Indian Coffee House, Kolkata

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Indian Coffee House of Kolkata is a famous restaurant situated opposite the Presidency College, Kolkata and has been for a long time a regular hang out for students (and ex-students) of the Presidency College, Calcutta University, and other insitutions in College Street. It is essentially an institution in itself, having a long history of Intelligentia and nostalgia associated with it.

The Coffee House is a national restaurant chain also seen in Kolkata (Calcutta) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It has several branches including the College Street branch, Central Avenue branch (now closed), Medical College Kolkata branch and Jadavpur branch. These are favourite hang-out places among the students and youth, although one can see several old-timers frequenting the coffee house on a regular basis. The coffee house is famous for its adda sessions, and as the breeding place of several political and cultural personalities and movements.

Though popularly known as College Street Coffee house, this branch is actually on Bankim Chatterjee Street and was previously known as the "Albert Hall". Many people come here just for the sake of adda and just being a part of the long talking sessions. Several talented and illustrious persons from different streams have been thronging this renowned adda for a long time. It has always been a paradise for the poets, artistes, literati and people from the world of art and culture. Several literary magazines owe their origin to the inspiration from the adda sessions at this coffee house. The Coffee-House at College Street is of historical significance for being the rendezvous of innumerable versatile people, from its inception to date. People like Satyajit Ray,Jagadish Chandra Bose, Ritwik Ghatak, Narayan Gangopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, other writers and editors of the magazine Krittibas (like Shakti Chattopadhyay) have been just a few among the patrons of the restaurant.

Critics of the College Street Coffee House claim it to be a joint for 'antels', or phony and pretentious intellectuals. They also claim the service and the food are appalling and for many wannabe intellectuals, going there is more of a status symbol than anything else.