Also read | I dined with chef Kunal Kapur at his new Bengaluru restaurant: 3.5 hours, 8 courses, 1 serious tofu conversation I consider myself an experience junkie — specifically for that slow, intentional cafe culture. The hiss of the espresso wand, the low hum of strangers talking, that thrill of walking into a room where you know no one. In a city like Bengaluru — where everyone is over-scheduled and friend circles keep shifting — I’m always hunting for that elusive ‘third space’ (that social hangout distinct from home and work).
No loud crowds. No rushed cafe energy. It didn’t. The door opened to something closer to the lobby of a boutique hotel than a living room. Curated earth tones, warm ambient lighting, contemporary seating, an expansive skyline view. Impeccably clean. Ria manages guest verification, scheduling, decor and the food menu. Siddharth is the barista and co-host. Prep happens all day Saturday, and they wake early Sunday to finish. But they have a rule: never more than two sittings a month. “We strictly limit it to two sessions per month. Their compromise is a small, elegant sign: “White sofa. Coloured coffee. A ‘stainful’ love story. This white sofa is part of the decor tonight — please use the other seating around the house. And it has worked. “Not a single spill, touch wood. Guests know it’s a home, so they naturally take care of the space,” Ria shared. What keeps After Hours from becoming static is its constant reinvention. Every three or four sittings, the menu is overhauled around a new theme.
So when a post flickered across my Instagram feed a few weeks ago — a proposition that read, “We’re turning our beautiful apartment into a tiny 16-seater cafe, a third space built for slow conversations, soft music, warm lighting, and meeting interesting people over coffee and bites. Just a cosy home full of strangers hanging out over drinks, sweet treats, savoury bites, music and good conversation” — I sent a direct message and somehow got one of 16 seats. Walking to a stranger’s apartment to meet 15 other strangers should feel strange. This is After Hours, the twice-a-month pop-up home cafe by Ria Kumbhat and Siddharth Gandhi, both 31. It costs between ₹ 1,200 and ₹ 1,500 per person, depending on the theme — a small price for an evening that lingers.
If it gets too mass, it loses its touch and intimacy,” Siddharth said.
