Cafe 176

Being at Shop No 8 in the DDA Market near ITO means things get very hectic around lunch. Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg is always full of cars and people rushing to offices. Our cafe is just a small spot where people come to sit for a few minutes away from their desks. We start setting up the chairs and getting the kitchen ready while the sun is still coming up. The market here has a lot of history and you can see it in the old walls and the way the stairs are worn down. We have a few tables inside and a couple more outside if the weather isn't too hot. Most of the time, people just want a quick bite while they talk about work or politics. It gets loud when the printing presses nearby are running. We go through a lot of water and napkins every day. Sometimes the power goes out and we have to manage with whatever we can. It is not a fancy place with decorations, just a practical shop for people who work in the area. We know most of our regulars by their names or what they usually order. By the time evening comes, the crowd changes to people heading to the bus stop or the metro. We stay until the last office closes up.