The Laughing Buddha Vegan Cafe Pushkar — Restaurant in Rajasthan

⭐️ An absolute gem in Pushkar! I came here based of a recommendation from a friend in Delhi and it quickly became a spot I visited regularly, I spent 2 months in Pushkar and many many visits to Laughing Buddha during that time! The decor and art is also super nice, it has soul!

🙏 As someone who is vegan and gluten free, this is an absolute paradise, I’m really grateful to Sheru the owner who offers amazing food, company and a wonderful space to relax and enjoy yourself. All of the amazing food is offered at a very affordable price too! :)

✌️The view looking over Pushkar market is really nice to sit and observe, the inside area is also super comfy, I spent many moments relaxing here and enjoying my company. All the food I had was really tasty and it’s clear to see that Sheru cooks with love and uses fresh ingredients, he keeps everything very clean and sanitary too. All the dishes I had were great, my favourites were the pakora, coconut banana date shake and vegetable kofta. Sheru uses brown rice and the meals are very filling, I felt good and satisfied after eating here :) the summer menu also offers a host of items, the smoothie bowls are DELICIOUS and the morning fuel is amazing, I highly recommend dining here!

👨‍🍳 I loved the food so much that I did a cooking class, Sheru taught me a huge amount of dishes to cook and explained everything to me in detail, I am excited to try and recreate some of the things I learnt here someday :)) after cooking many items I was able to enjoy them, because we cooked so much, I had leftovers for the day after! I definitely recommend this if you want to learn how to cook delicious food and Indian cooking basics.

❤️ I really enjoyed talking to Sheru, he always welcomed me warmly and we spent a lot of time talking and sharing, I learnt lots from him! I was there during summer so we would often chat while being cooled by the fan. I really appreciate our connection and time spent together, I would be happy to come here, not just for the amazing food but also to chat with Sheru and other customers that came, it’s nice to talk to people on the balcony :) on my last day, Sheru kindly cooked me an amazing goodbye meal, a beautiful gesture that I am truly appreciative of, thank you for being you Sheru, I would love to return to Pushkar someday, Laughing Buddha and Sheru is a reason to do so! Thank you for all the help you gave me around Pushkar also. Much love, guidance and peace,...

Here's a story of this cafe:

Sheru bhaiya (the owner) was never good at academics and dropped out after 10th. He had little financial support from his family, his parents being labourers. So, he started working at a cafe in Pushkar, his hometown. In 2011, he started his own space and the Laughing Buddha Cafe at it's current place in 2018/19. Pushkar being flocked by foreign tourists, he earned good. Half of the income went to his other initiative - 'the Little Buddha's Hearts' (3rd picture) - with its objective of providing education to the underprivileged kids in Old Pushkar village. All went well until Covid hit.

The cafe is still running, with a hope that things will get better with tourists coming back soon. I loved Sheru bhaiya's indomitable spirit and his firm belief in the goodness of the world. He genuinely believes in giving back to the society as much as he believes in learning. He learnt to make delicious fruit salads and other non-Asian delicacies from his customers. He has built this beautiful space and he ensures that his customers have a good time.

One can contribute in many ways like eating at the cafe, donating, or even volunteering with them. So, if you ever visit Puskar, don't forget to pay a visit and meet Sheru bhaiya.

The food here is very yummy, with a wide range of items to choose from. I tried the 'wholesome start' breakfast combo, which was really good. Sheru bhaiya cooks very passionately and yes, the prices are average.

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We stopped in here to enjoy the ever changing view of the market down below. It’s a great little spot out of the hustle and bustle but not so far away you’ll miss the details. The food is all handmade on site from local ingredients and is very delicious.

I noticed there was some signs around inside the cafe talking about how the proceeds are used to help with education costs for local children in need. It said they are always looking for volunteers so I popped up stairs to inquire.

Here I met Sheru, he is working single handedly during the less busy months to prepare all the food from scratch and serve the customers. He was happy to have some help immediately so I found myself serving customers that evening. It was a lot of fun and Sheru was happy to show me some cooking and tell me some stories of the cafe and Pushkar as we went.

I came back a few times during my week in Pushkar to hangout with Sheru and give him a hand when things got busy. The food was always excellent and he gave me all the free snacks I could want when I was helping him out.

I would definitely recommend stopping by, you can give Sheru a hand in the cafe if you like, speak to him about volunteering with the children’s school work, donate some bits and pieces for the kids or just stop in for a lovely meal and support this worthy cause while you enjoy the view.

Would recommend the special lassi or laughing Buddha balls if you’d like to add a little magic to...