Mamtaj Shiisha A/C And Open Air Restaurant

The road from Puri to Konark is long and dusty. Our place is right on that stretch. We have the AC section for when the sun is too much, which is basically most of the day. But in the evenings, the open-air part is better. You can see the stars if the clouds are gone. It’s 752002 out here, so it’s a bit out of the main town. People stop by while they are traveling between the big temples. We get a lot of sand blowing in from the coast. We’re always sweeping the floors. The kitchen is busy with tandoors going late into the night. We don't have much of a sign out front. It’s simple. We have plastic chairs outside and some padded ones inside. The staff lives nearby, so they walk or bike to work. Sometimes we have a lot of tourists who are lost. We show them the way. The open air means we deal with bugs sometimes, so we keep the coils burning under the tables. It smells like woodsmoke and salt. We don't serve anything fancy. Just food that fills you up. Most people stay for an hour and then get back on the road. We stay open until the last car passes by. It gets very dark out here at night. We keep a couple of dogs around to watch the place. It's just a regular roadside stop for anyone passing through the Puri area.