Her cafe’s Kangri dham a big draw

“My inspiration to start the cafe came from the fact that there is no cafe in the area serving local Himachali food,” says Manisha Thakur, a 28-year-old from Bir village. Over the years, especially post-pandemic, Bir has seen a boom in cafes with many youngsters from cities moving there and setting up their eateries. “Mostly everyone caters to western food,” adds Manisha.

And she is right. As you walk across the market in Bir the lane is dotted with a lot of cafes serving the fare we find in cities. Amid this newfound cafe culture, Manisha wanted to preserve and promote the traditional way food is cooked and served in Kangra, especially at functions like weddings, and is called the Kangri dham. 

People who come here love the ambience as well as we have done up the place in a very local manner so it mimics a local mud home.

The food at Her cafe is cooked on a traditional choolha and prepared in a local manner like it’s done at homes in the village. One can savour a variety of local achaars (pickles) that are also on display in the cafe and which one can also buy.

“We have no concept of chefs because I feel that is a western idea,” Manisha says. Instead, the cafe employs local women from the village who have tended to the kitchen all their lives, only now they are making an earning from it. 

“People who come here love the ambience as well as we have done up the place in a very local manner so it mimics a local mud home,” she says. ‘Her’ cafe has the perfect vibe and delectable Himachali dishes like siddhu and kachori that you can enjoy on a rainy day with a large cup of tea.

“We wanted people to feel what it is like to be in a Himachali village,” says Manisha. And the cafe does provide that. Situated in Slabak village, the cafe can be visited by those going for their bungee rides or a trip to a local waterfall.

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Novita Singh is the Associate Director at Village Square and an independent filmmaker.