In the insightful words of Virginia Woolf, the famous English writer, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.” At the Windamere Colonial Hotel on the historic Observatory Hill in Darjeeling, the culinary fare is so much more than an epicurean pleasure. Colonial Windamere’s relationship with food is nuanced and complex. Food, in the hands of our culinary team, rises to a level above physical meaning – it becomes more than a delicious meal.

“I’ve never eaten so much and felt so contented,” remarked QAL, a guest, after concluding his lavish 5-course dinner at the Windamere Restaurant, complete with Continental dishes such as the ‘Roly Poly Pudding’, and cheese and onion pie reminding us of the old Raj days. It has been said that the taste of the porridge at Windamere Colonial Hotel is unsurpassed in Scotland. The food is legendary, with both Continental and Indian menus. The culinary fare is meticulously prepared, under the able guidance of renowned chefs. The esteemed guests can conclude their fine-dining experience with a collection of splendid wines or with a cup of steaming Darjeeling Tea or freshly ground coffee. During dinner, the dining room is magically transformed into a candlelit affair, with soothing music floating around in the ether. The guests indulge in soft conversations while the white-gloved waiters seem to glide in and around the tables.

Darjeeling Tea is rightfully regarded by numerous tea connoisseurs all over the world as the “champagne of teas” and “afternoon tea” at The Windamere Colonial Hotel in Darjeeling is not just a world-renowned affair; it is a way of life. This iconic Colonial landmark redefines authenticity in the way they prepare and serve this crafty beverage. Esteemed guests including outsiders are invited to Windamere’s “Bearparks” Parlour (named after Windamere’s first housekeeper, this parlour was her abode) where they indulge in the “champagne of teas”. The spectacle is not complete without Windamere’s home-baked and scintillatingly fresh array of eatables to choose from. The Colonial Hotel serves scones, with cream and jam; finger-sized sandwiches (watercress, cucumber, cheese and chutney, and tuna to name a few); lemon drizzle cake; Victoria sponge cake; shortbread biscuits that melt in your mouth; bath buns; bake-well tarts and many more.

Esteemed guests at the Windamere Colonial Hotel are always in for a cosy and intimate dining experience. The fixed menu consists of a hale and hearty Breakfast spread which can either be English or Indian in nature, depending on the subjective requirements of the guests. The Luncheon and Dinner consist of a lavish 5-course Continental/Indian menu complete with soup, dessert, roasted bean coffee and top of the line Darjeeling Tea from the world-famous ‘Goodricke Tea Estate’ in the hills of Darjeeling.

Windamere Colonial Hotel utilizes unrivalled and unsurpassed coffee beans from the Baba Budan Hills of Mysore in Southern India. The Windamere adds a northern character to the distinctive flavour of this southern coffee by hand-roasting the beans in a rotating drum over a very slow charcoal fire. This process is followed by grinding them to perfection in an old fashioned coffee-mill just before brewing. In the hands of the Windamere Colonial Hotel, coffee making, even now, remains more of an art than a science.

The culinary affair at the Windamere Colonial Hotel is a gastronomic journey of monumental proportions. Rekindle your romance with food only at the Windamere Colonial Hotel in the heart of Observatory Hill in Darjeeling.
For more information, please reach us at - http://www.windamerehotel.com/