An Afternoon at Amethyst Cafe, Chennai

On my recent trip to Chennai, my friend Sridhar introduced me to a coffee shop that I can only equate to being an oasis in a desert. After spending an entire morning outside in the Chennai sun (whose heat you actually have to experience to believe it) I was at my snappy best, when Sridhar suggested that we visit the Amethyst Café.

Amethyst Cafe, Chennai

This Café is built-in an old building (was earlier a mill) and situated right in the middle of a bustling section of the city. However when I walked in into the Cafe, it felt like having time travelled into an another era altogether. This café has been beautifully designed as a colonial style building in the center – with round tables & wicker chairs, and a huge garden all around it. The gardens are beautifully designed with numerous trees,  smaller zen gardens, fountains, numerous birds and even has an in-house cat.  Though the café is right in the city center with traffic all around, somehow this café seems insulated to all the noise, chaos and general city sounds.

Cute Lamps, Amethyst Cafe

We reached here around 3pm (afternoon) which I believe is the best time to visit. We entered the Café and chose to sit outside in the gardens amidst the trees instead of the covered corridor. Even though there is no aircon here, the temperature here was definitely much lower than outside as we sat comfortably for quite a few hours and did not miss the aircon or a fan.  We ordered a couple of rounds of coffee and brownies and they were both really nice. However the best part was that we just sat here for 4 – 5 hours and didn’t even realize the time. Also, this seemed like an ideal place to even spend hours by yourself just people gazing or reading a book or working.

Beautiful Flowers, Amethyst Cafe

Numerous people tell me that their earlier building was in a colonial building which was better. But I loved this one too. Apart from the café, they also have a flower shop, an antiques store and a boutique for fashion clothes and accessories. However I didn’t shop here as I felt it was quite expensive.

My verdict on the cafe is –

Things that I really liked about the Café –

1. Beautifully designed and created ambience right in the city center.
2. You can sit here as long as you like and no one will disturb you or drop hints to leave.
3. The service is pretty quick.

The not so nice things about the Café –

1. It’s definitely an expensive place.
2. The menu is pretty limited and I felt needs more variety.

In case you plan to be in Chennai anytime soon and are looking for some respite from the city views, then do visit the Amethyst Café at Entrance, Next to Corporation Bank, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai-600 014. 🙂