Mumbai’s Irani cafes – from bun-maska, chai and marble-topped tables to a set of odd rules – have retained their original flavour over the years
They say change is constant, but not for Mumbai’s Irani cafés. They refuse to change a thing, and thrive.
So, what makes a café Irani? You don’t have to be an Irani to open one, and you can have pretty much anything on the menu.
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But you cannot be an Irani café if you do not have at least three of these: bun-maska, chai, marble-topped tables, bentwood chairs, glass jars full of stuff no one ever buys, and some really odd rules – no sitting for long; no asking directions; no arguing; no gambling; no discussing politics.
No Irani café worth its bun-maska would open without some version of the rules — not even the new ones in London (Dishoom, now a chain of five, was launched here in 2010) and Paris (which has an Irani café called MG Road)