Anyone visiting Farzi Café for the first time is likely to pause at the name and wonder, why “Farzi”? It’s a question Founder-Managing Director, Massive Restaurants, and owner of Farzi Cafe, Zorawar Kalra, has answered many times, but it’s worth revisiting because the idea reveals itself most clearly at the table.
Unlike its literal meaning (in Hindi), farzi here isn’t about something fake or bogus. In the restaurant’s creative vocabulary, it’s about culinary illusion and feature dishes that look familiar at first glance but reveal something completely unexpected in flavour, texture, and technique.
When the invite landed to experience a newly-reimagined Farzi Café that has opened doors in Gurugram’s CyberHub, I could not let the chance pass. For a restaurant that shaped Delhi’s idea of a modern-Indian café, I was curious to see how this ‘genre-defining restaurant’ would evolve without losing what made it exciting in the first place. And that alone was reason enough to go.
Star Dish
The first thing at Farzi that you are likely to notice even before the food arrives, is how the space sets the tone. I walked in a little after 6 PM, when the room was already beginning to shift pace. Under the warm glow of layered chandeliers, the patterned floors and bold murals felt almost theatrical.
What works especially well is the way the restaurant moves between two moods. On one side, there’s an easy, intimate café energy, with tables close enough for conversations and corners that invite you to linger. On the other hand, as the evening unfolds, the long, well-stocked bar promises a livelier pace.
The menu has its fair share of standouts, but if I had to pick one out of the lot that stole the show for me, I would say that it was the savoury ghevar chaat. Watching Chef Arvind Bharti assemble it at the table added to the anticipation.
The crisp ghevar formed the base and poured over it was a cloud of yoghurt espuma, airy, creamy and almost weightless. Chutneys were layered carefully, and a final sprinkle of sev and pomegranate added crunch and colour. Each texture did justice to every bite of the dish that also delivered contrast in quick succession, crisp giving way to cool creaminess and sweetness met tang.
If you’re a chaat-lover, this one isn’t am option but a must try.
Food Menu: Indian Meets Global
During a cadid conversation with restaurateur Zorawar Kalra, he described the new menu at Farzi Café’s as “cuisine-fluid,” explaining that while the food’s soul is Indian, its inspirations are global.
“The goal behind creating Farzi Café was to make Indian food hip and cool among the youth,” he added, sharing that young diners had been visiting Indian restaurants mainly for family occasions or birthdays, not for regular outings or date nights. Farzi Café shifted perceptions and made Indian cuisine more contemporary and accessible for people across age groups.
That philosophy runs through the food menu clearly. The Banarsi tamatar chaat retains its street-style spirit but arrives elevated—a peeled whole tomato filled with chèvre, balancing tang and creaminess in each bite. The chicken and waffle layers masala karaage chicken over a corn waffle, with fermented hot honey cutting through with measured sweetness and heat.
Sandwiching tender prawns between crisp appalam papad, finished with wasabi chilli tartar and tomato-timur salsa for lift and texture, the papad prawns followed.
Being a Tibetan, seeing an avocado laphing roll on the menu did not spark a lot of interest— much because I don’t risk my laphing and enjoy it authentic. Farzi’s version leans into its own identity: avocado and cream cheese lend it a creamy richness, while the fermented chilli jhol on the side brings a sharp, lingering heat.
Another dish on the menu, the shabhaley, arrived as crisp pastry pockets filled with chicken, lifted by pickled radish and a punchy timur-tomato chutney. Both dishes are bold in flavour and confident in reinterpretation, holding on to their roots while clearly making the format their own.
Moving on to the mains, the Rogan Josh Shepherd’s Pie layered Kashmiri flavours into a Western structure. Railway chicken curry leaned into nostalgia with refinement, and the taftan pizzas blended Indian bread traditions with a global format. Desserts such as the Parle-G cheesecake and Tres Leches Rasmalai drew from memory but were presented with a contemporary touch. Across the menu, regional Indian flavours take centre stage, while being seen through a modern, global lens.
Drinks Menu: A Spirited Take On The Classics
The bar at Farzi doesn’t sit quietly in the background; it drives the second half of the evening. The new cocktail programme, led by Mixologist Anurag Dhingra, Head of Liquid Artistry, Massive Restaurants, draws inspiration from Indian cities, translating their character into the glass. Gurugram’s white chocolate–washed vodka is smooth and rounded, edged with jalapeño heat and finished with jasmine soda. Delhi’s strawberry cream cheese rum is layered and indulgent, while Mumbai’s Chowpatty Bhelpuri Highball draws on street nostalgia, blending gin, chutney cordial and lemon soda in a way that feels playful and tastes just as good.
There’s also nuance in the deeper pours. Hyderabad’s biryani-inspired tequila carries aromatic spice and warmth without overwhelming the palate, while Bengaluru’s Kaapi Martini leans confidently into the richness of filter coffee. Kolkata finds representation through ghondhoraj lemon, bright and floral. The drinks are inventive, but not abstract. Much like the food, the soul stays Indian; the presentation simply reframes it.
A Brand New Coffee Menu
The evolution at Farzi Café, Cyberhub, doesn’t stop at the food or at the bar.
The Quantum Coffee menu carries forward the brand’s modern approach into the café space. Alongside classics like Espresso and Cappuccino sit more expressive options, including indulgent Affogatos, flavoured lattes, and signatures such as the Farzi Cold Coffee and the Cold Brew Liqueur Soft Serve.
With brewed styles for purists and thoughtful non-caffeinated choices like Turmeric and Matcha Lattes, the menu is designed to match how younger diners experience coffee today: as ritual, lifestyle and personal expression.
Read more: If You’re A Dessert Enthusiast, Wakamé Will Leave You Spoiled For Choice
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