The Mud House Cafe — Restaurant in Uttarakhand

TL;DR: Good service, excellent location, average coffee, little to no options for the conscious eater, things have improved over time but it's targeted towards the impulsive eater.

The term café is a highly misused and abused word in the post 2010 epoch of food industry in India, much like the word restaurant itself in the post 90s epoch of dining culture in India.

While in theory this place does justify the use of the word café, the menu and quality of prep for standard items on which to judge a café leaves you musing if you are living a post-apocalyptic dining nightmare.

Exaggeration notwithstanding, this diner does the job its supposed to do - cater to an audience mesmerised by the ambience (which is great, especially during pre-monsoon mornings and evenings) and for who dining out is synonymous with stuffing yourself gullets of junk - rather placid and inauthentic junk.

Getting down to brass tacks:

Coffee - all standard espresso based formulations available, qualifying it as a cafe. The Americano i had tasted like what you would get in a corporate office - an efficient caffeine delivery system devoid of any pretense at a distinct profile other than a bitter aftertaste. 2.5/5 Food - Mostly made out of premixes and ready to eat, the English breakfast was largely a disappointment. Almost nothing that could qualify as healthy and nothing up to standards in continental fare. 2/5 Cutlery and napkins: Decent, napkins may be of plastic polymer type rather than paper. Ambience and location: Serene 4.5/5 Staff courtesy & politeness: 4/5 Washroom cleanliness: 3/5 Pricing per unit value: Comparable with reputable cafes; Price is higher than the value on offer. 4/5

If you are the sort of person who earnestly believes that making healthy choices entails replacing your aerated drink with a carton of orange juice, this place is a haven for you. Others should stick to coffee and eggs, borne out of an absolute necessity of...

The Mudhouse Cafe, nestled atop a mountain and beside a river, offers a unique dining experience that combines natural beauty with culinary delights. We Started the day with an early drive (5:40am) from Binsar to Delhi and just after Nanital we stumbled upon this hidden gem just in time for breakfast. The surprise of finding a coffee machine and a selection of cakes in such a remote location adds to the charm of the cafe. While the river was dry when we visited (12th June 2024), one can imagine the splendor it adds to the scenery when it's brimming - the sound of water gushing complementing the serene view. It's these small discoveries along a journey that often become the most cherished memories. The Mudhouse Cafe seems to be one of those places where the ambiance and the view are as much a part of the meal as the food itself. Whether it's the tranquility of the dry riverbed or the potential roar of the river in its full flow, the cafe provides a moment of peace and a feast for the senses, before one continues on their travels. We tried their masala omelet (which comes with a large slice of bread), mixed vegetable Parathas with curd and pickles and s very authentic Nanital masala chai. Highly recommended stop. The washrooms were also neat and clean. Kudos to the Mudhouse cafe team.

PS: we were told that during summer there is an old tiger that visits the area around this restaurant, it comes to drink water (during summer) and then it goes and relaxes at a rock behind the bushes.. Villagers don't bother the triger as it doesn't harm them nor their pets. So if you are lucky you can see the tiger too.. no need to go to the Jim Corbett...

The worst food in entire north India. Afghani chicken was the worst. The full portion consisted of 4 small pcs which were cooked atleast 2 days ago. The paneer tikka was disgustingly spicy, stale and dry, The momos tasted like they were picked up from the footpath and served. The tomato soup had tons of sugar in it and the so called croutons served with the soup tasted like they were just kept in old oil for weeks. Ample garbage was visible when looking down from the balcony and the plants around were also dying and decaying. The waiter knew I would ask him to replace the food and immediately did so as if he knew what he had done serving us the stale food. All this took place with the owners of the restaurant sitting right there. It was empty despite it being a holiday and seems like all this serving of old garbage was routine. Lots of spelling mistakes in a badly put together menu. Makes me sick to my stomach to see people playing with other peoples health just for a quick buck. Only consolation was the service staff as they were responsive, polite and rather sweet. I hope they close down very soon. Better to eat at any...