Pune has its ‘Goodluck’ Since 1935

Cafe Goodluck, not just a wait-eat-n-go restro but a heritage!

From pre-independence to post-independence, from vibrant revolutionary freedom fighting Poona to young dynamic cosmopolitan Pune, Cafe Goodluck over-sees the city from the busy junction of Bhandarkar and Fergusson college roads since 1935. It is a classic Iranian style cafe, still unchanged and therefore legendary, which gives quick glance into the old glorious times and tells the tale of the city - Pune.
 

The restaurant is known for its Bun Muska Pav and Hot Chai but there are some other dishes on the platter too which attracts food junkies. They serve varied options of chicken and mutton dishes. The peculiarity of the chicken and mutton they serve here is that it’s not rubber like but indeed very soft, juicy and well marinated with the Masala. They also serve delicious veg dished like Dewani Handi, Paneer delicacies and channa masala. The Paneer too is very soft and tasty. Cafe Goodluck is also famous for its five star quality deserts among which, Caramel Custard and Fruit Funny are major the tycoons.

The luck of the Cafe Goodluck is so lucky that the location eventually became very strategic. All the famous colleges of Pune like Ferguson College, Modern College, BMCC College, Bhandarkar College, Simbiosis College lies in the vicinity of the cafe making it a Mekka and Medina for youngsters and adolescents. This colonial times restaurant has retained its ancient rusty Iranian Cafe look and feel that it easily touches your heart.  The cafe greets you with an enchanting delicious aroma floating in the air. You will notice the dining hall is occupied with primitive looking wooden chairs without cushions surrounding the wooden tables and the walls decorated with glass mirrors. This unique black and white touch to the cafe and the young crowd around Cafe Goodluck takes you into a flash-back to some close distant young memory, once you enter.

The ambiance of the restaurant is a Persian affair but the food is more on the Mohammedan style rather than Zoroastrian. As its aims to attract college students who indeed belong to “No-Money-In-My-Pocket-Race”. It has a low on pocket menu.

Hence it is not some Wait-Eat-N-Go type of food joint but a heritage in itself of which Pune and those who come to Pune are proud of. As every heritage has a legend and legacy of its own therefore Cafe Goodluck has one to tell too.

Once upon a time, in 1924 (approx) a gentleman called Narayan Seth bought this place which was later taken over by Haji Hussain Ali Yakshi in 1935 to set up an Iranian type cafeteria called ‘Cafe Goodluck’. To design and adorn the interiors the wooden furniture came straight from Italy and the glass mirrors on the walls were imported from Belgium. Since then the soul of the cafe is the same and its good luck on the highest peak.

It offered one of its kind delicious Bun-Muska and Hot tea which later on became renowned and now it is the signature dish of the cafe. Along with it the cafe it offers egg dishes  like luscious omelette and juicy fried eggs, soft and fluffy scrambled eggs and five star quality desserts like chocolate mousse, caramel pudding and kulfi. 

But in 1989 cafe saw some dark shades when Haji Hussain Ali Yakshi passed away and his son Gaseem was still young to run the place. But the luck factor was still there and Hussain’s brother Kasim took over to run the place. Gaseem as a child frequently visited the restaurant and helped his uncle and in 2001 finally Gaseem took over the restaurant.

Gaseem observed that youngsters were reluctant to come. Then he found out that the youth of those times perceived it as an ideal place for retired people. Gaseem had a vision to make Cafe Goodluck a place happening and energetic. He aimed to target and attract students of Simbiosis, Morden, BMCC, Ferguson colleges. Hence the menu was revised in 2004 which attracted young crowd and the restaurant became a happening place as one can see today.Timings:
Snacks available from 7am - 12.30pm & 4pm - 8pm
Meal timings are  12.30pm - 4pm & 8pm - 11.30pm