It’s rare to find an oasis in the heart of the City. But that’s exactly what ‘Courtyard Cafe’ offers its customers — a patch of grass, a small herb garden surrounded by trees and a friendly relaxed atmosphere with some good home-made food.
Located on Double Road, near the flyover, ‘Courtyard Cafe’ was started with the intention of providing a nice space for people to hang out and have some good food. Soon enough, the place has become a hot spot for a youngsters, including artists.
The ‘Courtyard Cafe’ offers a simple blackboard menu inspired by recipes collected from friends and families. The menu has pizzas, pastas, salads, quiches and sandwiches. “It’s more like a home kitchen. So we have asked our friends and family, who cook really well, to come and sell their food here. More than making money, the place is about making one feel at home. And the mantra is keeping it fresh, simple and clean,” says Akhila Srinivas, one of the owners of the place.
What really strikes one about the place is the ambience. Be it the small swing, hanging from the tree, or the benches and chairs placed across the area or even the big parachute that covers the entire place, the cafe surely makes one forget the noisy traffic on Double Road. “For me, the favourite part of the cafe is the parachute. For the longest time, I was wondering how I would cover the place. Then, the group called ‘Traveller’s Thursday’, who meet here very often, offered me this white parachute for cover and I felt it was the perfect part of the puzzle,” adds Akhila.
When it comes to food, the owners ensure that they make everything from scratch, be it sauces, dips, pizza bases or pasta.
“Most of the items are organic. In the long run, we would like to transform this into an organic cafe. We want to associate with the local farmers and use their produce to make our dishes,” says Akhila.
As of now, they do get peanuts to make the peanut butter for the sandwiches and smoothies.
They also source in ragi, which they use in the pizza dough. The range of burgers and
salads are also a must try at this place.
“On Sundays we have something called the all-day breakfast, where we serve crepes, sausages and a whole lot of other items. On some days, we invite some really good cooks for the ‘Guest Chef’s Night’. We brought in a friend as chef once and people loved it,” explains Akhila.
‘Courtyard Cafe’ is open on all days of the week, from 12.30 pm to 10 pm, and on Sundays from 10 am to 10 pm.