The two cities have since developed distinct identities and food cultures. Both, known as havens for food lovers, are also home to eateries that have been serving generations of diners since the years before Independence.

In Kolkata, old cafés, bakeries and restaurants continue to operate from establishments that existed before 1947. In Delhi, some of the city’s oldest eateries arrived as the British built their new imperial capital around them. Their customers have changed, and new generations have become patrons. But the tables remain.

Together, they offer a glimpse into India’s history through kitchens, counters and dining rooms that have witnessed the end of the Raj, the birth of a republic and the decades of change that followed.

Karimuddin’s father, Mohammed Aziz, was a khansamah in the kitchen of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. The original menu was modest, consisting of two dishes: aloo gosht, mutton cooked with potatoes, and dal, served with rumali roti.

The establishment in Gali Kababian, Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, remained the only Karim’s outlet until its first branch opened in Nizamuddin West.

It began as a catering outfit serving British troops stationed in the city. In 1926, it opened a tea room and confectionery at Exchange Stores in Kashmere Gate, bringing cakes, pastries and European-style confections to a city whose food culture was already a meeting point of Mughal, British and Indian influences.

By the late 1920s or early 1930s, Wenger’s had moved south to Connaught Place, the grand commercial centre being built around the new imperial capital. It has remained there ever since, becoming part of the fabric of a neighbourhood that has watched Delhi reinvent itself many times over.

Even its name was intended to stand out. “Kwality” was a playful twist on the word “quality”, a gimmick the founders believed would catch people’s attention.

Over time, one dish became closely associated with the restaurant: its giant-sized bhatura served with chana. More than eight decades later, Kwality remains part of Connaught Place’s culinary history. It has survived the end of the war, the departure of the British and the transformation of Delhi into the capital of an independent India.

In an earlier interview with Times Now Digital, Akash Kalra, managing director of the United Group, recalled that there was little café culture in Delhi at the time.

“There wasn’t a café culture at that time. There was no concept of just sitting and doing nothing. Maybe, just eating a sandwich with a cup of coffee and sitting around. This is how UCH started. At that time we were the only cafe with a coffee machine.”

He also recalled the need for a place where people from different walks of life could meet.

“Various political movements were happening and my grandfather was in touch with poets, artists and bureaucrats. They all felt that there was no place as such for them to come together.”

It became one of the places where freedom fighters could stop for a decent meal. Panda was affectionately known as ‘Thakurmoshai’, and he is said to have raised slogans of ‘Jai Hind’ when Bose visited the restaurant in 1930 along with other freedom fighters.

On 15 August 1947, the name was changed to Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel.

Today, it serves traditional, home-style Bengali vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, including rui fish fry, pomfret jhol, aloo bhaja and bata fish jhal, at pocket-friendly prices.

Long before it became synonymous with Kolkata’s famous adda culture, Albert Hall had already been associated with nationalist gatherings. In 1883, the Bharat Sabha held a national conference there, bringing together figures involved in India’s emerging political movement.

Over the decades, the coffee house has drawn writers, poets, filmmakers, artists and students. Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Subhash Mukherjee, Shakti Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay are among the cultural figures associated with the institution.

Today, its faded walls, high ceilings and crowded tables remain part of the city’s cultural landscape, where conversations continue over coffee.

Mordecai initially sold his baked goods door to door before opening a bakery at New Market in 1916. The shop’s old-world charm has been carefully retained, with its wooden interiors and glass-fronted counters offering a glimpse of an era when Kolkata was Calcutta.

The bakery is particularly famous for its rich plum cake, which draws long queues during Christmas. Its traditional ka’ak and date biscuits are also among the old favourites that continue to bring customers back.

Kolkata’s culinary trail is incomplete without a visit to Flurys. In 1927, Swiss entrepreneurs Joseph Flury and Quinto Cinzio Trinca established a high-end Swiss confectionery and tea room at 18 Park Street. It was initially known as Flury & Trinca and soon became a favourite among British residents and affluent Indians.

For generations of Kolkatans, the tea room offered a taste of Swiss and European confectionery at a time when Park Street was emerging as one of the city’s most cosmopolitan addresses.

The original outlet retains much of its old-world nostalgia and remains known for its English breakfast, chocolates, rum balls and savouries. More than nine decades after it opened, Flurys remains woven into the story of Park Street and Kolkata’s cosmopolitan food culture.