The coffee house hangouts

This proverb and many others like 'Work hard, party harder' basically promote, as they should, a healthy work-life balance. With the stress of work, be it studies, office or household, de-stressing is crucial.

To that end what better way to de-stress than to enjoy a wholesome 'adda' session over a cup of tea or coffee, with friends and family at any of the local joints.

Admitted that there are many other ways of de-stressing too, but in a world where our social interactions are limited to 'facebooking', 'whatsapping' and 'twittering,' real-time face to face interaction is priceless. To say something funny and actually see and hear a person laugh can't compare to the 3 lettered 'LOL' we are so used to seeing on our chat screens. A frequent tete-a-tete over coffee or tea adds the much needed element of human contact back into our gadget infested lives.

The good news is, if there is a will then there is definitely no dearth of places in Dhaka city to plan your next post work adda session with friends. There are a host of places to choose from to suit your pocket and location.

Tabaq Coffee

A place for friends, family and colleagues, Tabaq has so far opened 3 strategically placed outlets in Gulshan, Baridhara and Jamuna Future Park. All the outlets keep busy throughout the day with walk-in as well as take-away customers.

Peak Hours - 4 pm to 8pm

Most popular beverages - Cappuccino and Hazelnut Latte

Most popular dessert - Cheese Cake Brownie and Oreo Cheese Cake Bar

Most popular food item - Chicken Tikka Sandwich and Roast Beef Sandwich

North End Coffee Roasters

With almost 8 outlets in different parts of the city, North End Coffee Roasters caters to school, college and office goers alike. Where weekends bring in a lot of family crowd, weekdays see a lot of takeaway customers as well as official meetings held by corporate clients.

Peak Hours - Varies at different outlets but on an average from afternoon till late night.

Most popular hot beverages - Latte/Cappuccino/Americano

Most popular cold beverage - Brownie Mocha Freddo

Most popular food item - Four C Sandwich

Apon Coffee House

Starting off as a humble stall in Khilgaon, Apon Coffee House has grown into a modest shop because of its sheer popularity and prices that are very easy on the pocket. Famous for its cold coffee available in many flavours, its hot coffee is a crowd puller too. The flavoured coffees might not suit the tastebuds of hardcore coffee buffs, but that doesn't stop queues from forming at this outlet.

Peak Hours - From 6 to 7 p.m

Most popular beverages - Chocolate Coffee

Chatime

In times where coffee seems to rule the roost with youngsters and adults alike, Chatime is one of the few 'only' tea outlets. A popular place among university students, it sees its fair share of after hours, working crowd too. Apart from regular tea it offers tea, smoothies and juices in various flavours, Chatime's extensive menu keeps its customers coming back for more.

Peak Hours - From 3pm to 7pm

Most popular beverages - Pearl Milk tea/Chocolate Mousse/Hazelnut Chocolate Milk Tea

Butlers Chocolate Cafe

One of the only chocolatiers in Dhaka city, Butlers Chocolate Cafe is a popular haunt for residents of Gulshan 2. Known to be frequented by Dhaka's upper crust, this cafe sees customers streaming in till late evening. Apart from their melt-in-your-mouth chocolates Butler's has an extensive menu for a good adda session.

Peak Hours - From 6 p.m to 10 p.m

Most popular beverages - Signature Hot Chocolate/Cappuccino/Signature Milkshake

Most popular dessert - Hot Chocolate Lava Cake

Most popular food item - Most of its Pizzas

Bittersweet Cafe

This one has been around for quiet sometime now and is frequented by families, college students and professionals alike. Known for its comfy and relaxing ambience, Bittersweet is the ideal go to place to catch up with friends over snacks or a meal.

Peak Hours - Mostly during meal times (lunch/dinner)

Most popular beverages - Hot Chocolate/Cafe Mocha/Hazelnut Latte

Most popular milk shakes - Chocolate Peanut Butter/Cookies and Cream

Most popular dessert - Chocolate Soufflé/Cheese Cake/Red Velvet Cupcake

Most popular food item - Smoked Chicken Sandwich/Lasagne/Retro Chopsuey /Chicken Potpie

Gloria Jean's Coffee

One of the most reputed cafes in the city, Gloria Jean's is one of the first names that comes to mind when talking about coffee. It is often frequented by office goers in the morning for breakfast, and be it a weekend or any public holiday, Gloria Jean's is definitely a favourite for Dhakaites.

Peak Hours - From evening till late night

Most popular hot beverages - Cappuccino/Macadamia Latte/Hazelnut Mocha

Most popular cold beverages - Hazelnut Mocha Chiller/Tiramisu Chiller/Cookies-N-Cream

Most popular food item - Chicken Scaloppini/Fettuccini Alfredo/Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

Chows

An authentic Cantonese restaurant, Chows offers Chai with Chows, High Tea buffet option every day between 3PM to 6PM with prior reservations. So, if you want to take a midday chai break and meet up with your friends, this could turn out to be a good option.

Chows has lined up a good spread of sweet and savoury items along with an impressive variety of teas and coffees to choose from.

These are just a few places of the many that have sprouted all over the city. So, the next time you start getting ready to leave work, why not pick up your phone and call a few friends over at any of the above-mentioned places, indulge in some agenda less discussion and feel the stress leaving you!

Our time honoured 'adda' may have changed in nature from being a heated political argument over tea and carrom to a friendly banter over jazz with coffee, but the essence of it still remains at the core of every Bengali. It is what shapes us. Let's meet up more often and ensure that our adda survives the ceaseless attacks of modernism.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed