These cafes in Mumbai have a characteristic outlook and can be easily distinguished from others around them. The interiors are also very similar besides the platter that most of them offer. Though some of these cafes have evolved over time, still certain features stand out prominently, adding the character to the ambience.
Bent Wood Chairs:
The most feature seen in Irani and Parsi cafes are the bent wood chairs in black. These chairs are manufactured by steaming wood, bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns. The technique is very similar to making chairs using heavy cane.
Marble Top Tables:
The bent wood chairs are accompanied by white marble top tables usually square in shape. Due to maintenance issues these tables are nowadays being replaced by square wooden tables with a glass cover on top. A transparent piece of glass is used over a table cloth. The menu card of the cafe is sandwiched between the glass and the table cloth such that it is visible to the customer.
Chequered Table Cloth:
These are characteristic table cloths that are seen in almost all Irani and Parsi Cafes. The chequered cloth is very similar to the fabric worn by Iranian people. These checkers are mostly in Red though blue and green variants are also seen.
Chandeliers:
Not so common, but chandeliers are also part of Irani and Parsi restaurants. As a matter of fact these chandeliers were used to give it a “continental” flavour, as pre independence the customers catered to by these cafes were mostly Europeans.
Half Floor in the Interior Space:
The interior space in many of these cafes has a half floor which is somewhat like a mezzanine. This floor provides additional seating deck and is connected to the main seating space on the ground floor. The two spaces are connected by wooden stairs.
Family Room:
These were small chambers to accommodate courting couples in the cafes. The chambers had typical wooden swing doors. The concept of family rooms became so popular in the 70s-80s that were even mentioned in Bollywood movies of the time including Raj Kapoor’s film 'Bobby' starring Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. In fact another Bollywood film 'Tum Milo to Sahi' shows a Parsi woman, played by Dimple Kapadia, trying to save her cafe from being bought over by a multi-national corporation.
Bent Wood Chair
Chandelier
Family Room See Inside Cafe Mondegar