All round the year you will find Mitra Cafe, a restaurant in North Kolkata near the SutaNuti Metro Station, packed. When I arrived in the early part of the evening the place was full and I had to wait quite a while to get a place for myself. The food must be really out of the world else why this crowd is what I was thinking while I waited.

When my friends and I finally seated ourselves we took no time to order our favorites - Fish Diamond Kabiraji and Fish Diamond Fry other than the very delicious Brain Chop and Devil which were simple but very special and tasted very good. Diamond Kabiraji had a nice crunch and the fry was simply amazing and you never had such a tasty fry before I am sure. In fact, Mitra Cafe is just heaven for fish lovers though you have other chicken items too on the menu.

This place is just the place for foodies who are not too bothered about the decor but go by the taste of food served. You can also try their vegetable chop, egg chop, mutton kasha, stew and a whole range of Kabiraji cutlets. The best is all are reasonably priced and you can choose both spicy and non-spicy items. If you are looking for the typical North Kolkata Bengali cuisine then Mitra Cafe is the one.

Surprisingly I discovered that the restaurant was over 100 years old and the visitors were showcased on the wall. There were filmmakers, writers and all other who and who visiting the place. I believe Uttam Kumar, the Bengali cinema icon, used to frequent the place very often.

As history goes, Shri Sushil Roy founded ‘Mitra Cafe’ in 1920. Mitra in Bengali means friends so the place became a place for friends to meetup. The quality of food and the goodwill have remained even today. After Shri Sushil Roy his wife Smt.Gita Roy retained the legacy and is now being managed by her grandson Tapash Roy who noted: “with constant innovation and endeavor, many new varieties were introduced in our menu and soon more will follow. There is a new catering and order supply division which is also receiving phenomenal response.”

There are other outlets in the city also but this is the very place where it all started and sitting here itself having a Kabiraji or Moglai Do-Peaji or Mutton Kasha with foodie friends was such a unique experience. If you are living in South Kolkata then there is an outlet in Gariahat and if you are on the way to the airport then maybe you can quickly pick up your choice from the Baguiati or Dumdum branch. Besides indoor seating they also have home delivery and you can get breakfast in the morning which has a different menu.

If it is traditional food that really matters to you then Mitra Cafe is the place. Mitra Cafe has become a name synonymous with Kolkata cuisine where you will find theirfood stall in every fair held during the winter season. So if you are visiting Kolkata or living in the city a visit to Mitra cafe is a must for Mughlai, North Indian,Seafood and Chinese cuisine.

Mitra Café, Shobha Bazar, 47, Jatindra Avenue, Kolkata, Contact no: +91 8420161111/+91 9830342665

Photo Credit: Banner Center – Presented by P.

All round the year you will find Mitra Cafe, a restaurant in North Kolkata near the SutaNuti Metro Station, packed. When I arrived in the early part of the evening the place was full and I had to wait quite a while to get a place for myself. The food must be really out of the world else why this crowd is what I was thinking while I waited.