Leopold Cafe

Leopold Cafe

Leopold Cafe
Restaurant information
Established 1871
Current owner(s) Fahrang & Farzad Jehani, Rashid & Gustad Dehmiri
Food type multi cuisine
City Mumbai
State Maharashtra
Country India
Other information Open Daily 7am-12am
Website http://www.leopoldcafe.com/

The Leopold Cafe is a large and popular restaurant and bar [1] on Colaba Causeway, in the Fort area of Mumbai, India, located across from the Colaba Police station.[2][3]

It was one of the first sites attacked during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.[4] The cafe was mentioned extensively in the novel Shantaram.[5]

Contents

History

Founded in 1871 by Iranis, it first started out as a wholesale oil store, and over the years has variously been a restaurant and store, and restaurant and pharmacy.[1][6] Today it is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a bar on the first level, and serves cuisines like, Indian, Western, Chinese, South American, etc., and beer and alcohol.[7] The cafe features prominently in the novel Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.

November 2008 terror attacks

The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. Gunmen sprayed the restaurant with bullets and there were blood stains on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers.[8] Sourav Mishra, a Reuters reporter and one of the first media witnesses of the attack suffered severe bullet injuries.[9] The cafe reopened four days after the attack,[10] but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after 2 hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there.[11] Regular business resumed the next day.

Specialty

The cafe is famous for its DJ and its food.

References

  1. ^ a b Legends of the causeway - Leopold’s Cafe and Bar
  2. ^ Mehta, Sarika (24 December 2004). "Mumbai's Culture Square - For the Foodie". Business Line. The Hindu. http://www.blonnet.com/life/2004/12/24/stories/2004122400130300.htm. 
  3. ^ "Map of Leopold Cafe". http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&q=leopold+cafe+mumbai. 
  4. ^ "A look at the main places targeted in Mumbai". http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hv8CviTH0MlF4XlDTJa6S_fHBtxAD94N71EO1. 
  5. ^ "A week later, Patrons back to Mumbai's Leopold Cafe". http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20080075144&type=News. 
  6. ^ "Cafe confidential". The Australian. 5 July 2008. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23953040-5002031,00.html. 
  7. ^ "Leopold Cafe Home Page". http://www.leopoldcafe.com. 
  8. ^ Ramesh, Randeep (27 November 2008). "Terrorists run amok in Mumbai". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/mumbai-terror-attacks-india. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  9. ^ "Multiple attacks in Mumbai leave at least 78 dead". PBS. 27 November 2008. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia/july-dec08/mumbaiattacks_11-26.html. Retrieved 19 March 2008. 
  10. ^ Blakely, Rhys and Jeremy Pag (1 December 2008). "Defiant Leopold café shows that Mumbai is not afraid". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5260641.ece. Retrieved 30 November 2008. 
  11. ^ Siddharth Philip (1 December 2008). "Cafe in India reopens; Taj hotel vows to 'rebuild every inch'". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-01-india_N.htm. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 

External links