Food
8 min read · Updated 2026
best time
Late afternoon to evening, 4 to 7 PM, or a weekday lunch for fewer crowds
Budget
Roughly ₹600 to ₹1,000 per person
time needed
1.5 to 2 hours
nearest metro station
Khan Market (Violet Line), about a 12-minute walk or a short auto ride. Udyog Bhawan (Yellow Line) is another option
Bikaner House was built as the Delhi residence of Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner, with a grand housewarming in February 1929. Architect Charles G. Blomfield designed it in a mix of Edwardian and Art Deco styles. After independence in 1947, the Government of Rajasthan bought the property. For years it served as a bus terminal and government offices. A restoration led by Abha Narain Lambah brought it back, and it reopened as a cultural centre on 18 November 2015. Today it hosts exhibitions, shops and cafes.
Bikaner House is one of the most peaceful corners of Lutyens’ Delhi. It is a restored heritage property near the India Gate Hexagon, and it feels like an oasis of calm close to busy Khan Market. Green lawns, old colonial architecture and quiet courtyards make it a lovely place to sit down with a coffee, which is hard to find in central Delhi.
What makes it special is the mix. You get an Italian cafe, a French patisserie and old-style Mughlai and Kashmiri dining, all inside one campus. This guide to the cafes at Bikaner House helps you pick the right spot for a date, a family brunch or a catch-up with friends.
Go on a weekday afternoon if you want a quiet table. Reach before 6 PM on weekends, as Diggin can have a wait. Carry some cash and a card, since small shops inside the complex may differ. Check the exhibitions and handloom stores inside the campus while you wait for your table. Winter evenings and early mornings are the best time to enjoy the lawns, as summer afternoons get hot.