iHeart Cafe — Restaurant in Uttarakhand

I definitely don’t heart this cafe.

We walked into I Heart Cafe in Bhimtal with high hopes. A member of our group had been here before and had a great experience. It’s one of those places that everyone recommends — charming, cozy, “must visit.” So we pre-booked through Easy Diner, expecting a 10% discount, only to be greeted with the classic up to ₹200 bait-and-switch. Not a dealbreaker, but the first eye-roll of many.

Let’s start with the food. In one word: mid. For those unfamiliar with Gen Z lingo, mid = meh at best, ass at worst. Nothing was terrible, but nothing — nothing — was remotely worth the hype. Just reheated, overpromised, underdelivered food across the board. My quesadilla tasted like it had been thawed from the back of a sad freezer in Iowa. When I asked if it could be replaced with something fresh, I was told, very politely: “It cannot be replaced. It cannot be changed. It will not be sent back. You still have to pay.” All said with a smile — the kind that says, “Go screw yourself” but in a Tripadvisor-friendly way.

Then came the infamous “fresh” lasagna — apparently made in 15 minutes. Hot tip: nobody makes good lasagna in 15 minutes. What we got was rubbery, tasteless, cheese-overloaded disappointment. Honestly, it was the culinary version of a catfish. And don’t get me started on the Italian Job drink — which tasted like someone dropped a nimbu in flat soda water and hoped for the best.

The raspberry slush? An architectural disaster. All the syrup sank to the bottom, the ice sat at the top, and the whole thing just ended up tasting like someone poured perfume over crushed ice.

To be fair, the desserts were decent. Pancakes were alright. Someone at our table liked a cookie-thing, which I didn’t try because I’m lactose intolerant. So yes, if you have a sweet craving, maybe stop by. Emphasis on stop by — not sit down, not make a memory, not Instagram your plate. Just grab the pancake and run.

Because here’s the thing: the food was mid. The service was performatively polite but laced with indifference. The experience? Disappointing.

If you’re in Bhimtal and thinking of visiting I Heart Cafe, take this as your sign: Don’t. There are better places to eat. Or at least, places that won’t serve you reheated quesadillas with a side of passive aggression.

I don’t heart this cafe. Not even...

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Saving the best for the last…

On our way back home , we stumbled upon this cute wooden cafe enroute bhimtal;google reviews showed 4.9 ratings and this was reason enough to take a breakfast halt and thank god we did.On reaching , we realised that this is an international chain spread in various parts across the globe.

This cozy little cafe has an indoor seating of high and low chairs and table setting and the menu so holistic that it could give any cafe in Delhi/Ncr a run for its money.It is a pet friendly cafe as we spotted a family in the outdoor seating merrily enjoying breakfast with their furry baby.

In food, we ordered waffles which were superbly crispy on the outside and fluffy within.We also had smoked grilled chicken sandwich which was yummilicous with big chunks of smoked chicken that we literally tore open the sandwich to spot.The in-house honey mustard paired well with the sandwich and fries. Excited , we ordered masala chicken burger , rise and shine platter (sunny side up with herbed potatoes and toast), veg quesadillas, and club sandwich on recommendation from the server. Everything was excellent,breads were fresh, fries perfectly seasoned, maple and Nutella just fabulously paired with the waffles…I mean it was tough to find something I didn’t relish. Totally recommended to visit this gem from the hills on your visit to the...

Beverages other than coffee were disappointing. Coolers and smoothies are made of syrup not fruits and are just too sweet. Teas are all dips, no freshly brewed pots, no crushed mint or dash of homegrown lime, just flavoured teabags.

Over the past two years the place has lost its charm, in my personal markers of must visit cafés. Then again, it is the only place of its kind in the entire area, hence a four star rating.

The food is usually good, although I feel the oil content is excessive in most things.

Both the indoor and outdoor seating are quite nice, actually. The proprietors live on the property and you can also rent rooms for a night or two.

The unisex restroom is usually clean. The service is quick and courteous although they did bungle up my order once.

Pricing I feel are overboard, but I am not necessarily critical of monopoly profits. Given its proximity to nearby colleges, I dont feel the place faces an off season. There used to be board games but I suppose the patrons abused them and hence no more of that.

Nevertheless, it would be fair to say that the place is worth visiting at least once. If you are a foreigner and all you wish to eat is a continental cuisine with a good cup of coffee then this is your place.

I would rate it at...