Mumbai cafes that won't rush you

The single thing most likely to ruin a working afternoon is not bad coffee — it is the second time a waiter asks whether you'd like anything else. These are the cafes recorded as tolerating a long sit.

  1. Bombay Coffee House4.0Built for people with laptops, and honest about it. The best odds in Bandra of a table, a plug and three quiet hours.
  2. Cogs and Brews Cafe3.9Billed as one of India's first dedicated study-and-business cafes: a walk-in workspace cafe (not a coworking space, no ID or paperwork needed) with separate casual and deep-focus seating areas.
  3. Shelter Cafe x Coffee by Javaphile3.6Plug points at most tables and light from the right direction. A working cafe that also happens to be pleasant.
  4. Taj Mahal Tea House3.4Forty teas, eighty seats and soft light in a Bandra bungalow. Does dates and deadlines equally well.
  5. The Bagel Shop3.4Quiet, comfortable, and one of the few Bandra rooms where a two-person meeting is not a shouting match.
  6. Kala Ghoda Cafe3.4White walls, enormous glass doors, and the calm that Kala Ghoda's lanes are supposed to have.
  7. Blue Tokai — New Excelsior3.4Specialty coffee inside a 1930s cinema, with a terrace. The best-value work cafe in Fort.
  8. Araku Coffee3.4An 1897 building, a modbar, and a reading area someone actually curated. Behind the Taj, and worth finding.
  9. Starbucks — Horniman Circle3.4India's first Starbucks, in a colonial-era banking hall. The building is the reason to choose it.
  10. Bombay Coffee House — Ballard Estate3.4Old-world room, generous portions, and the best interview table in Ballard Estate.
  11. Blue Tokai — Nariman Point3.4The closest decent coffee to Marine Drive, and the nearest thing Nariman Point has to a third place.
  12. Subko Coffee — Mary Lodge3.2The reference point for Indian specialty coffee, in a Ranwar bungalow that refuses to hurry you.
  13. Kitchen Garden by Suzette3.2Fast wifi and a real salad, until the brunch crowd arrives at one and takes the quiet with them.
  14. Third Wave Coffee — Churchgate3.2Two minutes from Churchgate station and open absurdly late. The commuter's coffee.
  15. Leaping Windows Cafe3.2A cafe-and-library combination with a large comics and books collection.
  16. Starbucks — Lower Parel3.2A Starbucks branch in the Lower Parel commercial district.
  17. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Perry Road3.1Small, functional, reliably good — the cafe you go to when you need the coffee to just be right.
  18. Love & Latte — Mulund3.1A coffee shop on LBS Road in Mulund West with spacious indoor and outdoor seating, serving espresso drinks and pastries.
  19. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Andheri East2.9A Blue Tokai cafe on the Andheri-Kurla Road office corridor.
  20. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Khar West2.9A Blue Tokai outlet on Khar's 14th Road.
  21. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — One World Center, Lower Parel2.9A Blue Tokai counter inside the One World Center office tower.
  22. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Phoenix Palladium, Lower Parel2.9Blue Tokai's counter inside the Phoenix Palladium mall.
  23. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — One International Center, Dadar West2.9Blue Tokai's outlet inside the One International Center office tower in Dadar.
  24. Grandmama's Cafe — Juhu2.9Part of the vintage-styled Grandmama's chain, open late.
  25. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Panch Pakadi2.9A second Blue Tokai outlet in Thane, in the Panch Pakadi area.
  26. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Airoli2.9A Blue Tokai outlet in the Airoli business district of Navi Mumbai.
  27. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Mulund2.9A Blue Tokai outlet inside the Runwal Greens complex on the Mulund-Goregaon Link Road.
  28. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — Mira Road2.9A Blue Tokai specialty coffee outlet in Mira Road East, part of the roaster's citywide cafe network.
  29. Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters — IC Colony, Borivali2.9A Blue Tokai specialty coffee outlet in the IC Colony pocket of Borivali West.