Everyone jumped on it to have a bite. The chicken breast was marinated, covered with bread crumbs and fried to perfection. Served with salad, mayo and fries. The crust on top of the chicken was crunchy and the butter and lemon on top enhanced the taste further. The chicken inside the crust was juicy and tender. This entire dish was mouth watering.

The waiter was smart to ask if we wanted our desserts after we finish the food. So once we finished the food he placed the order for the waffle and pancake.

We sat there stuffed and we wondered how will we finish the waffle and pancake. Before we could change the order the waiter came to our table holding big size plates of Pancake with chocolate sauce and Waffle with honey and butter.

The waffle was crunchy, rightly sweet and was cooked consistently. The honey and butter made perfect balance between sweetness and saltiness.

The Pancake was huge, thin and soft. Unlike fluffy and small pancake the pancake at Illiterati was very different. It was served with the hot chocolate sauce

Another major highlight of the food here is that they give importance to plating, which is not the case generally in the cafes at Dharamsala/Mcleodganj.

I must confess that we overate and we were so stuffed that we couldn’t move back immediately. So we sat there for some time. We met their Dog named Fondu, he was fun and friendly. The café also has a washroom, which again is very rare in this area.

The bill came upto Rs 1310 and they also arranged a cab for us to go back to Mcleodganj  (which we paid for separately).

Although the café shuts by 8 PM they do take reservations for private dining.

Café Illiterati is perfect place to eat, relax and read or spend your whole day just chilling.

I have come back home happy with one more place ticked on my list.

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