Located halfway between Kalka and Shimla, Kasauli is a small hill station nestled among the Shivalik Range. Since, my 1st year I have been planning a trip to Kasauli with my friends. But, a lot of people told me that it’s not that happening a place as the other hill stations. But, this June we finally got the chance to visit there. People/friends told us it’s a clichè place etc etc. Due to overcrowding and high rates at other places we planned to visit Kasauli.
We booked homestays as I love to stay at a place which is home away from home. It provides the same amount of love and comfort. You get a kitchen where you can cook whenever you feel the urge to. Cooking with your friends is so much fun and you can even bond together.
Starting with our journey we took a bus to Dharampur from Chandigarh bus stand at around 3pm and reached there at 5:15pm and took a taxi to Kasauli (Rs 300). Our homestay was in Garkhal . Due to heavy weekend rush it took us 30 mins extra to reach our destination. We checked in, changed and left for mall road in taxi (Rs 200)
Kasauli view from our homestay terrace
Kasauli mall road is undoubtedly amazing. It has a different vibe which would embrace you in it’s simplicity and warmness.
Some places you should definitely visit at mall road –
1. Christ Church–
Constructed by the British in 1853, the church is surrounded by the beautiful pine and deodar trees. The serene ambiance and the scenic environs make it one of the top places to visit in Kasauli. Head here to view the stunning architecture of the church. It also makes for a great background to click some amazing pictures.
Timings: 7 AM to 7 PM
Ticket: No Entry Ticket
2. TASTE OF TIBET –
This shop opened in 2017 is run by Tashi, a Tibetan who is very sweet, welcoming and totally loves his work. He used to own a shop in Chandigarh near PGI. Their chilli mom’s and chowmein are to die for. The red chutney would definitely give you goosebumps. Tashi loves to cook Shaptak which is a smoked mutton dish and Lowa Khatsa which is lungs fry. He has a very cute son. This shop has a beautiful collection of bags as well.
Chilli momos
Fried chicken momos with red chutney
Taste- 5/5
Service– 5/5
Rates– 4/5
3. BUN SAMOSA – No trip to Kasauli is complete without having the famous Bun Samosa/Bun Tikki/Bun Gulab Jamun from Narinder Sweet House.
(Rs 30/ bun samosa)
4. CAFE MANTRA – This shop is famous for its interiors. Paras Sharma and Aman Chopra run this place with the help of Rajinder Chopra, who knows Kasauli Castle Resort. It’s upper sitting area is really cool. Specially the jhoola hung at the outer part adds to the ambience. Western retro music, country music is played in the cafe. We had a cheese pizza which was homemade and fresh.
Taste- 4/5
Rate- 4/5
Service– 3/5
5. CAFE RUDRA– To the best place in Kasauli.
This cafe was started in September 2009 by group of 4 friends. At that time there were no food joints in Kasauli mall road. These 4 people changed the concept of cafes in Kasauli. Praveen Thakur is one of them. He is such a down to earth person taking care of this cafe. He said ” This cafe doesn’t belong to one of us but all of us (pointing towards his team)”. This cafe is instagram famous and serves best chilly paneer, noodles and fried rice.
When we went to this place what caught our attention was 2 people singing the song ‘jag changa’. We were stunned by the singer’s voice. Tourists stopped to listen to them. My friend Amrita is also an amazing singer. So, we asked them if she could join them. They happily obliged and made her comfortable. Then they started their jamming sessions which I wished never ended. We had grilled sandwich and cold coffee.
Gautam Deload(singer) and Shravan Rana(guitarist) are localites. They love to jam together and perform in open mics also. Gautam Deload is a Civil Engineer, currently working in Chandigarh. Upon asking he said ” I want to become a part one of the best bands in india and best vocalist too”. If you are going on weekend you may get a chance to meet them.
After mall road we went to Hangout rooftop lounger bar and restaurant. We read about this place on net and it’s pictures were mesmerizing. So, we went there. It is at the rooftop of Hotel Kasauli Regency. It is owned by a wonderful family full of talented musicians. Vanita, owner of this restaurant is a really sweet lady. Her daughter Veda and Vanita’s husband Rajesh are amazing singers. They also played Ukulele. They live in Kasauli and love this place. One song which caught my attention was ‘Shiv kailash ke wasi’ which is a himachali song.
My Kasauli experience was wonderful and I would suggest you people to go and explore it by yourself.
Manali Singh
