Books, bakes—cakes, pies, donuts, bread—organic coffee, bacon and eggs, fajitas and much more. Sounds like a foodie’s dream or a bookworm’s wonder­land and it always comes true at Bodhi Books and Bakes. Located in the quieter part of the busy Ring Road in Maharaj­gunj (around 300 meters from the Bhatbhateni Supermarket on the way to Dhumbarahi), this is a cozy favorite hangout of many regular customers, famous for its food, coffee, ambience and an assortment of books it hous­es. One can either sit down and read one of the books off-the-shelf from the rich collection there, or buy them for later read­ing at home.

 

The menu starts with a la carte breakfast options as well as English, American and Nepali breakfast sets, each given a unique touch by the skilled kitchen staff. Then the cus­tomers get to choose from the ‘Soul Food’ section. Intrigued? “The Soul Food section features the stuff that make your soul happy,” says Bipin­iti Pradhan, the manager at Bodhi. Indeed, smoky fajitas, burri­tos, saucy spaghetti, nachos, pan pizzas and other comfort foods really reach your soul.

 

 

For the more health conscious, Bodhi’s health food options are equally delightful. Buckwheat pan­cakes and crepes make for a healthy as well as tasty choice. But the most interesting dish on the menu is the 'Superfood Chia-seed Pudding' (chia seeds soaked in soya and coconut milk, topped with seasonal fruits and sliced almonds).

 

And for those with a sweet-tooth, Bodhi’s assortment of freshly baked brownies and cakes are a treat. Cheese cake, nutty choco­late oat bars, chocolate mud cake, Pumpkin cake topped with watermelon and flax seeds and chocolate fudge brownies are just dessert for any food connoisseur. And most of the des­serts are avail­able in gluten-free options. Talk about eating your heart out and staying healthy, Bodhi does that for you.

 

The freshly prepared meals at Bodhi come at moderate prices and given the ‘intellectual’ air the place projects, it has, in three years of its operation, become a favorite hangout of many famous writers, poets, artists, actors and other folks. “We have a strict policy of not dis­turbing our customers,” Bidushi Dhungel, co-owner of Bodhi says. “They can sit here reading for hours with only a cup of coffee and make themselves comfortable as if they are in their own homes. Most of our regular customers call this their second home.”

 

 

Another unique thing about Bodhi is that all of its eight staffs are cooks, cutting down the possibility of inconsistency should one or more kitchen staff be unavailable. So the food remains consistently good and this allows the returning customers to get the same taste, always.

 

So a complete package of ambi­ence, food and drinks, without breaking the banks, our team of reviewers highly recommend Bodhi Books and Bakes.