From Ranveer Singh's protein coffee to tropical matchas, the cafés serving summer's coolest drinks
From Hyderabad to Goa, these cafés and dessert destinations are serving the most refreshing summer drinks worth seeking out right now.
Summer in India has always been more than a season. It’s the mood. It arrives with bright afternoons, golden sunsets, and a collective search for something refreshing. This year, cafes and dessert destinations across the country are moving beyond the usual iced coffee order and reimagining summer through inventive beverages, flavour-forward combinations, and experiences that feel as memorable as they are cooling. From artisanal chocolate creations and berry-infused coolers to tropical smoothie escapes and elevated coffee tastings, these are the destinations making summer taste better.
Manam, Hyderabad
At Manam, chocolate takes on a completely new identity. Moving beyond the traditional dessert experience, the brand showcases cacao across beverages, desserts, and inventive flavour combinations. Warm interiors, earthy tones, and the aroma of freshly crafted chocolate create a space that feels both luxurious and inviting. What sets Manam apart is its dedication to artisanal chocolate, transforming cacao into experiences beyond the usual dessert menu.
Their beverage program is where summer shines. The pistachio matcha latte and the chocolate coconut iced latte are favourites for those looking for something refreshing with a rich flavour profile. For food, the dessert naturally remains a favourite, particularly their signature chocolate creations that pair seamlessly with the drinks menu.
Common Time, Delhi
Common Time is a highly popular speciality coffee house and lifestyle brand in New Delhi. It is widely celebrated for blending Amsterdam’s bakery culture with the mindful minimalism of a Japanese kissaten (traditional intimate coffee house). It has the easy charm of a neighbourhood cafe with the aesthetic appeal of the spot. They have built that kind of presence, one rooted less in novelty and more in rhythm.
The atmosphere feels contemporary and relaxed, with soft lighting, understated interiors, and a crowd made up of creatives, coffee lovers, and people settling in for long conversations.
Their speciality lies in elevated cafe classics. Iced coffees and matcha beverages remain among the favorites, while comfort food items and artisanal desserts complement the drinks perfectly. It is the kind of place where a quick coffee often turns into an entire afternoon.
SMOOR, Mumbai
SMOOR delivers an experience that feels indulgent from the moment you walk in. Sophisticated interiors mixed with elegant desserts create an atmosphere that feels premium without being intimidating. It feels like stepping into a modern European-style chocolate lounge where luxury and comfort meet.
What makes the place stand out is its approach to chocolate as a craft rather than simply a product. The brand focuses on artisanal techniques, and Indian-origin cacao adds a thoughtful layer to the experience, celebrating flavours that feel both familiar and elevated. Inspired by nostalgia and local taste memories, it explores ingredients and flavour combinations through a refined lens.
Their speciality lies in artisanal chocolates and dessert-focused creations that extend into their beverage menu. Summer favourites include rich chocolate shakes, berry-inspired coolers, signature cold chocolate beverages, including their refreshing iced choco, which perfectly captures SMOOR’s indulgent chocolate-first philosophy in a chilled format. Pair them with their handcrafted pastries or desserts, which remain some of the most ordered items on the menu.
Gram Street Coffee, Delhi
Gram Street Coffee brings a youthful energy and modern cafe culture into one space. The vibe is lively, and the space has an aesthetic that feels both urban and effortlessly cool. It is a place built for people who appreciate both good coffee and good atmosphere.
Unpretentious and design-conscious, the cafe caters to a generation that values experiences as much as aesthetics. The space carries a youthful charm, minimal yet warm, with clean interiors, natural textures, and an easy social buzz that fills the room.
Coffee remains their core strength, but their matcha-based beverages and creative cold brews have become equally popular. Food favourites include baked goods and cafe-style dishes that perfectly accompany an afternoon coffee ritual.
Dumbo x Glow Glossary, Mumbai
Dumbo has always been known for creating beverages that feel equal parts indulgent and playful, and its collaboration with Glow Glossary brings a fresh, wellness-inspired perspective to the summer menu. The partnership blends Dumbo's signature café culture with ingredients that feel contemporary, functional, and refreshingly unexpected, creating drinks that are designed for both flavour and experience. And this season, the collaboration introduces beverages that feel distinctly summer-forward while staying true to the café's experimental approach.
The partnership features two unique, health-forward, matcha-based drinks designed for the summer season: the lavender ube matcha and collagen seafoam. The lavender ube matcha is a vibrant blend of soothing lavender, earthy ube, and premium matcha, creating a drink that is as visually striking as it is refreshing. Meanwhile, the collagen seafoam offers a wellness-focused take on matcha, combining marine collagen peptides with antioxidant-rich green tea for a light, nourishing sip that feels perfectly suited to warmer days.
Alongside the collaboration menu, Dumbo's summer beverage lineup features refreshing favourites such as the watermelon cooler and coconut water cooler, both designed to capture the season's tropical spirit. Matcha lovers can also choose from the classic matcha, fresh blueberry matcha, and fresh mango matcha, each bringing a fruit-forward twist to the café's signature matcha experience.
Earth Mama, Goa
Earth Mama feels like the kind of place that effortlessly embodies Goa’s slower, sun-soaked rhythm. Hidden away from the rush, the cafe carries a distinctly tropical spirit filled with natural textures, warm earthy details, lush greenery, and an atmosphere that immediately softens the pace of the day.
There is an ease to the space that feels authentic rather than curated; mornings drift into afternoons, conversations linger longer than intended, and time seems to move a little slower. It is the kind of destination that attracts everyone from wellness enthusiasts and travelers to those simply looking for a quiet corner away from the city’s constant pace.
Their drinks menu perfectly captures the feeling of summer: vibrant, colourful, and refreshingly light. Tropical smoothies layered with fresh fruits, nutrient-packed smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juices, and wellness-led beverages have become favourites among regulars. Each drink feels almost reflective of Goa itself: bright, relaxed, and full of flavour.
Kitabi Angan, Ahmedabad
Kitabi Angan feels like discovering a hidden corner of the city where time naturally slows down. It is a highly popular independent bookstore, cafe, and community hub located in the upscale neighbourhood of Ahmedabad. A two-level space featuring warm, nostalgic bookstore seating and a modern sky lounge, tailored specially for slow reading and quiet time.
The space has a lived-in quality that feels comforting rather than overly designed, the kind of place where people arrive intending to stay for an hour and end up spending an entire afternoon. Kitabi Angan’s beverage offering mirrors the personality of the space itself, comforting, uncomplicated, and designed to complement slow moments rather than overpower them.
The drinks become part of the ritual itself—a cold coffee beside a novel, a warm cup accompanying long conversations, or a refreshing sip during an afternoon spent getting lost between pages.
Coffee Island, Pune
Bringing a slice of Greece’s celebrated coffee culture to Pune, Coffee Island has quickly become a favourite among the city’s coffee aficionados. Founded in Patras, Greece, the globally recognised speciality coffee chain is known for its artisanal roasting expertise, direct-trade philosophy, and immersive café experience.
Guests can discover handcrafted brews inspired by traditional Greek coffee-making techniques alongside contemporary signatures and globally trending seasonal creations. It is ideal for leisurely mornings, a relaxed atmosphere, and thoughtfully designed spaces. The Pune outpost channels the warmth of a European neighbourhood café.
The menu is equally compelling, spotlighting the brand's Greek roots through expertly crafted speciality coffees and signature brews. Highlights include traditional Greek coffee prepared using the Ibrik method, alongside inventive favourites such as the Spanish bombon, mango cold brew tonic, and the 'Bobastic Coffeeccino'. Beyond coffee, the all-day menu features wholesome breakfast and brunch dishes, from avocado broccoli toast and French toast to pancakes and the hearty 'Islander breakfast.'
ATE, Delhi
ATE brings together a dining experience that feels effortlessly modern and refined, creating a space where design, food, and atmosphere come together seamlessly. The restaurant carries a contemporary aesthetic with warm details and a thoughtfully curated ambience that feels energetic without becoming overwhelming. Whether it is an after-work meet-up, a weekend brunch, or a slow evening with friends, ATE creates an environment that encourages people to stay a little longer.
The vibe is one of its strongest draws. Stylish yet approachable, it balances sophistication with ease, making it equally appealing for intimate conversations and larger social gatherings. The atmosphere shifts naturally through the day, moving from bright and relaxed afternoons to moodier evenings that feel lively and elevated.
Its beverage menu complements that experience with a range of refreshing and carefully crafted drinks designed to suit different moods and moments. From fruit-forward coolers and refreshing summer blends to signature beverages with layered flavours, the drinks are made to feel just as considered as the rest of the experience, adding another element to ATE’s relaxed and contemporary charm.
Starbucks x Super You
Summer beverage trends are increasingly moving towards drinks that balance indulgence with functionality, and the collaboration between Starbucks and SuperYou reflects exactly that shift. Curated with recommendations from Ranveer Singh, the menu brings together Starbucks’ signature coffee offerings with SuperYou’s protein-powered cold foams, creating beverages designed to fit seamlessly into modern, wellness-conscious lifestyles.
Among the standout creations is the brown sugar cinnamon oat iced shaken espresso with vanilla protein foam, a smooth and lightly spiced coffee finished with a creamy vanilla protein cold foam that feels indulgent without being overly heavy. The signature cold brew with chocolate protein cold foam offers a bolder option, pairing Starbucks’ classic cold brew with a rich chocolate protein topping for those looking to combine their daily caffeine ritual with an extra nutritional boost.
For something more tropical, the Alphonso mango frappuccino with mango protein cold foam captures the essence of summer through sweet Alphonso mango, soft mango jelly, and a light protein foam layered with additional mango flavour. Refreshing, fruity, and distinctly seasonal, it feels perfectly suited to warm afternoons and long summer days.
Carbon, Jaipur
A cult favourite among Jaipur's coffee connoisseurs, Carbon has carved out a niche for itself with its strikingly dark, cinematic aesthetic and serious approach to speciality coffee. Defined by blackened walls, exposed brick textures, moody lighting, and industrial-rustic finishes, the café feels more like a contemporary design space than a traditional coffee shop.
Its beverage programme is equally distinctive, spotlighting creative coffee mixology and manual brewing methods such as V60 and Syphon. Signature offerings like the black carbon latte, whiskey barrel cold brew, woody brew, and seasonal specials such as the jamun coffee tonic showcase the brand's experimental spirit while remaining rooted in quality coffee craftsmanship.
The food menu complements the experience with thoughtfully prepared continental fare, including the beet hummus toast, farmhouse croissant sandwich, fresh baked goods, salads, and Italian-inspired dishes. The result is a café that seamlessly blends design, innovation, and flavour, making it one of Jaipur's most compelling destinations for coffee lovers.
Across India, these spaces are redefining what a summer cafe looks and feels like. They are no longer simply places to cool down; they have become destinations where aesthetics, flavours, and experiences come together. This season, the perfect summer drink is not just about what is in your glass; it is about where you are drinking it.
Lead image: Pexels
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