overlooking the valley in Dharamshala is this quite popular cafe. They have plenty of books and a few games that you can play. We spent the evening relaxing here, having some food and coffee. The chicken schnitzel was the highlight
The best cafe in Mclodganj 👍🏻👍🏻
Wowwww i ordered pizza and fruits slad it was really great. If m talking about place it was library theme based cafe.. Crowd was really rich. And view was amazing..highly recommend this place....
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Cafe Illiterati is a snug, cosy, warm, friendly, inviting, and cheerful European-style cafe. With a sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked cake, bright incandescent lighting, light music in the background, and to go with the name – walls lined with row upon rows of bookshelves occupied by, well, books of all sorts, this place is heaven for the tired traveller who likes his coffee and loves his books. And so we were.
While all its walls are covered with bookshelves, the one facing the entrance to the cafe has huge French windows leading out to a balcony. These windows are the gateway to the splendid views of the mountain range in the distance, which were covered with snow at the time of our visit. The balcony is spacious, has a few chairs set out for the view, and offers a good locale for the photographers to set out their tripod cams.
But the main action is indoors.
Frequented by stylish young folks from around the globe and monks alike, the place has a relaxed feel to it. While the ambience and the aroma give it a very cafe-y feel, the presence and sight of the book-laden walls lend to it an air of, well, literati. Being a coffee-and-book-lover myself, this was a pitstop straight from heaven before taking the bus back home.
And so, that cold December evening, we took in the views of the snow-covered Himalayas from the balcony as much as we soaked in the cosy warmth indoors. We placed our orders, snatched up a book each and took our places. And waited in anticipation for that of which the sweet aromatic precursor wafted through the air. I don’t remember much, however, apart from that piece of decadent chocolate cake. Melt-in-your-mouth soft and spongy, this scrumptious treat stood at a mere 100 bucks. If Illiterati was the find of our trip, this chocolate cake was the Kohinoor of the discovery.
The Craving Tales Official
+4
Loved this place, they have an amazing collection of books and offers great food, and the place is quiet too!
Amazing little cafe and a co-working space! Very stylish and modern! We have been traveling in India for 4 months and it’s the first time we see such a nice place, reminded us of cafes back in Europe. We loved everything - the view, the food and the ambience! You meet lovely people there. We went there 3 times so much we loved it. There are lots of books there, great music and overall very nice experience! We Highly recommend it to everyone!
Good food, good music, nice selection of books and some board games as well, courteous staff (ask for Kritika), they have nice desserts and coffee too.
If your looking for a place to rest, eat, feel at home amidst the company of friendly people and chill whilst looking at the Himalayas; this is just the place to be :)
Very nice view of Dhauladhar range from the balcony seats.good music in the background. They also have books to read. They accept card payments.
Such a cute little cafe with spectacular view and some awesome food. Apart from the sceneic view it offers one of a kind experience especially if you are a reader. Do stop by when you visit McLeodganj.
Liked their Veg Pizza, Pancakes and Hot chocolate.
Ordered Bruschetta as well but wasn't as per expectation.It was just toast topped with chopped tomatoes which should be avoided straight away.
Pasta wasn't available citing the weather don't jnow why.
Overall a good experience.
The view it spectacular. The food was good too.
One of the finest place in McLeodganj, it gives everything one asks for a meal - taste, ambience, view and books. Since it's on the middle of nowhere, it offers you immense peace as well. That's the beauty of it.
As for food,
Kahwa - tried and tasted and loved it. Perfect flavor of saffron and chunks of almonds and cashew. Honey adds more taste to it.
Falafal wrap - little dry but tasty. Didn't like the garlic paste on it but overall it's taste was good.
The ambience - superb collection of books and along with it, musical instruments.
The view of the dhauladhar range is awesome.
This is one amazing concept you can read books while you eat. The place is amazing, filled with books on all sides. The staff is really courteous. It has a small limited menu but it covers everything from soup and salads to main course to burgers and pizza’s. I had ordered quite a few things and I was not disappointed with any of it.
Mesmerizing views of the valley, snow-capped mountains in the background, delicious food, more than 100 books to read, what else can u expect from a place like this. I fell in love with the cafe after spending just 10 minutes here. A very peaceful place, you can find people reading, writing with a soulful music in the background. Staff is very friendly and make sures you have a nice time in the cafe.
Everything was so so so so damn good. I just wish I could get the recipe of their garlic sauce. 😍
This was on my to-do list as soon as we decided upon Dharamshala as our next trip.
From all the good reviews heard about this place, it really lifted my expectations and it didn't disappoint me one bit. From the fancy furniture to a balcony view seating, quirky interiors and the courteous lady serving, everything was state of the art. The lady was single handedly manageing the guests, serving, taking orders and all with a smile. We waited for about 15-20 minutes and then got seated ourselves beside the balcony.
We ordered a Chicken sandwich, Hot Chocolate and Cold Coffee. The sandwich was really good, bread was crispy and served with fries. The Hot Chocolate was really melted in it and tasted divine. The view was complementing the food and that moment we spent there was priceless. Would surely return to that place again.
Decided to visit this beautiful place after a lot of recommendations from my friends and wasn't disappointed. I ordered pasta coffee and momos from the place and even the food did not disappoint , balcony view with hills in the background is surely a site to behold. Absolutely beautiful
Finally visited this beautiful place in Dharamshala. Perfect place if you like books that too with an awesome view into the hills. I had their chicken pizza which was cheesy and super tastsy. The Bruschettas were amazing and tangy in flavour. Loved this place, a lot!
It’s a nice place for solo travellers and small groups. It’s cosy little cafe at one of the top with tons of books and spectacular view. The staff is also very polite and friendly. We ordered hot chocolate, cappuccino, hummus platter, chicken salad, four cheese pizza and pasta with red sauce. Everything was freshly prepared including pizza base , they even boil their pasta as and when required - this makes serving time a bit high, but hey, you can pick a book, right? The overall experience makes it worth visiting if you’re travelling to McLeodganj. We didn’t have to wait much but surely this place gets crowded during peak hours - plan accordingly.
The hill side cafe offers balcony dining with mountain view. 🥰
such an amazing experience it was.💕
Great ambience, amazing view. The pizza was good, the rest was ok.
We are 11 friends and are touring Dharamshala-Mcleodganj. We decided to explore this place as it had reviews of possessing a beautiful view and an even beautiful combination of food. We ordered a cappuccino, chicken snitzels, royal chicken with bacon burgers, mocha coffee, chicken salad, pesto, red bean burgers, lemonade, grandma's secret pancake and much more which was extremely perfect in taste. Orgasmic food. Heavenly Ambience, polite friendly staff and an unforgettable experience 🖤
BEST CAFE OF MY LIFE!!😍😍👻👻
Undoubtedly one of the best places I did visit in Mcledoganj, a book cafe for all book lovers who are in seek of peace or want to enjoy the great scenic view with a cup of coffee or a drink to enjoy their reading.
The interior was very attractive, it gives a warm feeling with some nice music.
Coming to the food, it was really good 💓💓💓 just a bit disappointed with bruschetta overall it was worth giving a shot.
One of the best places I have visited that gave me complete feels of a foodie, traveler and bibliophile. We had hot chocolate, ginger lemon honey, slice of chocolate cake, lemon mint cooler and eggless banana walnut cake.
The views and the interiors are absolutely to die for!
Gorgeously done, one can spend hours here.
Yummy food !! Definitely worth to visit. Pasta , hummus platter , fries. Everything was accurate with taste and presentation.
Loved the ambience here. Amidst the view of snow clad mountains, enjoy a leisurely hot chocolate or coffee and the serenity is at it's best!!! Tried fries and white sauce pasta along with this and it was average. The penne was overpriced and not that great to taste as well. Fries were well served, sufficient in quantity. Overall, a good experience considering the location of the cafe and coffee served.
Perfect place for book lovers !
I ordered one illiterati veggie pizza , which tasted good , had thin base !
Also ordered pesto pasta , there was option for spaghetti and penne , I ordered penne !
The taste was good , however felt the quantity of the pasta was little less for the price .
Nice place to eat and read books and spend time !
A wow ambience according to me. Just makes you crazier to come visit this place again and again. A lovely aptitude for choice of food and yet such vibrant vibes with decor and interiors. An amazing taste with such yummy food never imagined. A timely service and great humble and kind owner. Certainly a must place to visit when your here in this part of himachal. A famous place for its seating and some amazing snacks to try. Cheers to the team for putting up such efforts to make this place a good one.
Small yet cute cafe located in one of the quaint streets of McLeodganj. A must visit place
Chicken sandwich, Bacon Sandwich, Nutella Pancake and Coffee is what we had. The food is good, the portions are enough and when you sip your black coffee with a book in your hand, watching the mighty mountains in front of you, you experience a sense of calmness and peace within you.
Give this a visit if you are in McLeodganj, you won't regret it.
We had the chicken pizza, Greek salad which was customised to add chicken and the coffee cake. Loved the salad since it was super fresh and light. Coffee cake oozed the essence of coffee. The chicken pizza could use some additional veggies, which could be customised. The book collection is quite varied. No one has also mentioned the games they have available for groups. The view like everyone has mentioned can give you a peek at the peak or the foggy mountains and city beneath. Paired our food with ginger honey tea, for those with sore throat. The apple juice is fresh. And they have a fancy selection of herbal tea - enjoyed my lavender lemon grass first flush. Recommended for non-milk tea lovers . Only disappointment is the broken coffee machine since we were looking forward to a cup here
Love everything about this place! The view, the ambience, the music, the collection of books, the food, the staff everything is just fab! I can spend the entire day just sitting at this place sipping a cup of ginger honey lemon and eating their fabulous carrot cake. Their pastas and pizzas are also very good. But the best thing on their menu is the Torta al cioccolato which is soft cake with poured over melted chocolate.
This is one finest cafe I have visited where I can spend hours.
Sit at at the balcony with a cup of coffee and enjoy your books with the mesmerizing view of the Himalayas.
The food served is very good to taste.
The staff member both the lady and the guy at the cafe are so polite and humble.
I just loved it....!!!
Must visit if you are in Mcleaodganj or Dharmasala
This is one of the few best cafe's in the Himachal, the view you get is breathtaking. Great food, great crowd and one of the best ideas of a library. Definitely deserves a visit in case you go mcleodganj.
Spent an afternoon here having a surprisingly excellent hot chocolate in company of an amazing collection of books.
This is a must visit cafe purely to sit back,lounge and immerse yourself in the view outside or engross yourself reading a book.
The pesto pasta was equally impeccable and the lady at the counter is chatty and super courteous.
The cafe is crowded most of the times hence a good waiting time is quite normal.
Would definitely want to come back again at least for the hot chocolate :)
Ahh.. Just a fine place to be. Talk about food to books.. It's all here.. Great friendly environment. Good preparation of food. And when u get a lib. Of books along.. Can't get any better.
Follow @gullyfoodies on Instagram for more food updates❣️
Loved the concept and the ambience!
@illiteratibooksandcoffee
The valley and the mountain view from the balcony is breathtaking and there are ample number of books to keep poring over amidst sips of their amazing Cold coffee.
Location: 5/5 ❤💯
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What: Pasta, Pizza and cold coffee
Taste: 4.5/5
Heart-o-meter: ❤❤❤❤
P.s. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Before I aideu mcleodganj, i wanted to visted this small cafe situated downhill on the road towards Dharmshala.
It's a small Cafe, which have lots of books to read and few board games. The ambience is really great with picturese hills that u can admire while sipping ur hot cup of coffee.
All the food we ordered was great in taste and yummy. Personally I like there grandma's pan cake and chicken schintzel.
The best restaurant of Mcleodganj - undoubtedly. Visited here last month and had wonderful experience here. Very relaxing. Excellent taste of food, reasonable prices, & very courteous staff. Everything that i tried here was par excellence. Though, after having your meal here, reaching your hotel in Mcleodganj is a bit tiring being a steep hike back. A must try, if you are in Mcleodganj.
We had heard a lot about this cafe and decided to visit it on our visit to mcleodganj.
The cafe is located kind of far from the main market hub. It is very aesthetic and instagram worthy with books adorning the walls.
Coming to food, we tried Chicken sandwich which was average. Moreover the quantity was very less for the price.
We also tried lemonade which was good.
The place is much soothing. The cafe is on the hills of Mcleodganj and have great view of mountains.
They have a great collection of books infact they have a library where you can enjoy reading books with your favourite food.
They have balcony dining where you can enjoy the great food with your loved ones.
Crowd was good mostly foreigners.
The staff is professionally trained.
We had Masala Tea and Pizza there. 🍕 ☕
The taste was 10/10
Place 10/10
Ambience 11/10
I don’t have words to express this place 😍 This place is in outskirts of mcleodganj market. This is cafe cum library and has some brilliant collection of books in different languages. A must visit place for coffee lovers who wish to soothe their eyes with a breathtaking view of dhauladhar mountain range. It has such serene vibes which make u go there again and again& again;️This cafe is not for the ordinary travelers but for the ones who are seeking the real beauty of nature.
It was on my bucket list 🍎🌈
Food ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excellent food with an amazin mountain view, awesome place to chill!!
Greek salad, pesto pasta, coffee, ginger lemon honey!! - tried n tested with perfect flavours!
Wish could hav tried more options had my appetite allowed ! 👻
One of the best cafe' i went to in mcleodganj. The food, ambience, mood of the cafe all were simply great. I tried the most famous pepperoni pizza there and it was delicious. I also had a chicken burger which was fine. Both the beverages I ordered were nice. A must try cafe' in mcleodganj.
This cafe was on our "places to eat" in McLeod Ganj!! And we are so glad we went here!! A pleasant small cafe filled with books & people. The evening we went it was super crowded so we had to share a table with a group of strangers..and we are glad we did so! Had some really interesting conversations with amazing bites. Menu has lot of various options at reasonable prices.
Loved the energy & vibe of the place. Do visit this cafe on your visit to this beautiful city.
Personal favourite- Bruschetta & Illiterati lemonade
I came here as i heard a lot about the place and believe me ambience, atmosphere everything was every nice. I ordered pink sauce pasta - good one their lemonade i did not like much but overall must visit place.
This was in our go-to list in Mcleodganj. And it was worth it! We ordered Hot chocolate, Mochaccino and a cappuccino! Everything was excellent. The view is spectacular, you won’t want to get up! The staff is extremely polite and helpful. The vibe is just so positive, it’s infectious! You will just feel so happy and relaxed to be there!! I would have given it 10 stars if I could! ❤️
Anshu (eat_pray_travel_shine)
+4
the most sophisticated and beautiful cafe in mcleodganj.you can see the scenic beauty as well as enjoy the food with quite a large collection of book.If u love reading books or not but this place is must to visit because of the vibe here.little bit crowdy because of its popularity may be. easy to find through gps.I ordered quattro formagi 4 cheese pizza and double espresso coffee.coffee wasnt as cold as i wanted but pizza was damn..i read a complete book about balanced diet and get to know about my body type.
Hospitality -10/10
service - slow (due to customers)
Ambience-10/10
Cafe is situated on the main road, place and food are awesome, if they add more veg options in the menu that will be good, overall it's very nice place.
Best place if you want to have a meal with a view. Been here twice during our stay. In my first visit we ordered watermelon juice, pesto pasta, veg grilled sandwich, mint lemonade and Nutella waffle. All the food was great just the pesto sauce pasta was something we don't like much. During our second visit we order cold coffee, mushroom sauce ravioli and chicken grilled sandwich. All the food items were great! I just personally love the ravioli! Do visit this great place with friendly staff and delicious food.
Superb ambience, we visited the cafe twice during our stay at Dharamshala. The folks running the place are very friendly. Try their mint lemonade, falafel wraps & Ramen ❤️
This café was one of the best place I visited during my Himachal trip. It is a wonderful place.The view from balcony is just amazing.
Just order anything to eat, get a cup of hot chocolate, grab a book and you are good to go.
Got a chance to visit this cozy, little cafe with the perfect view of the mountains in McLeodganj. Mochaccino was perfectly blended with the right amount of froth on the top. Tried Falafel wrap which was superb and quite filling for a single person. The lemonade with a minty twist was the best one I've had so far. Chicken Schnitzel was perfect fried and served with the garlic dip and fries. Farmhouse pizza was wood fired and the crust was just amazing. Kudos to the team! Would definitely visit again!
This one is located off road. A beautiful location and such a pretty setting with books. I tried pancakes and plum cake. It was one of the best combination of cappuccino and plum cake I have ever had. Would recommend it to everyone visiting Dharamshala :)
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Awesome place. It's a cafe in a book store. This English cafe is located a bit 'hatke' or off main market.
The food options are good. Ordered a chicken schnitzel and a kahwa.
Chicken schnitzel- moderately priced. Two thin breaded slices of chicken breast fried in oil with french fries, salad, and garlic sauce. Beautifully presented.
Tasted english typically. Very low on spices. Garlic sauce was excellent and both chicken and french fries tasted good with it. Add lemon for some sour flavour.
But the portion size is not sufficient for a person. An additional slice of chicken and a slice of bread would be better.
Kahwa was very aromatic. Served with honey instead of sugar. Again very beautifully presented.
Ambience was excellent. Books all around. Good food. Beautiful views of the dhauladhar mountain range. Owned by young entrepreneurs, foreign and national.
Highly recommended place.
Update: Tried their chicken burger, illiterati lemonade and mint iced tea.
Along with Chicken burger came french fries. Burger was very good. Fresh veggies were used and buns were pan fried to make them crisp.
Illiterati lemonade was quite refreshing. You'll find similar drink at Snow lion restaurant too.
Mint iced tea was also good.
One of the best cafe in mcleodganj! With a silent and chilled out vibe it's an ideal place to relax and read a good book with a cup of coffee and views of Triund peak! It's basically a library with a cafe. The silent and cozy ambiance takes you to another zone. Just sit back with your favourite book, a cup or hot beverage and the snowcapped triund peak. Slightly overpriced but it's worth it.
Food: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Amazing cafe to visit if you are in Dharmashala. The ambiance is awesome and the food is also great. The staff is also very hospitable. Recommended 💯
beautiful cafe and delicious food, lovely environment, polite staff, behavior of owner is very helpful , you can enjoy ☕ coffee as well as book reading
Wonderful place... And some must try amazing variety of green teas... Food is delicious and location is one of the best in macloed... Try to get the balcony seat, the view is great
Overlooks a fab view. Rustic tables. Delicious food. Muesli, eggs, coffee, masala tea, etc all lovely... saffron and coffee ice cream was unusual. Yummy bread with copious amounts of butter.. Staff is relaxed and laidback..go with the flow, don't be in a hurry..opened at 11am and not before.. Remind them of your order as they may forget but its all part of the vibe..!
One of the best cafes in Mcleodganj. Try the pizzas here. It's known for its quality food and best views. This cafe has many books for you to read.
In love with this place! Everything was delicious. Mint fresh lemonade. Pasta, hummus and their signature dessert chocolate cake. It's mind blowing. The view is great as well. They have some soaps and organic products on the cash counter for sale. Nice place.
Beautiful cafe with amazing food and surrounded by books. I tried the mint lemonade, veg pesto pasta and the banana cake..all were very good! Ambience is very nice! Must visit in Mcleodganj
One of the best cafe in McLeod.
This cafe gives you a great vibe with amazing view and good food. Order whatever you like and just enjoy the view.
Our personal favorite thing here was Hot ginger lemon honey. Pepperoni pizza was even amazing. Place is actually a bliss.
The whole feel of this place is very positive and welcoming. You can spend hours sitting here and if you are books lover then this is the place for you. They have plenty of books of different genres.
It's a must visit place. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Have been to this cozy, little cafe multiple times. Their balcony sitting is just awesome with a perfect view of the mountains. We ordered their pancakes, which were like crepes, yet they were amazing! Would love to return to this place soon!
Highly recommend this place!
The place mentions to get closed down by 9pm but the staff there is so cooperative that they welcome nearly a group of 6 people after 9pm and then again there were nearly 5 more customers waiting to get in (the place was open till 10.15 without any grumpy faces)
Food is really nice and unexpectedly reasonable too.
Ordered -
Illiterati veg pizza - You can see the flour on the pizza base but otherwise it tasted good
Falafel wrap - Recommended by the staff, really good (presentation is cute)
Hot Chocolate - served with a teeny tiny cookie :)
Arabiatta pasta - took them nearly 30mins but it was good - the accompanying bread was too sweet (they should change with something like garlic bread or spicy)
The music till 8.30pm was english and then it changed to Hindi old classic songs. You'll enjoy both :)
Great experience, will come when around ❤️👍
Extremely wonderful place to hang out. Have a good food, wonderful hosts and several books to read. You can easily immerse yourself in the atmosphere there.
Pasta and fruit salad were my favorite. The cafe also provides a beautiful view.
The view from their balcony is to die for and so is there hot chocolate, bacon and cheese sandwich and a lot more 😍. The overall feel of this place is so homely. There are books you can pick up and read all the day, there are musical instruments you can play. Quite a walk from the main McLeod market but totally worth it
This place has been on my list since long. We trekked for 2.5km to reach here and it was completely worth it. I loved the ambience and the view it had. We ordered Chicken Schnitzel, Hot Chocolate and Illiterati Lemonade. They bake amazing cookies. I loved everything about this place.
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Happened to visit them on March 2019, the location very near to Dalai Lama Temple and everyone knows about this cafe. Its a small joint and view from here is just spectacular. It's usually jam packed as the number of table taken were more than empty. Owner and staff over here are very polite and they know their items in menu well.
We have ordered Ginger Lemon Honey Tea, Chicken Schnitzel and Ravioli with red sauce which got cheese cottage and spinach stuffing. I loved the tea as the weather demanded something hot and healthy. Chicken Schnitzel was amazing the portion was good for two and it was cooked well, we got fries and min salad portion along with it which went really well. I felt ravioli was not that great in terms of stuffing and cooking it was good but the sauce quantity was less and everything was not infused properly, hence the taste differed. It got the scope of improvement and this dish will be bang on!!!!!
It's a very feel good cafe, very comfortable seating, view, vibes. One can come alone and have a sip read books, talk to people around or come with your partner or gang and chill.
Happy Sipping & Eating Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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