Forget your usual cappuccino—these are the coffee orders worth switching things up for

Not too long ago, a good cup of coffee meant an imported bag of beans and a French press lugged from a trip abroad. Today, it means a professional barista in Kolkata adding a citrus touch to an artisanal cold brew, a Mumbai roastery streaking mocha with activated charcoal, and a long-standing art cafe in Kochi doubling up on its coconut iced coffee. We asked 15 cafes across the country what they’re best known for pouring, and why customers keep coming back for it.

Mokai, Mumbai - Valrhona mousse latte

The Valrhona mousse latte is Mokai’s reigning customer favourite, prized for its rich, velvety texture, and deep chocolate flavour. Made with 55 per cent Valrhona chocolate sourced from France, it strikes a perfect balance between indulgence and comfort—every sip feels like a luxurious dessert reimagined as coffee

True Black Speciality Coffee, Hyderabad - Valencia orange coffee

True Black’s signature Valencia orange coffee crowns a speciality ristretto shot over sparkling Valencia orange juice, balancing citrus brightness against rich espresso depth. It’s a refreshing rethink of classic cold coffee, popular enough to anchor the menu across all of True Black’s Hyderabad outposts, from Jubilee Hills to Kompally.

Grey Soul Coffee Roasters, Pune - Hazelnut praline latte

Grey Soul’s hazelnut praline latte is a high-altitude, single-origin espresso layered with notes of almond, chocolate buttercream and ripe red berries, finished with silky milk and a scoop of housemade hazelnut praline. The little praline chunks are the real draw, amplifying the coffee’s natural sweetness rather than masking it.

The Drop, Delhi - Marmalade shakerato

The Drop’s marmalade shakerato is what regulars order without looking at the menu: Bitter orange marmalade shaken hard over ice with a 45-second lungo shot. The result is smooth, balanced, and surprisingly addictive, brewed from a house blend of Moganad, Orchardale, and Bison Valley beans roasted upstairs in the cafe’s own mezzanine lab.

Nerlu Cafe, Bengaluru - Saigon special

At Nerlu, a multi-roaster cafe built to spotlight India’s independent coffee scene, the Saigon special is a cult cold coffee—espresso softened with rich coconut milk, playing on Vietnamese coffee traditions. It fits the brand’s wider mission: Connecting drinkers directly to the small Indian roasters behind every cup on the menu.

Roastery Coffee House, Hyderabad - Cranberry coffee tonic

Truly made in India, the cranberry coffee tonic balances fruity sweetness, fizz, and an espresso kick in one elegant pour. Served in a wine glass, it works year-round and holds a rare distinction: It’s the first coffee in India to be trademarked, dreamt up by Roastery back in 2018.

Potboiler Coffee House, Kolkata - Orange palace

Potboiler wears its bookish soul on its sleeve, and its coffee menu reads like a syllabus. The cafe’s OG creation, the orange palace, is a citrus-laced cold coffee that’s become shorthand for Kolkata’s new coffee culture. Sipped in a colonial-style bungalow lined with Harry Potter cushions, it’s equal parts drink and mood.

Araku Coffee, Bengaluru - Vanilla ice

Vanilla ice is made with a signature blend of washed, natural, and honey-processed Arabica coffees, creamy hand-frothed organic milk, and a house-made vanilla syrup, prepared with pure vanilla extract. Served over ice, it delivers a smooth, balanced cup of coffee.

Subko Specialty Coffee Roasters, Mumbai & Delhi - Cold brew lemon mint tonic

Subko set out to put Indian-origin beans on the global speciality map, and the cold brew lemon mint tonic is its most talked-about proof of concept: Classic cold brew with a zesty citrus lift. Served across its cafes nationwide alongside its craft bakes, it’s the drink that put Bandra’s coffee cognoscenti on notice.

KC Roasters, Mumbai Activated - Charcoal mint mocha

KC Roasters’ most-ordered cup is also its most unusual—mint mocha streaked with activated charcoal for a jet-black finish, sweet enough to abandon sugar. Regulars swear by it hot. Roasted in-house at their small Bandra roastery, it’s proof good coffee doesn’t need a big room.

Maverick & Farmer Coffee, Bengaluru - Spresso citron

Maverick & Farmer’s spresso citron proves Indian coffee can be as playful as it is precise: Frozen espresso meets bright orange and dark chocolate, shaken cold for a citrus-sharp, coffee-forward cooler. Made from beans grown on the brand’s own 140-acre Coorg estate, it’s one of Bengaluru’s boldest cold coffee twists.

Libertario Coffee Roasters, Delhi - Iced brown sugar latte

The Iced brown sugar latte reimagines nostalgic Indian cold coffee through a speciality lens. Crafted with Libertario’s signature Paz espresso—notes of caramel, sugarcane, and milk chocolate—and finished with silky house-made cold foam, it’s rich, creamy, and indulgent without tipping into overly sweet.

Nandan Coffee, Bengaluru & Mumbai - Brown butter cookie mocha

One of Nandan’s bestsellers, the brown butter cookie mocha, is made with dark chocolate and brown butter—basically a cookie in a cup. Indulgent yet perfectly balanced in sweetness, it’s a fun, exciting drink that doubles as a caffeine fix and dessert, making it the ideal treat any time of day

Kashi Art Cafe, Kochi - Iced coconut coffeeFort Kochi’s original art cafe, reportedly the only spot in town serving proper iced coffee for years, Kashi’s iced coconut coffee swaps in coconut milk for a tropical, faintly nutty richness. Sipped in the cafe’s leafy Dutch-bungalow courtyard, it’s as much an institution as the art on its walls.

Coffee? Since 1999, Chennai - The OG cold coffee

 

Before it was a cafe, Coffee? Since 1999 was a cold coffee recipe quietly supplying Chennai’s Sathyam Cinemas—hence The OG, a twenty-one-year-old formula for milky, medium-strength cold coffee that built a cult following long before the cafe itself existed. Simple and endlessly nostalgic, it’s the one thing regulars never skip.

Illustrations by Parth Bhoria

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India's July-August 2026 print issue.

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