Leopold Cafe
| Leopold Cafe | |
|---|---|
Leopold Cafe
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1871 |
| Current owner(s) | Iranis, Sherezad Dastur, New York City, Pers and Company. |
| Food type | multi-cuisine |
| City | Mumbai |
| State | Maharashtra |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 18°54′51″N 72°49′27″E / 18.9142°N 72.8241°ECoordinates: 18°54′51″N 72°49′27″E / 18.9142°N 72.8241°E |
| Other information | Open Daily 8am-12am |
| Website | LeopoldCafe |
The Leopold Cafe and Bar is a large and popular restaurant and bar on Colaba Causeway, in the Colaba area of Mumbai, India, located across from the Colaba Police station.
It was one of the first sites attacked during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
It was founded in 1871 by Iranis (a term used for Zoroastrians in Mumbai who arrived in India in 19th century, as opposed to "Parsis"). These Zoroastrian Iranians came to India in the late 19th and early 20th century, and many of them opened restaurants now often termed Irani cafés. It first started out as a wholesale cooking oil store and over the years has variously been a restaurant, store and pharmacy (hence the name "Leopold Cafe & Stores").
Prior to the terrorist attack, it used to be a popular hangout for foreign tourists. After the attack, it is also now visited by many Indians to commemorate the spirit of defiance. Leopold Cafe has preserved some of the signs of the attack, unlike the Taj and Trident, where all the damage has been repaired.
It uses a Achaemenid Persian Lion Rhyton as a part of its logo to indicate its Zoroastrian affiliation.
It is one of a couple of Irani Cafes that are still doing good business, while others are fading away.
The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists on Nov 26, at about 9:30 PM. The terrorists, perhaps an hour after landing, sprayed fire inside the restaurant from outside killing 10 persons and injuring many others. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. There were blood stains on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers.Sourav Mishra, a Reuters reporter and one of the first media witnesses of the attack, suffered severe bullet injuries. After spending one and half minutes at the Leopold Cafe, the terrorists walked to the The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the main target.
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Wikipedia