Visitors planning a trip to Mehrauli Archaeological Park can now have a gala time in a newly opened café.
With Qutab Minar in the background, renovated Quli Khan’s tomb on its left and a revived old water body sitting on its right, ‘The Café Stone’ is a perfect blend of good food, history and heritage.
The Mehrauli Archaeological Park hosts multiple monuments in its premises including Balban’s tomb, Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb, Gandhak ki Baoli, Rajon ki Baoli and others. Many of the monuments there have seen a facelift recently while this café has been rebuilt by the authorities.
Dinesh Kumar, manager of the café, told Patriot that this facility has become everyone’s favourite after its launch in October last year.
“Everybody wants to explore a new café. It (the high footfall) is because of the amazing food being served here and its location that attracts the visitors,” he says.
Kumar says that they witness a good flow of local as well as foreign tourists to the café.
“It was completely packed in winter. We used to serve some 150 people in a day then but with the arrival of summer, the number has gone down to 50. We are planning to come up with some facilities soon to attract more visitors,” he says.
The café remains open from 12 pm till 8.30 pm.
“We are popular for serving Blue Tokai’s cappuccino, pizzas and waffles,” he added.
The café management says that this area used to be a forest once.
“This circular-shaped café used to have broken walls till some time ago. It was reconstructed by the government into a café. The broken walls were one foot tall but now the rejuvenated café has at least 12 feet of walls, which have been built with the use of stones and lime. It now gives a perfect look,” they say.
The cafeteria’s main lounge is housed in a monument, labelled ‘Unknown Circular Monument’ on an inscription stone near it.
“This was probably constructed in the British period by Thomas Metcalfe and seems to have been a sitting or dining room. The circular inner room has a small decorative fireplace and spacious shelves. The outer gallery has ledges that might have facilitated the service of food. The roof, of which nothing remains, was probably supported on wooden beams as the slots where they would have fitted can still be seen,” reads the text on the inscription.
The stone-themed café was a crumbling structure till last year, hidden behind huge overgrown vegetation, filled with garbage and filth. Its walls were covered with algae, pathways were wrecked, nearby waterways and drains were covered with silt. But the government’s renovation plan has given it a new lease of life.
The restoration and redevelopment of the café was part of the LG and Delhi government’s plan to maintain the crumbled and dilapidated monuments across the national capital.
This café is viral on Instagram as it is built in stone. A lot of food vloggers and influencers keep visiting and promoting the café.