While Hyderabad has relished the taste of its Irani chai, it has welcomed the coffee culture with open hands too. In fact, these coffee shops have become second home to college students. And since many of these come with Wi-fi facility, they have even become popular meeting venues for office goers.

Café Coffee Day and Barista are the most well-known ones in the city simply because you can find an outlet at every alternate bend or corner. These coffee shops flaunt their casual ambience to the T, be it in their furniture, the décor, the clothes of the staff or even the menu. Apart from varieties of coffee blends, some of these joints have even graduated to offering full meals in the form of pastas, biryanis and parathas. Perfect place to chill out over a board game with a cup of coffee. Prices start from around Rs. 30. Must-try the warm blueberry muffins at these places.

Café Rico also allows you a board game over some grub and coffee. Carrom, Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Ludo, Spell ‘o’ Word and more are all available here. There are magazines, newspapers and even novels lying around for your reading pleasure. Of course, there’s television too. So a great place to spend a couple of hours with friends. Their Cheese Omelet is a must-have.

Another interesting coffee shop, Café Earth, serves pizzas, wraps, sandwiches and burgers apart from coffee (Espressos, Irish coffee, Cappuccinos, filter coffees like Mysore Nuggets and Monsoon Malabar), tea (Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, Iced tea etc), smoothies and fruit juices. And of course a variety of sweet treats like pastries, tarts, pies and more.  Must-try is their Hot Chocolate. A large mug of it is just what one needs on a cold day. Their Paneer Tikka Sub Sandwich is also a good option and serves two.

Then there’s Sweet Nirvana which offers a truly luxurious option to sit back and relax in its green and serene ambience. The music here is not loud and jarring like in the other coffee shops. In fact, there’s emphasis on privacy and space with tables set far from each other. While the coffee options are limited here, dessert options are plenty and varied ranging from Brownies to Baklava. Worth a visit for a romantic date. Prices start at around Rs. 60 for a Café Latte.  

For those looking for something different, try Mocha. Every room in this kitsch coffee shop has a theme and is an experience in itself. The dimly lit smoking lounge where the sheesha is brought in is contemporary in its décor and suave in its feel. A room that goes by the name of Silver Room, with lines from Robert Frost scrawled across the wall has few couples seeking their privacy within. But it is really the courtyard outside which catches one’s fancy - filled with collectibles from flea markets (like quaint chairs, lamps and other artifacts, some of which can actually be bought by patrons) it has huge trees and the gentle evening breeze for one to enjoy.  Along with coffee, pastas, paninis, rolls and muffins are all available. But it’s the flavored hookahs that attract the crowds.

And finally, My Café Latte is for the cine lovers. With several technicolor posters of Golden oldies from both Hollywood and Bollywood making for kitsch wall-art, this place also has an awesome amphitheatre with super-comfortable seats where you can have your own private movie screening with friends. So you can watch your favorite movie with a bunch of friends over coffee and sandwiches. Sounds fun?