Cafe Mannam

Cafe Mannam is right here in Chakkai, Thiruvananthapuram. If you know where Ananthapuri Hospital is, you’ve basically found us, as we’re right across the street. Being so close to a hospital means we see a lot of people who are having a long day. We try to keep things quiet and simple for them. The Chakkai area has changed a lot over the years, but we’ve stayed in this same spot. It’s a plain building, nothing that really stands out from the road, but we have our regular sign up. Inside, we have enough tables for a decent crowd, though it’s rarely completely full except for maybe the evening hours. We spend a lot of time wiping down counters and checking the stock in the back. The weather in Thiruvananthapuram can get pretty humid, so we keep the fans going at full speed most of the time. It’s just a small team of us here, and we handle everything from taking orders to cleaning up at the end of the night. We aren't part of some big chain; we just live and work right here in the city. Some days are slower than others, and we just sit and watch the traffic go by toward the airport or the city center. It’s a humble setup, but it suits us just fine. We just provide a place to sit for a bit in the middle of a busy day.