Anju Café was born out of a chance meeting between Anju Sudarshan and Arundhati Nag, founder of Ranga Shankar Theatre. “We met at a common friend’s house. She was going out the door and I was coming in. She called me later and asked me to take over the space and start the café,” says Anju who was cooking for friends and family in her home kitchen at the time.

This year the café is celebrating its 20th anniversary. On any given afternoon, a mix of theatergoers, casual visitors and newcomers to the city who are seeing a play for the first time can be seen in Anjou. It has evolved as an integral venue for Bengaluru’s theater community, and is loved for its Sabudana Vada, Akki Roti and annual Onam Sadya.

After being born and brought up in Mumbai, Anju moved to Bengaluru in 1987. “I come from a family of foodies, so I was always cooking for office parties and school functions. My boss finally told me, ‘I want to fire you so you can go and start your own food business. This is where your heart is.’ He helped me set up a kitchen 24 years ago and we started supplying lunch to office workers.”

In June 2006, he acted on Arundhati’s proposal and opened a café in the theatre. It served dishes like parathas, akki roti, pasta and sandwiches and fresh juices (nothing aerated here). “That place really spoke to me, and I felt connected to it. People in the hospitality industry always told me, you can’t make a menu like this, which has a mix of everything. For some traditional items like akki roti, they said ‘No way can you make that, it takes 20 minutes to make!'” We spoke to several people, and they all mentioned the sago vada, or as one very young diner called it, the bubble. Vada. These crowd favourites, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, are made in the typical Maharashtrian style, as Anju grew up in Mumbai. Bajra khichdi is also a popular choice if you want something comforting. Kheema Pav and Chicken Salami Sandwich are quick dishes to make. At times like these, vadas priced at ₹60 make this place affordable.

Anju Sudarshan in the cafe. Photo Courtesy: Sudhakar Jain

Arundhati Nag says, “Initially when we opened the café we had many different people running the café. It was not the same. When Anju came in, it just took off. It was like the Prithvi Café inside the Prithvi Theater in Mumbai. Twenty years is a long time, and she has become part of the institution. She is a very special person.”

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Anju recalls that when she started out, some college kids used to mix their tea and coffee and call it Tee-Phee. At one of the first festivals, Rajat Kapoor fell in love with this Chai-fei. “I will never forget when Ila Arun saw Akki Roti, she said, Oh my God this is so sexy. And whenever Naseeruddin and Ratna Pathak Shah come, they have their lunch here.”

Famous Sabudana Vada at Anju’s Cafe. Photo Courtesy: Sudhakar Jain

City based actor and director Vinay Shastri has been going to Ranga Shankara for almost 18 years. “The café really reflects the connection between culture and theatre. I love the ambiance here, there is no plastic here and it’s really rooted in nature,” says Vinay, who eats jaljeera and of course sago vada.

In the age of big chain cafes or places designed for Instagram, Anju remains a place with a unique identity that is not influenced by trends. When it came to running a café, Anju broke all the rules of the industry. “Not coming from industry worked in my favor. I never did any number crunching; I just wanted to put food on the table. I see the café as an extension of my dining room.”