Hyderabad’s cafe culture is finding fresh ground in the western parts of the city. Areas like Gandipet and the Financial District, once known mainly for lake views and office campuses, are now emerging as relaxed lifestyle pockets with a growing number of cafes and restaurants.
With wide roads, open spaces and a calmer pace, these neighbourhoods offer the perfect setting for cafes that focus on experience as much as food. The new openings here reflect a clear shift towards comfort, local flavours and spaces where people can slow down and connect.
One such place that captures this mood beautifully is HawTea, a calm and soulful cafe tucked away in Gandipet. Easily accessible from the Financial District and Kokapet, it feels like a quiet pause from the city’s everyday rush.
HawTea: A cafe steeped in memory and flavour
HawTea is warm and unhurried. Inspired by a 90s nostalgia and village theme, the cafe features earthy colours, wooden textures and soft lighting, open outdoor sitting with swings and wooden seatings. It’s the kind of cafe that encourages long conversations and relaxed evenings, where time doesn’t feel rushed.
Tea and Telugu comfort food
At the heart of HawTea is tea brewed with care and intention. The cafe celebrates Indian tea traditions with blends that feel both healing and familiar. Popular choices include Masala Mantra, made with a blend of 11 Indian spices, Allam Bellam with dry ginger and palm jaggery, and Grandma Secret, a soothing mix of ginger, turmeric and pepper. Heavenly, a nannari-based drink, adds a refreshing, nostalgic touch.
What truly sets HawTea apart is its focus on traditional Telugu and Andhra snacks. The menu includes favourites like punugulu, mirchi bajji, onion pakodi, sarvapindi, pani puri and bhel puri snacks that instantly bring back memories of evening addas and home kitchens.
Comforting rice bowls such as pulihora and perugu annam, along with breakfast staples like idli, dosa and pesarattu, round out the menu. Smoothies like Banana Bliss, Melon Magic and AvoCursh add a light, modern contrast.
Why HawTea stands out
HawTea doesn’t try to follow trends. Instead, it leans into simplicity, nostalgia and honest flavours. Every detail reflects a love for home-style food and slower living.
As Gandipet and the Financial District grow into lifestyle destinations, cafes like HawTea remind us that sometimes, the best experiences are the simplest: a good cup of tea, a familiar snack, and a calm corner of Hyderabad.
| 
