CAFE CHOKALADE

The shop is located at B-27/87-7, right near the Chetmani crossing in Ravindrapuri. If you know Varanasi, you know how busy Bhelupura can get at almost any time of the day. It is noisy outside with all the rickshaws and people moving toward the Shakumbhari complex. We opened up here because it seemed like a good spot where people are always walking by on their way to work or school. Inside, it's just a regular space with some chairs and tables. The walls could probably use a new coat of paint soon, and the furniture is just the normal kind you find everywhere. We spend a lot of our time dealing with the dust that comes off the street. It’s a bit of a struggle to keep everything wiped down and looking presentable. Some days it is crowded and we are rushing around trying not to trip over each other in the small kitchen area behind the counter. Other times, it’s just us sitting around waiting for the evening rush to start. We don't have any big speeches about what we do or why we do it. We just make the food and drinks and hope the power doesn't go out, which happens more than we'd like in this neighborhood. It is just a local business run by people who live nearby. We see the same faces every week, mostly folks taking a break from the heat.