From Iran to Pune, the timeless charm of Cafe Yezdan is facing its toughest challenge in the time of LPG crisis

There is no surprise on the menu of Cafe Yezdan.

The mainstays from the kitchen are the crusty broon with a soft centre, bun-maska, basic egg dishes, such as omelette and bhurji, tea, coffee, and Ardeshir soda.

Cafe Yezdan seems like a place for a good breakfast and little else.

Yet, on a weekday afternoon under a scorching sun – the kind of drowsy hour when workers at restaurants that don’t serve lunch hope for some quiet – Cafe Yezdan is buzzing with people.

Almost every table is taken.

It is not the AC that lures customers as the restaurant is ventilated entirely by rows of low windows; most people are here because Cafe Yezdan is what restaurants try not to be: familiar, filling, and functional.

“For us, the customers are the same.

So, we have to maintain the quality every day.

If, one day, you serve something bad, the customer will never come back.

They’ll go to some other place.

To gather customers takes years, to lose them one day,” says Shapoor Irani, the third-generation owner of Cafe Yezdan.

Fortunately for him, Cafe Yezdan honed the art of retaining customers two generations ago.

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“The story starts in Rahmatabad in Iran, from where Khandobanda Irani decided to come to India to escape the unrest.

He came by ship to Bombay and, from there, toPune.

He did not know the language of this place or anybody else.

All he learned was here,” says Shapoor.

According to the cultural mapping project, Sahapedia, Khandobanda started an eatery on MG Road before opening Cafe Yezdan at Sharbatwala Chowk in Camp in 1964.

A non-vegetarian restaurant existed at the site before Khandobanda took over.

Cafe Yezdan was quite like its founder, simple and hardworking.

Khandobanda originally sold only Irani chai before expanding to bun maska, biscuits, and a few other items.

“My grandfather and my uncle, Burjor Irani, would consider it a sin to leave the shop.

The whole day they would sit at the counter.

Customer satisfaction was of prime importance.

They offered food at pocket-friendly rates and gave more quantity.

That is what the restaurant came to be well-known for,” says Shapoor, who started coming to the shop when he was in Class VIII.

Today, framed photographs of Khandobanda and Burjor watch over customers from the wall opposite the counter.

Shapoor says that he barely saw his grandfather or his uncle at home when he was growing up.

They would wake up a few hours after midnight to leave for the restaurant, which they would open at 3.30 am.

“They lived by the principle of honesty and hard work,” says Shapoor.

There is a family memory of Shapoor’s father, Mancher Irani, a Chartered Accountant, who sat at the cafe counter for many years.

It was only after closing the cafe early on his wedding day that he went to get married.

“They were so dedicated, ” says Shapoor.

Burjor was “very, very shy”.

“He would talk to people for one minute at most, but he was a very likeable person.

He’s just come to the restaurant and does his job.

He would make sure that everything was in order, that all purchases were in place.

According to Sahapedia, the cafe was originally double-storeyed, “with an internal staircase connecting the two floors”.

Khandobanda soon shut the first floor and, today, the Cafe operates out of the ground floor only.

For most of its life, Cafe Yezdan has been a men’s place.

Shapoor and his brother, Khaikasroo Irani, have tweaked the décor and opened up the space to make it feel welcoming to women and families.

“Slowly, we are seeing the number of women and family groups increasing,” says Shapoor.

The only other changes are in the menu, where a delectable Iranian egg dish, the Akuri, has been introduced.

“It is one of the bestsellers at present,” says Shapoor.

His parents went on a pilgrimage to Iran, but Shapoor, a Chartered Accountant, has no desire to revisit the place of his ancestors.

“When I am old, maybe I will also go on a pilgrimage,” he says.

But, true to his Iranian ethos, Cafe Yezdan is open all days of the week all through the year, except on Navroze.

This is the reason Shapoor is worried as the gas begins to run low.

“We need a cylinder to make tea and, if we don’t get it, we might have to close,” he says.

Our copper samovar  works only on a gas flame: K T Irani
On most mornings at Café Yezdan, the day begins with the quiet simmer of a samovar — a traditional copper tea urn used to keep strong tea decoction hot through the day.

Cups of thick, sweet Irani chai move steadily across the counter as regulars settle into their usual seats over bun maska and conversation.

But in recent days, that familiar ritual has faced disruption.

LPG supply crunch and rising cylinder prices have begun affecting the preparation of the Irani chai, which depends on a continuous flame to brew properly.

“At the moment, we have stopped making our Irani tea.

It is prepared in a copper samovar that works only on a gas flame.

It cannot run on induction,” he explains.

“We are trying to experiment with a heat-coil method, but we are not sure if it will work.

The brewing process is continuous — once the tea goes off the flame, the taste changes.

Between our two branches, we sell over 1,500 cups of tea a day, so even if heat pads work, we will need several running constantly.

Irani says the uncertainty around LPG supply has left café operators in a difficult position.

“Right now, even cylinder vendors have stopped answering our calls, and we are not sure how long this situation will continue,” he says.

The preparation of Irani chai differs from the quick roadside chai commonly served across the city.

In most Iranian cafés, a strong tea decoction is kept hot in the samovar while milk is simmered separately for hours until it thickens.

When ordered, the two are mixed in the cup, creating the rich, creamy tea that has become synonymous with the cafés
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune.

She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.

Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.

Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).

Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.

Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1.

Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.

"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.

"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.

2.

"Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.

"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.

"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.

3.

Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.

"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.

"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.

Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach.

Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context.

Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.

X (Twitter): @dipanitanath...

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