Eshani Bora, Guwahati, Assam

When we think of going to a café to have a full-on K-pop experience in Guwahati, most people think of Kalita Café, located on the ground floor of Shoolin Grand Hotel in Rukmini Gaon, Guwahati, Assam. From walls dedicated to “Cherry Bomb” neon wall lights to pictures of many popular K-pop groups and idols and music played from BTS to SHINee, the café makes a K-pop fan feels at home. Established in 2018, the idea of a K-pop-themed restaurant came from the owner’s daughter, who is a fan of the world-famous boy group BTS.

Ambience and Pricing

The café is known among many K-pop fans and has a well-suited arrangement for family lunches and dinners. The restaurant offers a variety of cuisines, from Korean to Continental. The Korean dishes range from starters such as Kalguksu to the main course, Dak Galbi. While enjoying the ambience of the café, customers can jam along to their favourite groups and enjoy the mouthwatering dishes. The price range for two people ranges from Rs. 800 to Rs. 1200.

Dining Experience

To relish the Korean food offered by the café, we ordered Kalguksu Chicken Soup first. It was a great starter to have on a rainy day. The sweetness and sourness of the soup and the deliciously cooked noodles hit you in the right spot.

After that, we ordered the Vegetarian Gimbap, which consisted of rice, cucumber, carrot, and other finely sliced vegetables. It was a perfect bite-sized starter.

For the main course, we ordered Dak Galbi which was a filling dish consisting of sticky rice and fried gravy chicken garnished with white sesame seeds. We also ordered a Continental dish, Baked Chicken with Spaghetti, which was also wholesome.

There are other dishes worth trying, such as Spicy Korean, which consists of sausages mixed with spicy sriracha sauce and other dry spices; Dak Gomtang Soup, which is Korean chicken soup; Cheese Buldak, which is fried chicken with cheese; etc. They also serve other popular Korean dishes such as Eomuk (Korean fish cake), Bimbim Guksu (Korean spicy cold noodles), Kalguksu (handmade Korean noodles), etc.

Overall Review

Overall, the experience at the Kalita Café was exciting. The ambience and the friendly and approachable staff made the experience more memorable. After visiting the café, I’m already planning to visit again. If you want to enjoy a K-pop-themed lunch or an evening meet-up with your fellow K-enthusiast friends, do visit Kalita Café. Tell us about your favourite Korean restaurants in your city in the comment section!

Would you like to try any of these Korean dishes? Or if have already tried any of these dishes, share your experience with us in the comments!

All Picture Credits: Eshani Bora, Hallyuism Team