Sortd Cafe — Restaurant in Zone 9 Teynampet

Sortd is a place that stuns at first sight. The name glows on the side of the building, lit with quiet grace, promising refinement within. The main structure is pure white, its glass walls on the ground floor opening out into the city beyond. The first floor gleams invitingly above, yet being told it was unavailable felt like the first disappointment of the evening. Spaces built to inspire should also be shared, otherwise they remain beautiful but hollow, admired from below rather than lived in.

The approach to the café is enchanting. Lush greenery lines the outer wall, and the outdoor seating looks like the kind of corner where time would slip away easily. Inside, the counter greets you with minimalist charm, its design evoking the warmth of classic diners from another era. Yet the display stood bare, missing the life that comes from trays of pastries and desserts waiting to tempt. Stocked with the best of what the café can offer, it could have radiated personality instead of restraint.

Connecting the counter to the main seating area is a narrow corridor of beauty. On one side, tall chairs face a long window, the view of parked cars softened by the golden light filtering through. On the other, a row of booths glows under hanging lamps, comfortable and well designed. The space feels both intimate and deliberate, like a place made for quiet conversation.

Our table was set in a glass chamber beyond, with transparent walls and a roof that might have been oppressive in heat but was magical under evening light. A tree rose from the corner, the café having built around it rather than cutting it away. It stood as a living reminder that good design can honour nature rather than erase it. And before the food even began, Mary, our waitress, made the experience memorable with her warmth and attentiveness. She was the kind of host who turns a visit into a memory.

The meal began with broccoli and yellow cheddar cutlets. The plating was elegant, four golden pieces resting on bright orange chutney, touched with sour cream and greens. They looked like art, but the flavour never matched the promise. The crust was crisp and perfect, but the filling lacked character, the cheese fading too quickly and the chutney offering little spark. For its price, the portion felt small, leaving the dish beautiful but hollow.

Next came the reimagined garden vegetables pizza. Served on a wooden board, it had a rustic charm, its shape slightly uneven but appealing. The sauce was excellent, the toppings generous and the cheese mild. The crust edges were crisp rather than soft, offering texture and bite. Yet despite these individual strengths, the overall taste missed a certain harmony. It was a dish that impressed in appearance but never quite sang in flavour.

The curated drink options were unavailable, so we settled for Vietnamese cold coffee. The mix of coffee and condensed milk was rich and satisfying, but the slushy ice distracted from the smoothness, turning the drink into a coffee flavoured ice blend by the end. The pumpkin chips followed, ordered in place of the unavailable tej potato fries. They arrived neat, crisp and well presented, but they were simply fryums in disguise, the kind one could buy anywhere for a fraction of the cost. The irony of paying two hundred and twenty five for them was difficult to ignore.

Sortd is a café built with ambition and aesthetic brilliance. The structure is stunning, the design thoughtful, the staff kind and attentive. Yet it is held back by its own choices. To keep its most beautiful spaces closed to guests is to deny them the full experience. To serve food that pleases the eye but not the palate is to waste its own potential. And to price simple pleasures too high is to dim the joy they could bring. Even so, the elegance of the space, the natural harmony of design and the kindness of people like Mary linger in memory, leaving behind enough warmth to tempt a...

⭐ Honest Review: Sorted, Alwarpet ⭐

Rating: 2/5

Let’s start with the good things first:

I’ve visited Sorted twice now, and I can confidently say the food is excellent — flavorful, creative, and definitely one of the best parts of the experience. The ambience is very aesthetic and Instagram-worthy, with a cozy setup that makes it a great place to hang out. For the kind of atmosphere they offer, the pricing is reasonable, which is a win.

Valet parking is available, which is a huge relief in an area like Alwarpet. Even during peak hours, the staff managed the parking pretty efficiently.

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Now, the not-so-great part:

This visit was a pre-planned outing with 12 women, and I had called the previous night to make a reservation. I spoke to Mr. Kaushik over the phone, who, frankly, could have handled the call much better. He explained that Sorted doesn’t usually take reservations (first come, first serve), but the tone and the way he conveyed it — including saying, “if there’s no space, you’ll have to walk out, ma’am” — felt unnecessarily dismissive.

Though disappointed, I didn’t want to change our venue last-minute. I messaged their Instagram account explaining what happened — politely — but the response felt somewhat dismissive again, reiterating that Kaushik was right.

When we arrived the next day around 4:45 PM, as expected, there were no tables. All 12 of us had to stand and wait till 6:20 PM — yes, over an hour — with no offer of even a quick drink while waiting (understandable since we had no table, but still disappointing). Eventually, we were scattered across three different spots before finally getting a table together.

Once we sat down, we were starving and ordered quickly. The food arrived, and we wrapped up eating in 15–20 minutes. Right after, Kaushik approached us again with the bill and asked us to leave as others were waiting for tables. This was the most disappointing part. After waiting over an hour, being asked to leave within 45 minutes felt unfair and ungracious — especially when we were open to ordering more.

When I tried explaining that we had just gotten the table, he offered the conference room option (for ₹1500), which had already caused friction the previous day. At this point, the whole experience felt rushed and lacking hospitality.

By 6:45 or 7 PM, we were out — just 45 minutes of actual table time after waiting more than an hour.

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Final Thoughts:

Sorted has great food, a beautiful space, and a prime location — but customer service needs serious improvement, especially when it comes to handling large groups and peak-hour guests.

A little more empathy and flexibility from the staff could go a long way in turning good food into a great experience. Until then, as much as I want to love Sorted, I’ll probably think twice before returning with a large group.

Good luck to the team — hope you grow...

In a place like Alwarpet where you have options like KUP (which is absolutely phenomenal), and Tuscan (a close second to KUP) - a new cafe like Sortd needs to SORT out their stuff.

Ambience - When we went on a Sunday evening the place was packed but only their ground floor is open for now. The place is done up very well, but it does get quite loud because the tables are very close together reminding you of restaurants rather than cafes, and the overall structure is quite enclosed.

Service - They were as efficient as they could be with the crowd they had.

Food - This is where stuff sort of goes downhill. I'm yet to understand what's with the other reviews here. Perhaps those people came in during relatively less-crowded times, but if a place has actively advertised as much as Sortd has - they need to be ready to keep up with the demand.

The Mocha Nutella basically had no taste of Nutella at all. The drink itself was not bad, but it tasted like any generic cold coffee I'd get at most small time cafes.

The cappuccino was quite nice though

The Club Sandwich was quite sad. Reminded me of the Royal Sandwich shop's sandwiches. There was a thin layer of chicken sukka, some egg, a thin slice of tomato and one piece of lettuce. Here's the weird thing though - the sandwich was supposed to have Beef Bacon but they were out of it (which is absolutely understandable). Except - they served the sandwich to me anyway. And when I was dissecting the sandwich to check for the bacon they csme up to me and said they were out of bacon and would not charge for it.... Except - why wouldn't you tell the customer up front and ask if they'd want something else? I'd gladly have paid for a different item.

Truffle mushroom 3 cheese sandwich - was okay. The cheese was sub par. The bread should've been better sourdough though.

I understand they are a new place, but they've announced themselves massively and they need to make sure their bite matches their bark.

The one thing they have working for them so far - they have good parking space available so that's...