Vohuman Cafe - Another iconic Irani cafe of Pune City

A discussion on Irani Cafe's in Pune with a fellow group member on facebook resulted in a debate on which one serves the best bun maska in town. And, the thirst of deciphering the truth led us to Vohuman Cafe.

This place opens up at like 6:00 a.m which was way early for us considering that we hit the bed late after Friday night. Nevertheless, the fear of having to wait in along queue with our stomachs grumbling as we sniff the aroma of butter and cheese omelette made us drive off to the place at 8:00 a.m 

Reaching the place was fun as the roads were pretty much deserted in the early morning and we could just whizz past the very roads that turn into a traffic nightmare on the weekdays. However, getting parking near Vohuman for our two-wheelers turned out to be a task. It was just 8:00 a.m on a weekend and there were so many vehicles by the roadside! 

Having found a parking spot a few minutes later we rushed off to the Cafe. We were greeted by a guy wearing a yellow T-shirt who promptly took down our names and told us that we would have to wait for a few minutes owing to the rush. Thankfully, we got a place in about 10 minutes. 

The entrance of the Cafe

Vohuman Cafe has two small sitting areas, one on the ground floor and another on the floor above. To the right of the entrance is the L-shaped counter where one can see a worker setting up bun maskas as if he were a machine. And if you are in a long queue then the sight of this guy spreading generous dollops of butter on the bread is definitely going to make your mouth water and test your patience.

Ground floor dining area

First floor dining area

The cafe was well lit and had a somewhat modern touch to it. Walking up the stairs, we instantly noticed a picture of "Bawaji" the restaurant owner with several celebrities including Salman Khan. The staff at the Cafe will tell you that the iconic eatery has been visited several times by Salman. So who knows, maybe you land up meeting a bollywood star as you sip your tea in your trackpants!

The moment we reached the end of the stairs, a huge board displaying the menu of the Cafe caught our attention. The menu is to be honest is very limited and is essentially based on two things - Butter and Egg !

We ordered pretty much the same thing as the patrons on the adjacent table. The standard - bun maska, chai, two slice butter and cheese omlette. The small menu that too with most of the items being egg based was a problem for my vegetarian friends who had to settle for the bun maska and bread butter. The breakfast was good but nothing startlingly different from what we have had before. 

Our order - Bun maska, chai, two slice bread butter and one egg cheese omlette

After the meal it was a long ride home as we ended up getting stuck in traffic at every signal. 

How to get there??

(The map provided above is from Baner. You can search the name of the Cafe and set the route from your location on Google Maps.)

Vohuman Cafe is located at a walking distance of a few hundred meters from Pune railway station. One can take the overhead walkway bridge accessible from the station platform and come out at the backside of the station. From here its a mere 5 to 10 min walk to the cafe. The proximity of the cafe to the railway station makes it a lucrative option for travellers plying early morning to and fro from Pune (especially daily commuters on the Mumbai-Pune route).

Cafe Goodluck - A must visit legendary restaurant in Pune !!

Ask for a place to have some lip smacking breakfast at an affordable price and Cafe Goodluck would be an impromptu reply from any Punekar. There are several who would even say "You cannot claim to have visited Pune unless you have had the famous bun maska and chai at Goodluck Cafe".

How to get there??

This quaint restaurant is so famous that the place where it is located has been named as Goodluck chowk. Getting here can never been an issue as every auto rickshaw and cab driver in the city is familiar with  this famous landmark.

About Cafe Goodluck....

This legendary cafe was started by Hussain Ali Yakshi way back in 1935. The place draws huge crowds on a daily basis owing to its proximity to educational institutes such as Fergusson College, Modern College, BMCC and Symbiosis. In the past, this place was frequented by film stars such as Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna and also director David Dhawan as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is located close by. 

In 2001, Hussain Ali Yakshi's son Ghasem took over the restaurant. It was he who revamped the menu, introducing new tawa and tandoori recipes which are a hot favourite today. 

The USP of this place, apart from its location is the pocket friendly, delicious and fulfilling food. The fact that the food items have not undergone any change with respect to their quality and taste, creates a beeline of customers since the early morning till late night.

The menu of the Cafe includes several veg and non-veg dishes along with snack items and dessert. 

Must have food items at this Cafe !!

1. Bun Maska (with Chai)
2. Bun Butter Omlette
3. French Toast (both sweet and salty)
4. Paneer Roll
5. Egg Roll
6. Chicken Roll
7. Brain Masala
8. Irani Chai

(Note: The rolls are available only after 4 p.m. so you will have to visit the place in the evening to taste them. But they are definitely worth the visit.)

The famous Bun Maska served in the Cafe

Lets get started....

Upon reaching Goodluck Chowk one can instantly notice the big red board of this iconic eatery with "Cafe Goodluck Since 1935" written across it. Sometimes it takes a bit of a struggle to catch a glimpse of the entrance owing to the huge crowd waiting to get a seat. (Fortunately, as we reached there early at around 8:20 a.m. so there were only few people.)

As you enter the cafe and glance around, you can easily notice that nothing much must have changed since the inception of the place. There is a small counter to the right side of the entrance that is stacked with trays containing hot samosas, puffs and delicious looking sandwiches. The owner sitting behind the counter is busy juggling the tendering of cash, handing out take away parcels and maintaining a record of the inventory. Yet, he manages to look up to you and with a warm smile reassures you that it would take only  few minutes before you get your seat.

The small room has tables arranged adjoining the walls with the centre aisle providing access to move to-and-fro for the waiters. The wall to the right is adorned with mirrors creating an optical illusion of space as the sunlight entering through the windows overlooking the bustling FC road lights up the entire place. 

Shifting my gaze, I notice a huge vessel containing loads and loads of butter and another containing rich pink coloured jam near the counter. The sight is enticing enough to set my stomach grumbling. In a flash, a waiter appears, takes out a bun from the cabinet, slices it and applies a generous layer of that yummy butter and voila serves the bun maska to the customer seated close by.  

Tracing the waiter as he goes back, I notice that there is another seating area inside that opens up to a larger dining space ahead. So this place isn't that small after all.

(One can also access this area from outside the restaurant. There is an entrance to the right side of the main door of the restaurant. You can provide your name and number of people along with you to the person at the counter who maintains the queue list)

People of all age groups can be seen in the cafe, a group of elders sitting in the corner reminiscing the good old days, a few college boys hastily having breakfast before they rush off to their classes and a couple lost in deep conversation, among several other people.  

I decided to strike up a conversation with them to get to know more about the place. A member of the elderly group told me that they were all school buddies and have been patrons of this iconic eatery since their school days. They take time out twice every month to catch up with each other and remember those golden days as they sip their chai and enjoy the bun maska which till today tastes the same.

The college students told me that they were new to Pune and lived in a hostel nearby. The place was very pocket friendly and they often ate breakfast and dinner at the Cafe. While the couple mentioned that they had come to visit the place as they were in Pune for a week and wanted to relive the time they spent together at their adda during their college days.

The rush at the cafe provides you with the opportunity to share your table with others and strike up conversation with them. A thing that has become a rarity in this age of social media !

Time just flew by in all the chit-chat and it was our turn to be served at this legendary cafe. The waiter smiled as we told him our order "2 bun maskas, 2 chai aur 2 frenchtoast" probably the most common order out there.

He was back in a few minutes and neatly arranged all the items on the table before hurrying off to attend to the next order.

The bun maskas were soft and fresh. The combination of loads of yummy butter and bits of tooti fruti was working its magic as I relished it after dunking a piece in the hot chai. Both the sweet and salty french toasts were finger-licking awesome. 

And as we paid our bill at the counter, I knew that I had made another awesome memory at one of my favourite places in Pune !

Our order - Bun Maska, Chai and French toast (both sweet and salted)

The stack of Bun Maskas kept in the inventory - Ready to be served

Bun Maskas being prepared

Tips for fellow foodies:

1. There is no facility for reserving tables over calls in this restaurant.

2. Please do try to reach this Irani cafe at least 20 to 30 minutes in advance as the place is super crowded at all times.

If you happen to be in Pune or you are planning to visit the city then this is a place that has to definitely be on your to-visit places !!

If you have already been to the place or are a regular patron, do let me know about your experience, the foodstuffs that you like and recommend or any special memories associated with the cafe in the comments section below !!

Bon Appetit !!