Restaurant Review: Why this Mumbai airport cafe fails to impress

Despite its popularity, and a competent food menu, Beer Café at Mumbai international airport seems to have some issues with serving what it ought to serve -- beer

Beer Cafe
Fod              Good
Service         Rude
Ambiance     Cosy

 What would you do, if you walk into a bar, and you’re refused a drink because you waited ‘four minutes’ longer? Worse, what if the manager refuses to acknowledge your request, and shows up 15 minutes later to tell you that they would have, but the bar closed 30 seconds ago? This is after you spend 20 minutes waiting for an attendant and another 15 minutes hoping to catch someone’s attention for a beer or a milkshake (yes, they refused that as well) in a beer café, with not more than 15 customers inside.

Sausage Omelette served with white bread, potato cutlets at the Beer Cafe. Pics/HASSAN M Kamal

This is how we spent our first 35 minutes at the Beer Café’s new outlet near Terminal 2 at the international airport last Tuesday. We are told they have license to serve alcohol only till 11.30 pm (later changed to 12 midnight and then 12.15 am by the manager). There was no signboard either to inform the customers of the timings either on their website or at the restaurant.

Pasta in 3 Cheese Sauce makes a wholesome meal for one

So, what if no beer, we gulped down our pride, and took to one of the al-fresco tables at the café. The ambiance calmed us down (along with a few drags of cigarettes; yes you can smoke at the al fresco seating area). The lone factor that prepped our evening was the food. It impressed us with its variety of pastas, sandwiches, burgers, egg dishes, snacks and main course items. We settled for Sausage Omelette (Rs 245), Girlled Vegetables and Basil Pesto Sandwich (Rs 275), and Pasta in 3 Cheese Sauce (Rs 425).

Beer Café promises more than 100 varieities of beer on the menu, but the staff seems unsure about the cut-off time to serve it at the T2 outlet

Our food arrived in no time, and we have to admit we were impressed with the food. Everything was well cooked, and tasted yum. The all-day breakfast menu is worth looking forward to. It was during this time that we spotted them serving milkshake to other customers. Remember, they had refused to serve us a milkshake either. It was only after we pointed out that we received our share of regular Chocolate Shake (Rs 159).

The Beer Café outlet at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

The café is supposed to be an all-day diner for travellers and their families waiting for their arrival or having come to see them off. But we doubt, you would like a rude manager trampling over your happiness just minutes before the flight, or right after landing in the city. We are excited to have Beer Café at the airport, but we wouldn’t recommend it, if it’s beer that you want.

NOTE: We advise not to rely on Google Maps; instead head to Departures on Level 10 at the airport. It’s on the left.

Time: Open till 1 am
At: Level 10, Landside (eastside), opposite Gate No 1, Departures, Terminal 2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Andheri.

Beer Café didn’t know we were there. The guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals

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