Posted on by David Uncle

The Best Coffee Shop in All of India

King’s Savor is a cozy little coffee shop on the lower level of City Centre Mall in Siliguri. It serves handmade sandwiches and fresh desserts. It also serves Himalayan Cornerstone Coffee. Haven’t heard of it? Just you wait.

Not everyone has to wait. Me, for instance. (This bag was full of beans two weeks ago.)

Fans of Jamaican Blue Mountain or Hawaiian Kona coffees may pooh-pooh the idea that the hillsides of Darjeeling can produce arabica beans as fabulous as the hillsides of Jamaica and Hawaii do. Well, I pooh-pooh their pooh-pooh. In fact, I stake my reputation as a coffee connoisseur* on it.

*Might have to spell that with a “k”.

But before staking my reputation on coffee, I need to finish staking my reputation on pizza.

And here it is!
And here is where you get it.
The Chicken Cheeseburger and Spaghetti Carbonara are good too as Lydia Sundaram and I have been known to tell total strangers.

Okay, enough of the Best Pizza, back to the Best Coffee Shop in India.

It’s a happy family enterprise so everything has a personal touch. Noel’s wife, Shashi and their daughters do everything from the brewing to the baking to working the register to creating the art on the wall.

There are many good coffee shops in India from Cafe Coffee Day to Starbucks but not many have that university coffeehouse feeling you get at King’s Savor. It’s what the owner, Noel, was aiming for and he hit the bull so exactly in the eye that even Covid couldn’t kill it. (And boy, did it try.)

No rush. Reading with your cup of coffee is encouraged. So is playing Noel’s guitar (provided, of course, you can play the guitar).

King’s Savor. A peaceful place to sit and relax from racing around like a maniac at the mall.

Sid Lama & Friend. A pair of maniacs taking a break.

PS (Remind me not to look so smug all the time. A writer is supposed to look pensive and thoughtful once in a while.)

3 Replies to “The Best Coffee Shop in All of India”

  1. Amazing! Loved the coffee shop tour and glad you are back on the tourist beat. FYI, I was amazed in Moldova at the lovely local coffee shops that could give Starbucks and Caribou a run for their money. Same welcoming atmosphere that you are encountering. Makes me want to take a trip to India. See you soon, I hope.

  2. Glad you are out and about again, David Uncle. I am enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Siliguri that come through your writing. BTW you don’t look smug, just happy.

  3. Glad you’re back on the blog job! Great to learn more about India and get an up close and personal perspective. Keep on blogging.

    Chuck Wanous

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