House of Habibi — Restaurant in Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmir & the Rise of a New Order — Where Restaurants Replace Reflection

In today’s Kashmir, a quiet transformation is taking place—a new order where restaurants and cafés seem to dissolve the breakthrough of meaningful work and contribute to the neglect of human cultivation and deeper ideas. Spaces that could have been cultural retreats now often serve distraction.

House of Habibi, one such rising space, mirrors this paradox. I haven’t explored every corner of it, but my experience in its main area left me with mixed feelings.

On a positive note, the musical setup is thoughtfully done—modern tech, rich sound, and a space that invites performance. The infrastructure itself is polished, offering a comfortable ambiance.

But beyond that, things fall short. The food service lacked clarity and proper management, and it felt more curated for image than actual hospitality. I noticed continued use of synthetic plastic and packaging materials—something I deeply oppose, especially in a place that wants to represent modern consciousness.

In a region as historically rich as Kashmir, we must question what we’re building—are we cultivating ideas, or simply serving distractions?

— Syed Abdul Jaleel Philosopher, Cultural Critic, Musician Credits Syed Abdul Jaleel visit...

I went there on my fiance's birthday. We ordered a full butter chicken with naan. To begin with I was astonished to see the quantity of the dish, were served 6 miniscule chicken pieces that most people, if you are foodies like me, would find less even for an appetizer. Anyways digging into the dish , we realised the chicken was so undercooked, almost raw. After complaining to the waiter, he apologized & took the leftovers with him to get it properly cooked. Surprisngly, the waiter brought more chicken pieces than the leftovers which made us feel a little better. But by that time my fiance and i couldnt bring ourselves to eat again so we asked the waiter to get it packed. We left after paying, even left a tip for the waiter too. Once i reached home and opened the packed leftover, i was amazed to see the quantity again, it was less than half of what they were supposed to pack . One of the worst experiences i ever had. I wont really recommend this place to anyone. It is a NO from my side. But on a positive note this place does have an amazing location, away from the crowded city and noise which gives soothing...

I went to this place for the first time with my brother and wife and even though the place looks nice, I wasn’t impressed with the cleanliness. Unfortunately, all 3 of us felt horrible after the meal, we ordered chicken tandoori and the it was so hard. My wife threw up the food on our way back. On top of that there is no place for hand wash inside the building, you have to enter the next building to wash hands. The water was dripping from the roof which was shocking. Last point is that, this place needs to train their staff not to chew on food as they are bringing the food to the table. Never going again, I hope they work on these points And...