While cafe-hopping in Hyderabad, it is not only the food and coffee that draw people in, but also the interiors. A space that tells a story and gives a feeling of stepping into a place with character. Cafe culture has evolved significantly in the city, and in recent years, a new trend has emerged within it. Old houses and bungalows are being transformed into cosy, aesthetically rich cafes.
From restored 1970s homes to heritage villas, Hyderabad’s house-turned-cafes bring a comforting ‘home away from home’ vibe that stands out from typical commercial setups. These spaces still retain the traces of residents’ past lives in sunlit verandahs, vintage windowsills and leafy courtyards. Siasat.com explores 8 such cafes that were previously homes and still have that charm.
1. Roastery Coffee House
80-year-old at the time of conversion, Roastery Coffee House in Banjara Hills still feels like you are stepping into someone’s warm, lived-in home. The founder converted the ground floor of this vintage house into the cafe, keeping its old-world charm intact, right from the shaded verandah to the courtyard. The result is a space that blends heritage architecture with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, giving Hyderabad one of its most iconic house-turned cafes.
2. Aaromale
Aaromale sits inside a nearly 25-year-old heritage mansion that mimics the Kerala style architecture. It has now been repurposed into a creative, artsy cafe. The structure’s original residential feel with its garden, backyard, and cosy corners has been preserved intentionally. Instead of redesigning it into a commercial cafe, the owners let the old house breathe, turning each room-like nook into a space for reading, music, conversations, and community gatherings.
3. Ra:tio
Ra:tio is the latest addition to Hyderabad’s cafe scene. According to an Architectural Digest report, it operates inside a 1970s-built house that has been thoughtfully redesigned while retaining its soul. The architects opened up the structure vertically, introduced tall pine-wood windows and a sunlit double-height space, but kept the essence of the original home intact. You can still sense the building’s residential past in its layout, now transformed into a minimal, modern cafe that feels airy, warm, and deeply homelike.
4. The Glass House
The Glass House is literally a house turned inside out. It is a residential property converted into a cafe while maintaining the familiar layout of a home. The space still flows like a house, with a verandah, courtyard, and interconnected “rooms” that now function as seating areas. Its sunrooms and leafy corners make it feel like you are dining in someone’s stylish, thoughtfully renovated home.
5. This Is It
Located in Sainikpuri, This Is It has embraced its past home-style layout — with room-like sections, warm lighting, and an intimate atmosphere that suggests the space was repurposed thoughtfully from a residential setting.
6. The Fifth Street
Located in Jubilee Hills, The Fifth Street is a proper bungalow that has been turned into a cafe. Its wooden accents, interconnected rooms, courtyard seating, enclosed corners, and front-yard style entry give away its residential roots.
7. Mirosa Cafe
Mirosa Cafe in Himayathnagar carry clear hints of being a repurposed residential villa. It is a two-floor layout with outdoor seating. The intimate seating, warm colour palette, and home-like arrangement of spaces give it the familiar comfort of a house, now turned into a modern, aesthetic hangout spot.
8. Vibeyard Bistro
Vibeyard Bistro is a bungalow turned cafe in Film Nagar, complete with oxide walls, wooden doors/windows and a backyard garden that evokes a sense of home and nostalgia. It offers both indoor and alfresco seating, with ambient lighting, leafy surroundings and a relaxed, intimate vibe, which is ideal for those wanting a break from urban hurry.
Have you visited any of these places? Comment below.
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