Indian Coffee House, College Street

This high-ceilinged, faded coffee house near Presidency University is a legendary meeting place for Kolkata's intellectuals, writers and students. Since the mid-20th century its worn tables have hosted endless debates over cheap coffee and cutlets, served by waiters in white uniforms and turbans. Portraits and peeling walls lend a nostalgic air to the cavernous first-floor hall. Located amid the sprawling second-hand book stalls of College Street, it embodies the city's enduring literary and adda culture more than any grand monument.