Rishikesh: Cafe Guide

View from Ganga View Cafe

Favorite Cafes & Restaurants:

My favorite cafés are ones with large fans, so you stay cool and aren’t bothered by bugs, while still enjoying a sense of being outdoors even if they’re indoors. I also look for good Wi-Fi and a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. The food must be freshly prepared, offer good variety, and sanitation levels that would cater to Western tastes.

In Tapovan (North of Ganga)

• Aarcana

  Checks all the boxes! Good fresh food, has an outdoor vibe but still well insulated with fans, wifi, good food!

• Bhumi Cafe

  The interior is very cute with a cozy, green vibe. There’s always a friendly dog around, and the space is large enough to work comfortably all day.

• Tattv Cafe

  A health food store occupies the bottom level, while upstairs is a nice café with both indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor area has A/C and large windows, so it still feels like you’re enjoying the outdoors.

• Secret Garden Cafe

  Features a large outdoor garden and a small indoor space. About half of the outdoor area has large ceiling fans, but on hot days, you’ll still feel the heat and encounter quite a few bugs.

• Gopi Home Cafe

  A super small café with no Wi-Fi. Skip the baked goods and food, but the smoothie bowls are incredible. They use frozen fruit, giving them a thick texture and allowing for out-of-season fruits like mango.

• The Arches Cafe & Bakery

  The café with the best Wi-Fi and it’s super large. The food is good but not amazing.

• Tulsi Restaurant

  Even though this one isn’t updated, it is outdoors, has a nice vibe, and feels more local! You can tell the food is made to order and extremely fresh. Bring mosquito spray!

South of Ganga

• Ganga View Cafe

  Checks all the boxes and probably my overall favorite. The space is large and doesn’t have windows, but there’s a fan at almost every table. Plus, you get a view of the Lakshman Jhula bridge. Food is good and they are willing to modify your order.

• Aviary Cafe

  The food is good, and the interior is very clean. The aesthetic is a bit tacky, but they have good Wi-Fi, A/C, and it’s a comfortable spot where you won’t risk getting sick from eating, especially on the south side of the Ganga River.

• Ayurvedic Cafe

  The food here is honestly some of the best, and the owner personally cooks the meals, which is rare these days!

• Little Talk Cafe

  Best for breakfast only. It can get quite hot due to poor ventilation, and the space is small, but the smoothie bowls are worth trying.

• Ganga Ji Health Cafe

  Amazing home-cooked food! They use the freshest ingredients and offer only one or two dishes each day, ensuring the food is safe and high quality.

• The Juice House

  Very small, but the smoothies are good!

Secret Garden Cafe

Other Honorable Mentions

• RA Bakery

  Really good sourdough bread and has a really lovely vibe for chilling and working. The menu is limited and the cafe is small.

• French Bakery & Coffee Shop

  I wasn’t expecting it to be so good but it really is. The baked goods are excellent, but not a place to stay. Just order to go.

Popular spots, but additional information that would maybe make you skip it:

Food at Ganga View Cafe

• Anna’s Mess - The food was good, but I was expecting it to be even better. Alot of foreign tourists come here and it is nice for a meal but not cozy and comfortable enough to stick around.

• Ira’s Kitchen & TeaRoom - Is outdoors and not particularly modern or updated. Has a nice vibe and the food was decent.

• BeMonk Cafe - Highly rated and heavily advertised. The food is good, but not quite as good as the other cafés listed above. The view is very nice, though.

• Cafe Prakriti – The food is honestly really good, but the vibe inside is too dark. Outside, the fans aren’t strong enough, so it can get quite hot.

• Raha Cafe – The café is a little dark and doesn’t have the best ventilation, but it’s very cute.

• Om Freedom Cafe – A nice café, but it’s too hot during the day. Better to visit at night.

• MVT Cafe – The inside is clean and nice, but the vibe isn’t as cute as other restaurants.

Would personally skip:

• Little Buddha Cafe – I don’t understand why this one is highly rated. The interior is quite run-down, and the food isn’t good.

• Social Soul Cafe – Not very clean and it’s a little rundown.

• Cafe Honey Hut – Not particularly impressive.

• Monsoon Cafe & Restaurant - Not particularly impressive, the restaurant is big however and has a large outdoor space.

Mango Smoothie Bowl at Gopi Home Cafe

Muesli Bowl from Ayurvedic Cafe

Aviary Cafe

Bhumi Cafe