Where to go looking for croissants and coffee in Mysuru
The city’s classic flavours intermingle with bakeries and cafes as migration and changing work habits bring new customers
On a humid Wednesday afternoon, tucked away in Mysuru’s leafy Gokulam area, The Organic Café and Bakehouse (TOCB) is packed. The smell of coffee and baked goods, the sound of clacking laptops and snatches of conversations in Kannada and other languages fill the air. Over the last few years, scenes like this have become common across the city.
Mysuru has long been called “heritage city", “sandalwood city" and “yoga city", alongside the more unflattering “laid-back" and “sleepy hollow". Separated from Bengaluru by about 130 km, it has unwittingly played second fiddle. Lately, people have moved in from elsewhere, including Bengaluru, and a consequence of this migration is the explosion of cafes, delis and new-age bakeries.
“Because of yoga (ashtanga yoga popularised in the 1970s), Mysore has always attracted an international crowd. And to serve this clientele during the ‘shala’ season (September to March), there have been interesting organic cafes like Dhatu and Depth N Green," says Vinay Parameshwarappa, founder of experiential travel company Gully Tours and a Mysorean. “Post covid, many folks moved here from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, and added to the cosmopolitan nature. The market has responded to this," he says.
That’s not to say that Mysuru’s old gems have faded. On Nazarbad Main Road, Hotel Vinayaka Mylari has been around since 1938 serving masala dosas generously ladled with coconut chutney, and accompanied by piping hot coffee. In Chamundipuram, Sri Gayathri Tiffin Room serves fluffy idlis and crisp vadas, with chutney and sambar. And on a corner of Devaraja Market, in view of the historic clock tower, Guru Sweet Mart is where you will get Mysore pak made from the original recipe from roughly 1935.
But none of these are places to linger or find solace in working amid strangers. Rather, this trend is traced to SAPA Bakery that was founded by German baker Dina Weber as a home business in 2015, and eventually expanded to a cafe. It sits inside an old home on a wide tree-lined avenue in Gokulam. The counter is filled with sourdough bread, custard-filled doughnuts, tarts, focaccia, eclairs and assorted pastries. There’s a selection of salads, sandwiches and pastas too. “It is great to see that not only locals, but people drive down from Bengaluru for it," says Parameshwarappa.
Then there’s TOCB, a community-led farm-to-fork café and artisanal bakery that opened last year and has the shabby-chic look of a farmers’ market. “We have managed to slowly change the way people think about organic," says chef Vedant Pawar, and takes great pride in getting farmers on board. On the menu are millet salads, Asian bowls and soups, smoothies, pizzas, pastas and an Indian thali.
A few minutes from TOCB is Leaven Bakery and Coffee House that opened earlier this year. White walls, large glass windows, and a mix of indoor and al fresco seating, all help exude a sense of space and serenity. “It (the food scene) had begun to change slowly the last few years, but accelerated after the pandemic," says co-founder Sujay Shivapooja. “Remote work helped the spurt of cafes. People are willing to try new things and new ideas. It’s also about community," he adds.
Apart from sourdough breads, croissants, macaroons and cheesecakes that are baked in-house every day, Leaven’s USP is its coffee, a blend made by artisanal coffee brand Classic Coffees from their Harley Estate plantations in Sakleshpur.
Located on Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai Road, The Old House is a two-year-old café that epitomises Mysuru’s old world charm. It has different kinds of seating in various rooms, and colourful tables on the patio that are screened by potted plants. The menu has coffee, pastries and Italian food, but the traditional filter coffee served in a brass dabara set (tumbler and saucer) is a runaway favourite.
The city’s heritage finds echoes at Naviluna Artisan Chocolate, started by South African pastry chef David Belo in 2012. An indulgent chocolate tasting followed by a hot chocolate made with Naviluna’s 65% is perfect for a mid-morning break. Several other places are racking up loyal following as well: Minimal, which serves outstanding coffee, and MY.KA Café; Hideaway Coffee has good coffee and a vegan menu; SIHI Patisserie and Boulangerie with its Korean buns, muffins and sandwiches; and White Teak Coffee Roasters to name a few.
But as much as the trend has found adapters, old timers are a bit wary. Journalist and writer Hema Ramaprasad, a Mysorean who spends part of the month in Bengaluru, prefers spots that capture Mysuru’s essence and honour the city’s gentle, friendly and laid-back ethos, such as Minimal and Hideaway.
Parameshwarappa, while largely welcoming of this new wave, is also circumspect. “Of course, there are Mysoreans who will say ‘my nostalgia is better than yours’ and that the city is getting crowded. I wish that newcomers keep in mind local culture and be respectful." He adds, “I always think change is good. It’s really nice to see so many interesting things happening in my city."
Anita Rao Kashi is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.
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