Katha Coffee & Bakehouse | Banjara Hills — Restaurant in Hyderabad

Having fond memories of my initial visit to Katha, where I genuinely appreciated the serene ambience and the quality of the coffee and food, I was eager to return. However, my most recent experience was a stark contrast to the charm I once associated with the place.

To begin with, the cafe was overwhelmingly crowded, making it difficult to secure a table without significant effort. Eventually, we were directed to the Listening Room, which, unfortunately, had extremely uncomfortable seating. From the moment we were seated, the service left much to be desired. Upon requesting water, we were informed by a waiter that it would take ten minutes as they were in the process of refilling. However, no water was brought to us even after an extended wait. Parched and frustrated, we had no choice but to take a water bottle from an adjacent table and drink directly from it, as no glasses were provided.

When it came to food, the experience was a mixed bag. The Murgh Makhni pizza was flavourful but lacked sufficient cheese, which significantly affected the overall richness of the dish. The Brekkie Burger was passable,neither impressive nor disappointing. On the beverage front, the Mango Kashmiri Kahwa had an unmistakably artificial taste, reminiscent of slice/frooti drink flavouring rather than a thoughtfully crafted drink. The Mango Croissant was also underwhelming, essentially just whipped cream and a few mango slices, hardly justifying its price.

Moreover, the staff’s attitude added to the dissatisfaction. When asked for feedback, our waiter appeared disinterested and unresponsive, which only further tainted the experience.

To summarise, Katha appears to have become an overhyped destination that no longer lives up to its reputation. While it may still attract crowds, the poor service, uncomfortable seating, and mediocre food make it a place I would no longer recommend. It’s simply not worth your...

Banjara Hills needed a place like this! Katha has been an absolute delight for various reasons, the top most amongst which is its menu. The more I rave about the menu the less it is. A work of ingenious passion, the menu at Katha mainly highlights its coffee brews and dough strengths. Now, take this strength of dough in its various forms such as croissants, bagels, sandwiches, different types of breads, etc - add a layer of various types of cuisines from Korean, to turkish, to Italian, to our very own Hyderabadi, borrow the authentic ingredients from each of these cuisines, design crowd pleasing popular dishes perfectly balanced in flavours that anyone can identify with, all the while catering to a diverse range of dietary preferences as well. Every single dish that we have tried here has been sheer perfection. Huge compliments to whoever has designed the menu and is managing the kitchen operations!!!

The lay out and vibe of the place is otherwise pleasant and welcoming and has a kind of young-ish yet classy charachter to it.

Leaving one star behind because there are few smaller issues in service to be ironed out - such as the lack of coasters on the table when served with the brews, leading to table stains which are not pleasant to the diner itself, apart from the maintenance load that it increases for the staff, or the lack of tissues refilled when a table is seated, or the general difficulty in catching the attention of the staff itself.

But, these are small hiccups in the journey of the gastronomic adventure that this place truly represents. The menu, in my humble opinion, is capable of being a landmark in the cafe culture in Hyderabad, almost like it was a long time coming!

All you cafe hoppers. Do yourself a favour and go hungry while u visit this...

We visited this café intending to enjoy a quick cup of coffee and ordered one flat white and one filter coffee. While the flat white was acceptable, the filter coffee was served with curdled milk, which could have made us unwell had we consumed it. We immediately informed the staff and requested a replacement—preferably another flat white. However, we were told that any alternative would incur an extra charge, and they insisted on providing another filter coffee instead.

Unfortunately, the second filter coffee was just as poor in quality and undrinkable. We politely returned it, explaining we could not drink it, and the staff took it away without offering a sincere apology or a satisfactory resolution. When we proceeded to settle the bill, we were surprised to find that we were still being charged for the undrinkable filter coffee. Upon raising our concern, the staff remained unhelpful and impolite. Only as we were leaving—after our experience had already been soured—did they offer us another coffee, which felt like an afterthought rather than a genuine gesture of goodwill.

Adding to the disappointment, the bathroom facilities had no water, and we were given a drinking water carafe to wash our hands. The overall ambience of the place is average at best, and the service was well below expectations. It is disheartening that there was no accountability or apology from any staff member.

I would not recommend this place, purely due to the poor service standards and lack of basic...