Established 1871 (1871) City Mumbai Country India | Food type multi-cuisine State Maharashtra | |
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Current owner(s) Iranis, Sherezad Dastur, New York City, Pers and Company. | ||
The Leopold Cafe and Bar is a large and popular restaurant and bar on Colaba Causeway, in the Colaba area of Mumbai, India, located across from the Colaba Police station.
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It was one of the first sites attacked during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
History
It was founded in 1871 by Iranis (a term used for Zoroastrians in Mumbai who arrived in India in 19th century, as opposed to "Parsis"). These Zoroastrian Iranians came to India in the late 19th and early 20th century, and many of them opened restaurants now often termed Irani cafés. It first started out as a wholesale cooking oil store and over the years has variously been a restaurant, store and pharmacy (hence the name "Leopold Cafe & Stores").
Prior to the terrorist attack, it used to be a popular hangout for foreign tourists. After the attack, it is also now visited by many Indians to commemorate the spirit of defiance. Leopold Cafe has preserved some of the signs of the attack, unlike the Taj and Trident, where all the damage has been repaired.
It uses a Achaemenid Persian Lion Rhyton as a part of its logo to indicate its Zoroastrian affiliation.
It is one of a couple of Irani Cafes that are still doing good business, while others are fading away.
November 26, 2008 terror attack
The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists on Nov 26, at about 9:30 PM. The terrorists, perhaps an hour after landing, sprayed fire inside the restaurant from outside killing 10 persons and injuring many others. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. There were blood stains on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers. Sourav Mishra, a Reuters reporter and one of the first media witnesses of the attack, suffered severe bullet injuries. After spending one and half minutes at the Leopold Cafe, the terrorists walked to the The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the main target.
The cafe defiantly reopened four days after the attack, but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after two hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there.
Mention in novel Shantaram
The cafe was also mentioned extensively in the novel Shantaram and its sequel The Mountain Shadow. Shantaram is about an Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escapes from jail and flees to Bombay, as Mumbai was formerly called. Of all the very typical "Bombay" things and places mentioned in the book is the Leopold Café. The novel was the reason many patrons returned after the attack.