Kapoor's Cafe - HSR Branch

Visited Kapoor's Cafe on a Sunday night around 9:30 PM, mainly because we had heard they serve good North Indian food. Location & Setup: The cafe is located on the 4th floor (with the kitchen on the 3rd). The seating area has a proper North Indian vibe—regular table-chair setups along with khat-style seating, which adds a nice rustic touch. Crowd & Service: The place was completely packed, easily accommodating around 70–90 people. We had to wait about 10 minutes, which is reasonable for a weekend. However, a major issue was understaffing—only around 3 servers managing the entire crowd, plus one person cleaning tables. This led to slow and inefficient service, which was noticeable throughout. What we ordered: Paneer Pakoda (₹340, 8 pieces) Aloo Paratha (₹180) Punjabi Chole Thali (₹340) Lemonade / Lemon Soda Chaach Food Review: Paneer Pakoda (2.5/5): Quantity felt less for the price. The paneer didn’t taste fresh, which was disappointing. The chutney served alongside was good, but it couldn’t compensate for the average pakodas. Aloo Paratha (1/5): Looked promising initially—good size and decent stuffing quantity. But the taste was extremely bland. It felt like plain mashed potatoes stuffed inside, with no seasoning or flavor. Easily the most disappointing dish of the night. Punjabi Chole Thali (2.5/5): Chole: The only highlight—really well made. Chapati: Good size, but didn’t feel fresh. Rice: Too much ghee (subjective, but didn’t work for me). Dal & Raita: Average. Missing Salad: A basic salad wasn’t included, which is usually standard with thalis—felt like a miss, especially at this price point. Lemon Soda (1/5): Completely flat—no fizz at all. Didn’t feel like a proper soda. Chaach (3/5): Decent and as expected, nothing special. Overall Verdict: The ambience and seating concept are good, and the place has potential. But the food quality is disappointing across most items, especially considering the pricing. Service also suffers due to lack of staff. Honestly, not a place I’d revisit or recommend. There are far better North Indian options in HSR Layout that offer better taste and value for money.

* Sarson Da Saag Thali - 4/10 * Lassi - 6/10 Absolutely underwheling especially for the price, 470. Only the bhindi fry was good. Really really good. Saag and Makki ki roti were sub par. The Lassi was decent but found it to be quite pricey as well. Charpai seating arrangement was interesting though difficult for 2 folks to comfortably eat on, especially with the Thali. 2 stars primarily because the taste of the dish did not justify the price (1395 for 2 people)

The food here is authentic Punjabi food. The portions are huge so order accordingly. I got the sarson ke saag combo with kachori aalo combo. Both were great. Was stuffed by the end of this meal. They also are heavily generous with their butter (the heaping scoop on the saag). The curd and the mint chutney slaps. Loved the place, would highly recommend.

We've been here two times and both times some part or the other of the order was mixed up. But the one, which does come correct is amazing and tasty (though feels a little overpriced compared to North India Dhabas). Go for the vibe and authentic taste of North India !