There’s a new cafe in Manayunk serving samosas and viral dot cakes
“Not only are we focused on the Indian aspect [of the cafe], but we’re also focusing on how to bring both American and Indian cultures together and become the bridge for both,” said co-owner Smit Patel.
In 2022, Smit Patel was a freshman at Thomas Jefferson University selling Indian Chipotle-style bowls in his apartment kitchen for students on campus. Now, the 22-year-old is whipping up viral dot cakes cups and Dubai chocolate lattes in his new cafe in Manayunk.
Patel, with his friend Ojas Patel (no relation), opened Saffron Cafe on 4331 Main Street in May.
The 1800-square-foot cafe is filled with marble tables, cushioned chairs, and faux leather couches for customers looking to settle in for hours. The beige, lime-washed walls feature three murals, featuring Hindu deities Krishna and Radha, painted by Patel’s friend.
“We wanted to bring our culture to the cafe,” Patel said. “Not only are we focused on the Indian aspect, but we’re also focusing on how to bring both American and Indian cultures together and become the bridge for both.”
By day, the windows bathe the space in sunlight. At night, downlights in the ceiling illuminate the coffee shop. The cafe is open until 8 p.m. for the summer and until midnight when schools are back in session, a rarity in a city where coffee shops often close before sunset.
Housemade dot cakes — the viral cake in a cup concept made in layers, frosted, and topped with a colorful, spherical coating of nonpareils sprinkles — line the small display case on the checkout counter. There are Dubai chocolate and Biscoff cake cups and a variety of vegan eggless croissants (think Ferrero Rocher and strawberry cheesecake). The vegetarian, vegan-friendly menu also includes a sandwich featuring a spicy North Indian dish called maharaja paneer and a peas and potato spiced puff pastry. Customers can order from a variety of samosas stuffed with paneer tikka, potatoes and peas, and melted cheese and spicy jalapeños.
The cafe’s coffee menu offers masala chai and lassi, along with more familiar contemporary drinks like brown sugar shaken espressos, tiramisu lattes, and iced mango matchas. Patel also incorporated the viral dot trend to his drink menu with lattes and matchas topped with cream and finished with a colorful confetti crunch.
When he’s not running the cafe, Patel is a global lead for a financial institution based in New York — it’s how he came up with the cafe idea.
He visited Dubai last year for work and was inspired by the cafe culture there. He returned with ideas for an Indian American cafe and pitched the idea to his childhood friend Ojas in January. The two signed a lease in March, sorted permits and government regulations by April, and opened their doors in May with a soft opening featuring a 300-person Bollywood DJ event.
(The two owners plan to host the event on the 30th of each month, along with other events.)
“Over here, people mainly go to cafes just to study or do some work and grab a cup of coffee,” said Patel. “In Dubai, people go to cafes more so as a form of connecting with other people, whether that’s strangers or the group of people they came with. And so, I thought Manayunk was a great spot to open a cafe with this concept of connecting people.”
And the Patels’ mission is reflected in the name of the cafe. When the two launched their idea, they wrote a letter to Hindu guru Mahant Swami Maharaj at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha temple in India (Patel attends the Downingtown temple, and Ojas attends the Delaware one) for blessings, guidance, and a name.
“He chose the name Saffron Cafe, and the reason for choosing the name is that saffron is orange [colored], which is similar to the color of fire in Hinduism,” Patel said. “When you come inside a cafe, we want you to burn your distractions and burn all the negativity and stuff. We want you to come into a new environment and connect with others. This cafe should uplift you.”
Saffron Cafe: 4331 Main St, Philadelphia, PA 19127; instagram.com/saffroncafephilly
