A Cafe Story — Restaurant in Karnataka

A Cafe Story is a cozy and inviting cafe located in the heart of Manipal, perfect for casual meetups and satisfying cravings for cheesy and flavorful snacks. The ambience is relaxed, making it a great spot to hang out with friends or enjoy some quiet time.What We Tried:

Potato Cheese Corn Ball with Chilli Mayo (₹155): These balls were crispy on the outside and loaded with a delicious cheesy and corn filling inside. The accompanying chilli mayo added a nice tangy and spicy kick, making it a tasty starter. Rated 4/5 for its flavor and texture.

Cajun Cheesy Fries (₹100): The fries were coated in a flavorful Cajun spice blend and topped generously with melted cheese. They were tasty but could be a little heavier on the seasoning. Rated 3.5/5.

Veg Cheesy Salsa Fries (₹150): This dish combined crispy fries with a fresh, slightly spicy salsa and melted cheese, creating a great balance of flavors. A good option for those who like a bit of zest. Rated 4/5.

Nutella Pannacotta with Choco Chips (₹180): The cafe’s signature dessert, this panna cotta was smooth, creamy, and rich with Nutella flavor, perfectly complemented by crunchy choco chips. It was the highlight of the meal and deserved a perfect 5/5 rating.

Virgin Mojito (₹110): A refreshing non-alcoholic drink with a good balance of lime, mint, and sweetness, ideal for cleansing the palate between bites. Rated 4/5.

Watermelon Cooler (₹110): A chilled watermelon-based drink that was refreshing but a little mild in flavor. Rated 3/5.

Watermelon Juice (₹50): Fresh and simple, this juice was flavorful and hydrating, making it a great light drink...

We visited the place based on a recommendation from a relative. It was pretty empty when we stopped over here for lunch. The eatery can seat around 30 pax across the two shops. They have a wide variety of items on their menu, spread over burgers, sandwiches, pasta, fries, salad, rice bowl, tandoor, chinese, arabian, etc. We tried the following: Chicken Hyderabadi Bowl, Chicken Manchow Soup, Veg Manchow Soup, Nashville Chicken Burger, Juicy Messy Burger, Burnt Garlic Egg Noodles, Paneer Dirty Bird Fries. For beverages, we tried Kiwi Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Lycheenilla, Orange Lime. The service took 15-20 mins. Burger was served first followed by Soup and other dishes. The chicken manchow soup was really good but the veg manchow soup had less salt. The burgers were really good. The Hyderabadi Chicken Rice bowl was spicy. The Burnt Garlic Egg Noodles was okay. Overall, the taste was good and we liked it. The price is also not very heavy on the pocket and apt for the price. Our bearer was very friendly and helped with suggestions. They have the adjoining shop serving rice bowls where you can choose rice (plain/ghee/jeera) or roti (plain/butter) served with choice of curry. You can customise it to make it boneless chicken at an additional cost. The only thing we felt lacking was they didn't have a rest room, making it challenging for those who come from a distance. Overall, a must visit place while in Manipal and I would give it a try...

Food: The food was quite decent! They have a mix of pizzas, burgers, wings, Mediterranean, beverages and then some more.

Falafel with hummus and pita: The hummus was genuinely quite good! 💯 The pita and the falafel were so-so. Falafel seemed a little hardy! Cajun chicken pizza: The flavouring on the pizza seemed okayish but like many other places, the fact that it was overloaded with cheese was a buzz kill (P.S We had ordered for a less cheese one. Can imagine the actual quantity then 😅) Litchi Iced tea: It was good. We had asked for sugar in moderation; it was perfect for our liking. The tinge of sweetness and the slight bitterness of tea was nice. The litchi flavour was a little too subtle, perhaps it was a syrup and would have made the drink sugary. Overall the drink was good.

Ambience: It's cafe seating with a few tables distributed in 2 spaces separated by a division. Quite a nice cafe ambience but can tend to get noisy if full. A good place for a small gathering of 4 to 6 friends.

Service and Staff: Service was decent with a little delay in the order taking. I believe they were slightly short-staffed. it was a weekend as well. No serious complaints though.

Value for money: Most of the dishes ordered by us were priced at par with most other restaurants in the vicinity with a similar ambience!

P.S: Worth a try! And perhaps the other dishes may turn out really good. Will update after the...