When I reached Shangarh, I saw a small food joint and one more café that was shut. Since I had just arrived, I wasn’t aware of the places to eat in Shangarh. I went to the food joint to ask for homestays in Shangarh and he told me about one. I called the guy and asked for directions to his place. And reaching Snow Line HomeStay was such a struggle. However, walking over uneven paths and passing through the woods, surrounded by giant cedar trees and freshness of nature for which I have been craving staying in Delhi.
I spotted one shop which had groceries and day to day items, a small departmental store. However, the homestay was located on a climb and I didn’t get to roam in the village which was settled on the ground. I had no idea what I would get to eat in Shangarh. Moreover, it was an overnight journey and I had only snacks in my bag, a pack of biscuits and chips which I ate on the way, and nothing else.
After reaching Snowline homestay, I took a shower and came out to explore the village and its serenity. I reached the place where the cab dropped me as there was one food joint but it was closed. I searched around but found nothing. And I was starving. I found a small departmental store and asked who told me that there was one café out of the village at a distance of half an hour or something.
Place to eat in Shangarh – Mountain View Café
It was already getting dark. The shop owner told me the way to the café and I started heading on the same. I was damn hungry and was a bit disappointed to find no place to eat in Shangarh. But it was cool, the place was beautiful far beyond my imagination. After walking for some time, I finally saw the Mountain View Café which was located on the road itself. And then I realized I saw this café while I was in the cab heading to the village.
This small café with a sitting of around 8 to 10 people had picturesque views in the backdrop. Imagine apple trees, snow-cloud mountains, misty ambiance, and a bowl of hot Maggi. Yeah! That’s what I experienced at this café. When I entered inside, I was greeted by an energetic smile of the owner.
“Bhiya, khane ko kya milega?” (Brother, what will I get to eat?)
Sir, abhi to Maggi mil jayega…(Sir, you will get Maggi at this time)
“Theek h, bana do!” (Alright, please do)
And he went into the kitchen. I sat and started to cherish the views which were in the background. The breath-taking views of the valley in the background were mesmerizing enough for me to stay and stare at them for long. After a while, I started to get the smell of something delicious in cooking. The owner of the café came with a hot bowl of Maggi full of luscious aroma which was hitting straight my smell senses, from my nose to the heart. It was freezing cold and the hot bowl of Maggi was a blessing of heaven in that environment.
The first spoon that I tasted, I was just lost… Never had I tasted such amazing veg Maggi ever in my life before. I remember I tried Maggi at the riverside when I was in Dehradun, well that was good too but couldn’t come close to the taste of this Maggi. The taste of the Maggi compelled me to order one more bowl to overcome my appetite and I just finished two hot bowls. I thanked the café owner for such an amazing treat.
He also had some home-made bakery items including cookies which I bought for home. When I left Mountain View Café and started to trek back to the village, the sun had already slept and the night had embraced the whole village with Moon shining to its full. While I was on my way to the homestay, I got a call from the homestay owner who asked me for dinner and I asked him to send the dinner in my room. After a long struggle, I somehow managed to reach the homestay and crashed on the comfy bed of my room.
After around 10 minutes, the wife of the homestay owner came with plentiful food. It was enough for three people. She bought dal, bhindi, and a pile of chapatis for me. Hot food and that too homemade, who can afford to miss it and that also a place like this. When the first bite came in touch with my taste buds in the mouth, I felt the heavenly deliciousness. Not just the dinner was tasty but it was perfectly home-cooked which added more scrumptiousness to its raw taste. The rotis were baked in chulha (traditional Indian stove) which was something I couldn’t resist.
With a thought in my mind which I think if there were places to eat in Shangarh or not, I was treated with a delicious meal and that too not once but twice. Yes, I paid for the food at the homestay but it was a wonderful treat. Also, Shangarh turned out to be an amazing place to spend some time away from the chaos of city life. With not much to do around, you only will get to connect with yourself by immersing yourself in the holy nature around you.
Update (Jan 6, 2021)
I was contacted by Vrinda Bhayna who owns Cafe Stories n’ More in Shangarh on Jan 5, 2021. She told me that she has opened a cafe in Shangarh recently. Thus, now Shnagarh has one more cafe where you can eat nice food with stunning views around.
Here is the description of the cafe sent by Vrinda.
