Leopold Cafe
Encyclopedia
The Leopold Cafe is a large and popular restaurant and bar on Colaba Causeway
, in the Fort
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. The cafe was mentioned extensively in the novel Shantaram
.
s, it first started out as a wholesale oil store, and over the years has variously been a restaurant and store, and restaurant and pharmacy. Today it is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a bar on the first level, and serves cuisines like, Indian, Western, Chinese, South American, etc., and beer and alcohol. The cafe features prominently in the novel Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.
Sourav Mishra
, a Reuters
reporter and one of the first media witnesses of the attack suffered severe bullet injuries.
The cafe reopened four days after the attack, but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after 2 hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there. Regular business resumed the next day.
Colaba Causeway
The Colaba Causeway is a commercial street , and a major causeway or land link between Colaba and the Old Woman's Island in the city of Mumbai, India....
, in the Fort
Fort (Mumbai precinct)
Fort is a business district in Mumbai, India. The area was the heart of the city during the 18th century. The area gets its name from the defensive fort, Fort St. George, built by the British East India Company around Bombay Castle...
area of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India, located across from the Colaba
Colaba
Colaba is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil...
Police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
.
It was one of the first sites attacked during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The cafe was mentioned extensively in the novel Shantaram
Shantaram (novel)
Shantaram is a 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Pentridge Prison flees to India where he lives for 10 years...
.
History
Founded in 1871 by IraniIrani
The Iranis are an ethno-religious community in South Asia; descendants of Zoroastrians who emigrated from Iran to South Asia within the last few centuries. They are culturally, linguistically and socially distinct from the Parsis, who - although also Zoroastrians - arrived on the subcontinent over...
s, it first started out as a wholesale oil store, and over the years has variously been a restaurant and store, and restaurant and pharmacy. Today it is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a bar on the first level, and serves cuisines like, Indian, Western, Chinese, South American, etc., and beer and alcohol. The cafe features prominently in the novel Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.
November 2008 terror attacks
The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. Gunmen sprayed the restaurant with bullets and there were blood stains on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers.Sourav Mishra
Sourav Mishra
Sourav Mishra is an Indian journalist and artist. As a Reuters journalist he was one of the first witnesses and victim of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a three-day rampage in which more than 164 people lost their lives....
, a Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reporter and one of the first media witnesses of the attack suffered severe bullet injuries.
The cafe reopened four days after the attack, but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after 2 hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there. Regular business resumed the next day.