Started by two friends, Pustakafé near Matunga Road station has become a quiet reading and dining spot for college students. As you step out of the western exit of the railway station, and walk past a stretch that is bearing the brunt of road repairs, the small café nearly misses the eye
Two students catch up over a pizza
Sometimes a throwaway conversation between friends about quitting their jobs and opening a café can actually come true. For Nitin Nai and Dhrumin Chheda, that half-joking dream is Pustakafé, tucked in a lane that’s barely five minutes away from Matunga Road railway station.
As you step out of the western exit of the railway station, and walk past a stretch that is bearing the brunt of road repairs, the small café nearly misses the eye. Opened in June, the two-floored space has, in just six months, become an unofficial hangout for students of DG Ruparel College, close enough for some to practically hop across in between lectures.
Wooden shelves stacked with books on the cafe’s mezzanine floor
Nai shares, “A quiet place with no background music to read books and college-friendly meals; who would not like that? The idea is simple, and it was meant to be close for college students, and as luck would have it, everything worked.” Inside, the walls are painted green and yellow; we spot wooden shelves stacked with books across most corners. The collection is vast, across fiction and non-fiction titles, and ranges from self-help and spiritual titles, to an entire section dedicated to Manga comics.
Mushrooma and tomato pizza
They stock even a few banned books like The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, The Adivasi Will Not Dance by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, as well as The Polyester Prince by Hamish McDonald for the curious reader. Food is student-friendly, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options starting at Rs 129 that include pizza, pasta, wraps, momos, French fries, nachos, sandwiches, and waffles, and the drinks include a varieties of cold coffees and chocolate and vanilla thick shakes.
Students enjoy a quick brunch. Pics from the collection/Rumani Gabhare
Darshita Chavan, a student at DG Ruparel and a regular at the café, told us, “Most of us drop by for the food, but also to blow off the steam, we pick up a book, which is usually fiction.” Nai adds, “Students love this place as it gives them an accurate amount of privacy and enough space to chill. Many pick up fiction or trending titles on their Instagram feed, to read.” Nai mentions, “On a regular weekday, the café seems packed to an extent that I see people waiting outside by 10-ish, but the weekends are more on the quieter side as the college is closed. But we do have a handful of regulars who come here almost every Sunday.”
Most of the books have been contributed by Chheda, who is an author, but patrons are encouraged to donate titles as well. A strange thing about this place that we happily accepted is that our phone signal drops as soon as we step inside. A suitable sign for everyone to switch off, relax, and read.
TIME 10 am to 1 am (Open all days)
AT The Pustakafé, Bal Govind Das Road, Mahalaxmi Sindhi Colony, Matunga West.
LOG ON TO @pustak.cafe
More book-themed cafes to check out
>> Leaping Windows
AT Corner View 3, Dr Ashok Chopra Marg, Amit Nagar, Versova, Andheri West.
CALL 9769998972
LOG ON TO @leapingwindows
>> Title Waves
AT St Paul Media Complex, opposite Duruelo Convent School, Bandra West.
CALL 8657921003
LOG ON TO
@titlewavesbookstore
>> The Library Cafe
AT Next to Carter’s Blue, Hanuman Nagar, Bandra West.
CALL 9819115777
LOG ON TO
@thelibrarycafemumbai
>> The White Crow Books and Coffee
AT Ground Floor, Jio World Drive, Bandra Kurla Complex.
CALL 9820833086
LOG ON TO
@thewhitecrowbooksandcoffee
Pic/The White Crow Books and Coffee
>> Kitab Khana with Food For Thought Cafe
AT Flora Fountain, Somaiya Bhavan, 45 / 47, Fort.
CALL 22844242
LOG ON TO @f4tcafe
Nai’s picks
Nitin Nai
>> Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
>> The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed Happiness by Morgan Housel
>> The Power of your subconscious mind by Joseph Murphy
>> The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
