My love for coffee has turned into an incessant, nagging craving that has coloured most of my adult life. While Delhi is crawling with cafes, with new ones popping up like mushrooms every other month, sifting through them to find the best sometimes becomes a chore I would love to avoid. But Libertario Coffee Co & Roaster had come into my radar last year, and it was only a few months back that I got to really taste the hype around it. Wedged between these new outcrops of cafes in Greater Kailash II, Libertario looks pretty sleek and unassuming, save for the bright blue sign outside.
The cafe has two floors: the lower level sees a younger, louder crowd, with groups of people and a handful of couples on dates, while the upper level, where I got a table, is quieter, with open laptops on tabletops and hushed meeting voices punctuated by satisfied sips of coffee. The space is versatile and easy enough to come on solo coffee dates, which is what I love about such cafes. I dove headfirst into the menu and was not disappointed.
Star Dish: Freddo Firenze, A Cappuccino Dressed As Dessert
When I visited, the cafe had a collab with Firenze Gelateria & Caffè, so I got to try two drinks from their limited-edition summer menu, which was really the highlight for me.
My favourite was the Freddo Firenze, which had Libertario’s signature Colombian Freddo Cappuccino topped with Firenze’s Italian mascarpone gelato, making for a sinfully decadent match, very reminiscent of Indian cold coffee but with more dramatic flair. I’m not a fan of milk in my coffee, but this was more of a dessert in a tall, cold glass, which suited me just fine.
Food and other drinks
The charred beet and orange salad was the fresh start I needed before devouring the rest of the menu. The smoky flavour of the beetroot slices, the ricotta labneh and the crisp arugula topped with zesty orange worked its magic to wake up my appetite.
The next thing that instantly caught my eye were the empanadas on Libertario’s menu, and I ordered the braised lamb ones. The crumbly puff pastry was perfect with the lamb filling melting in the mouth. The salsa verde added the missing kick that brought the dish together. Another great big plate to try on the menu was the Rigatoni a la crema, which was the perfect amount of creamy and satisfying without being overpowering.
The Firenze collab also had another drink on the menu, The Mango Pop, Firenze Chef & Founder Parth Gupta’s nostalgic ode to sultry Indian summers pairing Libertario’s sparkling mango soda with Firenze’s artisanal mango popsicle. The fun part was dipping the popsicle into the glass and letting it soak up the tangy, spicy flavours before taking a sip. I was a bit impatient and didn’t wait until the two-minute mark as the chef suggested, but it still tasted like aam panna, trying to gain strength.
Sweet Endings
Libertario’s Chef Anurag Pandey recommends the crispy cinnamon French toast sticks with chocolate sauce and vanilla cream as the ultimate breakfast or dessert choice, depending on the hour of your visit. The Tres Leches with blueberry compote and whipped cream was the best out of the dessert menu and light enough that I could’ve had two servings.
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