Women’s Day Special: Women Run Restaurants and Cafes Flourish.
Women either partnering together or on their own create gastronomic magic here in Ahmedabad showing how it’s done
01 Mar, 2019 by Sonal Kellogg
Women have always been the ones who have cooked in our homes but when it comes to commercial cooking very few women venture into the restaurant business. However, in Gujarat which is a state inclined towards business, women are as enterprising as the men are. In Ahmedabad, many women have started their own restaurants and eateries and are running them successfully.
We present to you just a few of the top restaurants which are being run only by women either on their own or along with another woman. They are running bakeries, cafes, and innovative themed restaurants like salad bars, a restaurant which combines gaming with a restaurant and even a restaurant which displays and sell artworks. Here are the various facets which have brought so much innovation into the hospitality sector.
List of top 5 restaurants and cafes run by women in Ahmedabad
Indulgence, Vastrapur, West Ahmedabad
This is one of the best bakeries in town. Started and operated by 2 sisters - Reena Kakkar and Eshal Khakkar. Reena Kakkar taught at the Institute of Hotel Management, Ahmedabad for years before venturing into the restaurants business along with her sister. Indulgence makes the best pies in the city. It is open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Price for 2: Rs 500
Cellad Eatery, Gulbai Tekra, South Ahmedabad
This is a restaurant which caters to the health-conscious crowd. It serves a variety of salads and soups, has an elaborate salad bar from which you can choose from and make your own salads. When it began in 1996, Cellad Eatery was the only one of its kind in the city. It is open only for lunch and dinner. It serves only vegetarian food. This restaurant is run jointly by 2 sisters Dipali Vyas and Hemali Shah.
Price for 2: Rs 800
Unlocked, Navrangpura, West Ahmedabad
This restaurant is a game themed restaurant where you can play lots of board games. There is also an Escape Room where a group is locked inside and they can find their way outside only after solving a string of puzzles and clues. This restaurant serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food which has a lot of variety. It is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. This is the brainchild of Sanjali Nirwani and she began Unlocked just a little under 2 years ago.
Price for 2: Rs 1000
This café also doubles up as an art exhibition space. Here you can buy whatever you see in the café from paintings, wall hangings, furniture, scarves, other clothes, etc. This place is the brainchild of Parul Gandhi who runs the place and Drasti Shah who conceptualised The Project Cafe. It is designed on the lines of a Greek concept where bungalows are turned into café. This place is open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm and serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian multiple cuisine dishes.
Price for 2: Rs 500
This is a bakery as the name suggests started and run by Kaushali Solanki. It has awesome cheesecakes, chocolates and lots of cupcakes. This bakery started in 2013 and since then it has been running successfully and is hugely popular among the young crowd. Cocoa Drama has a small seating space where one can enjoy desserts along with some beverage. They also make a variety of bread. It is open from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Price for 2: Rs 300
Written By
A published author working on her second book, Sonal worked for many years as a journalist in The Indian Express, The Asian Age and DNA Newspaper where she regularly reviewed restaurants and wrote about food. She worked in Nairobi as a general manager of a group of restaurants in another era. She loves experimenting with food but is also known for her Biryanis and Kababs and even her baking skills. She likes travelling to little known places and if she finds quaint eateries it just makes the trip more fun. Currently based in Ahmedabad, she is happy with the growing awareness of gourmet food in the city.
