Champa Gali – the hidden culinary, cultural alley

The street is a new preferred destination for start-ups

Amidst the tall residential buildings, city traffic and the concrete shopping malls, Saket in New Delhi now hosts an array of roasteries, design studios, creative workshops, and a street-style tea-stall, in its newly discovered ‘Champa Gali’.

Following the bright graffiti walls in street number 3 of Said-ul-Ajaib village in Saket (South Delhi), a brief stroll took us inside a tapered passage bordered by small village quarters.

Adjacent to those was a freshly painted cafe with an on-site roastery, a design studio, creative workshops, and a street-style tea-stall. After the famous Hauz Khas Village (HKV) and Khan Market, South Delhi now houses another similar street that hosts a number of quirky spots and a calendar full of events.

Champa Gali, as the locals call it, is the newly discovered street in the area that has become a preferred destination for start-ups, which are an assortment of art, culture, literature and music.

The first thing that caught our eyes with its elegant white-blue decor was the Blue Tokai cafe cum roaster. The menu at this pet-friendly coffee roaster offers wide-ranging blends of coffee, savoury treats and soft music at all times.

Blue Tokai

But what’s interesting is that the guests can take a tour of the roasting and brewing units inside the cafe and even experience the basic procedure behind the process on Wednesdays and Sundays. Additionally, according to the staff, the cafe also organises exhibitions, and music and poetry evenings.

For the people who love all things artsy, the alley houses two studios. People Tree – a studio cum design shop, is one enclosure offering hand-printed and Khadi clothes and stoles, magazines, books, handmade stationery, footwear, jewellery and music records by forgotten artists. And, very near to it is ‘Jugaad’, a non-profit organisation with handcrafted trinkets, tye and dyed bags, and a lot of art.

Staying true to the Indian chai-coffee culture, ‘Jugmug Thela’, next to People Tree, is a thela (street tea stall), with a refreshing backyard and a reading room. The thela offers a range of tea and coffee, and hot chocolate, along with colourful ice pops.

Jugmug Thela

Towards the end of the street, a number of new cafes are coming up, thanks to the popularity this narrow alley has garnered amongst Delhiites in a short span.