Top 8 cafes to visit in Pondicherry

Pondicherry, especially White Town, goes hand in hand with the arty-crafty cafes. There are plenty of cafes to visit in Pondicherry that provide great ambience and food for the tourists and locals. With French cuisine and chilled out vibes, these cafes are perfect to spend an afternoon or an evening with friends.

Some of these cafes are great for workcation too. With cute cosy corners, the cafes in Pondicherry are ideal for attending conferences or taking client meetings. But do note that most of these cafes do not offer Wi-Fi and you need to use your own data. I have been to Pondicherry multiple times and have spent a huge amount of time at the cafes working or people watching. This post lists the top 8 cafes in Pondicherry that you must visit the next time you are in that coastal city.

Do you just have 3 days in Pondicherry? Then read the places to visit in Pondicherry that you can cover in those 3 days.

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Café culture in Pondicherry

The café culture in Pondicherry was introduced during the 18th century where the French hotels dominated and catered the growing Indian middle class. These hotels facilitated the demand for coffee to the merchants and middle class people by serving the coffee as a beverage along with the French cuisine such as croissants and baguettes. And this began the era of cafes in Pondicherry.

Also read - Top 5 things to do in Pondicherry.

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Top 8 cafes to visit in Pondicherry

Le Café

Once a Port Office that was built in 1790, Le Café is the only café that is on the waterfront in Pondicherry. The Port Office was where once the ships docked and departed during the trading era. But a cyclone in 1952 destroyed the pier and the Port Office was then turned into a café. The café serves a fusion of French pastry, quiche, and Indian snacks such as chats.

• Do observe as the remains of the pier are still visible from the café.

Timings: 8 AM to 10 PM every day.
Location: 23, Beach Rd, White Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 500 for two people.
Must try: Lasagne, coffee, apple tart, quiche.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

Coromandel Café

Rated as one of the top 10 cafes in India by Vogue India, Coromandel Café is a beautiful café with pink walls and palm filled courtyard. It is an upscale café that serves continental food and freshly made cakes and desserts.

Timings: 8:30 AM to 10:30 PM every day.
Location: 8, Romain Rolland St, White Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 1000 for two people.
Must try: Tiramisu, cakes, coffee.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

Hope Café

With amazing wall art, Hope café is nestled in the 19th century building. The café offers European, especially French and Italian, cuisines and cocktails. With great service and food, Hope café is one of the best cafes in Pondicherry.

Timings: 8 AM to 11 PM every day.
Location: 4, Rue Suffren Street, Pondicherry 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 600 for two people.
Must try: Mock tails, Coffee.
Wi-Fi: Yes.

Café Des Arts

With pretty décor and a garden, Café Des Arts is in the 19th century vintage building. The café serves French food like crepes, sandwiches and coffee. For one of the most famous cafes in Pondicherry, I did feel that there were a very few food options. But you must visit this café for the décor itself as it is beautiful and quaint inside.

• Ensure to sit outdoors as it is lovely surrounded by nature and greenery.

Timings: 9 AM to 6 PM Wednesday to Monday. Closed on Tuesday.
Location: 10, Suffren St, White Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 500 for two people.
Must try: Pancakes, crepes, coffee.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

The Indian Kaffe Express

The Indian Kaffe Express is another charming café that is spacious with great décor and service. With a lot of natural light, the café offers sandwiches, pancakes and waffles.

Timings: 7:30 AM to 9 PM every day.
Location: 3 Rue, Dumas St, near IG Office, White Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 500 for two people.
Must try: Oreo shake, Waffles with maple or Nutella syrups.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

Le Petit Four

Le Petit Four is a cute café in the White Town that has the most chilled out vibes. They have cosy corners that are very pretty. The staff are also very friendly and hospitable. I loved this café so much that I went back couple of times. The café serves Italian and French food.

Timings: 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM.
Location: 2, La Bourdonnais St, French, Heritage Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 400 for two people.
Must try: Cakes, Salads.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

Villa Shanti

Located in a 19th century heritage building, Villa Shanti is a hotel with a beautiful café. This picturesque café has chilled out vibes with a appealing décor. They serve continental and Indian cuisine.

Timings: 12 PM to 10:30 PM every day.
Location: 14, Suffren St, White Town, Puducherry, 605001.
Price: Approximately INR 1500 for two people.
Must try: Salad, Risotto.
Wi-Fi: Not available.

Le Dupleix

Rated as one of the top restaurants in Pondicherry, Le Dupleix is a restaurant and a café. The restaurant has a peaceful vibe and the ambience is great. The service is also very nice and the staff are attentive and friendly. I had the best cold coffee here at Le Dupleix.

Timings: 7 AM to 9:30 PM.
Location: 7, Casern St, White Town, Puducherry, 605001
Price: Approximately INR 1500 for two people.
Must try: Cold coffee, Chicken biryani.
Wi-Fi: Available.

Closing Notes

As an avid coffee drinker and Italian food, I love visiting cafes and Pondicherry is the place where I really enjoy trying various coffees and cuisines. I recommend visiting at least some of some of these cafes if not all as each one of them have a character of their own.

Also Read | Eden Beach, the Blue Flag beach in Pondicherry

Which of these cafes have you visited in Pondicherry? Let me know in the comments below as to which ones were your favourite.

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