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Pune dons many hats, be it as an industrial metropolis, a renowned education hub, a hub of rich history, or a decades-old defence bastion. With students and young professionals trickling in, the city has seen many cafes come up over the decades. The iconic Cafe Goodluck on Fergusson College Road is among the popular ones. It is one of the several Irani cafes in Pune, a city with a multicultural heritage that includes Parsi culinary influences, much like its bigger neighbour, Mumbai.
Founded in 1935 by Hussain Ali, the cafe is believed to be the oldest Irani cafe in Pune. After Haji Hussain Ali Yakshi died in 1989, his brother Kasim took over the cafe. The family moved to India after a famine hit Iran. Hussain Ali trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After coming to India, he worked in Delhi and then moved to Mumbai, before coming to Pune.
Over the years, the cafe has built a cult following with local customers and visitors from far shores thronging here for spongy, buttery buns with maska (butter) and cups of milky Irani chai.
It features three dining halls, each with its own space for breakfast and lunch. On their menu is the signature Irani cafe dishes such as egg bhurji, keema-pav, bun omelette, bheja masala, keema samosas, and, of course, caramel pudding. Another popular dish is their biryani, which features fragrant rice and tender meat. Cafe Goodluck also serves a spicy Chicken Chill curry that differs significantly from the popular Chinese dish, Chilli Chicken.
Cafe Goodluck began as a little shop that mostly sold chai and bun maska. Initially, the decor included the customary wooden chairs and beautiful tiles that are typical of an Irani cafe. These are long gone, and the cafe now uses plastic chairs. The cafe also incurred some damage during the Pune floods of 1961.
The atmospheric cafe has a loyal following of customers, many of whom have been coming here for decades. Among its customers are Bollywood stars such as Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, and Radhika Apte. And the Goodluck Friends, a group of friends who have been coming to the restaurant since 1955.
Address: 21, Prince Anwar Shah Rd, near tipu sultan mosque, Rajendra Prasad Colony, Tollygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700033
Cafe Goodluck is open from 7 am until 11:30 pm. The typical bill for two people is around Rs600.
