I had gone to Bhimtal with the intention of spending most of my day by the lake. It felt weird not to have a full sightseeing agenda. I wanted to wander, stop when something looked appetising, and eat without checking the time every few minutes.
That was the gist of how my cafe-hopping day began. A cup of tea, breakfast, another stroll, and before I knew it, I had spent the entire day hopping between modest cafes to lakeside seats. Nothing I ate was really fancy. Still, the chilly air, the peaceful location and slow pace made even the simplest cuisine memorable.
Breakfast began with Bhimtai’s parathas and tea
Our first visit was a little cafe by the lake. I had decided to order merely tea, but the fragrance of sizzling parathas altered that almost instantly. I ate aloo paratha with curd and pickle and a cup of masala chai.
Breakfast wasn’t fancy, nor did it need to be. The paratha was crunchy around the edges and mushy on the inside. The pickle was sharp enough to wake me up properly. I ate leisurely, watching the shopkeepers open their establishments, and a few boats began to move across the lake.
I could not leave without trying Bhimtal’s bun maska
I had breakfast, then took a walk along the sea for a while. It was calm in Bhimtal, the morning mist not quite gone. An hour later I passed another cafe and stopped for what I told myself was a short tea.
This time I ordered a bun maska. The warm bun was covered in butter, and the butter melted as soon as I tore it apart. Combined with strong ginger tea, it was a pretty ordinary comfort. That second cup took a lot longer than it should have because I’d located a table overlooking the lake and had no clear need to leave.
Bhimtal’s lunch was simple, warm, and properly filling
And I was hungry again by early afternoon. I had slept in one of the centrally placed hotels in Bhimtal, so the day was made simple as I could stroll between the lake, adjacent cafes and the main market without booking transport each time.
I was looking for something a little more local for lunch than the standard cafe spaghetti or sandwich. I ordered aloo ke gutke with raita and rotis. The potatoes were mixed with spices and coriander, just warm enough for the cooler hill air. It was a simple, pleasant supper, the kind that fills you up without weighing you down.
I also tasted a little bit of Kumaoni raita. The mustard taste was stronger than the raita I usually have at home, but it worked surprisingly well with the potatoes.
A slice of cake became my afternoon break at Bhimtal
After lunch, another lengthy stroll, but I can’t really call it exercise because I kept stopping to stare at the lake. Finally, I came upon a warm cafe with a counter full of baked desserts.
I requested black coffee and a slice of walnut cake. The cake was a little crumbly, dense with nuts, and not too sweet. It tasted fresh, which I appreciated. I sat there reading for a long time, but I probably spent more time staring out the window than I did at the pages.
Evening called for momos by Bhimtal’s lake
The light began to fade, and the air grew cooler. That was the ideal excuse to make one last trip. I had steaming vegetable momos with a vivid crimson chutney that was spicier than it appeared.
The momos were soft, spicy and just what I needed at that time. I ate them off a plain plate by the lake as the evening lights began to show on the water.
Final thoughts
My day of cafe hopping in Bhimtal was not really about seeking the town’s most renowned dish or the most photographed cafe. It was about taking time to enjoy each stop.
I can still taste the butter melting into the bread, the tang of mustard in the Kumaoni raita, and the surprisingly hot momo chutney. Most of all, I recall never feeling rushed. Bhimtal was the calmest portion of my vacation, on a day I had thought would be a typical dining day. If you do go, leave at least one afternoon free, explore without a plan and go to a cafe that feels right.