The 114-YO Legacy Keventer’s Restaurant in Darjeeling & How It Led to the Milkshake

What was Darjeeling like around the 1970s? For someone who’s never been, the movie Barfi! (2012) was a pretty window into the city. 

Over 151 minutes of screentime, I watched a choreographed swirl of activity unfold across Darjeeling’s most iconic spots — Clock Tower, Happy New Year Bridge, and a certain restaurant that felt it was cobbled together just for the mise en scene — but which, I later learnt, was an actual one, part of Darjeeling’s social fabric since 1911. 

Keventer’s in Darjeeling is very much still standing to this day, serving history and deliciousness both to its loyalists and more recent fans. 

If the name caused you to pause and wonder whether this is the same as the iconic milkshake brand, whose bottle was the talk of the town a few years ago, let me clarify. The restaurant in Darjeeling, as well as the brand of products, stems from the same parent company, albeit with different origin stories. 

Years before it made news with its milkshakes, the brand’s Darjeeling arm was making news for its English breakfast, an ode to the palate preferences of the British officers who once thronged the city.  

Traditionally prepared bread, eggs, toast, baked beans, ham, bacon, salami, and sausages, made from local produce, will colour your table, and if we rely on reviews, the winning dishes are the pork hot dog, chicken burger, and chicken hot platter. 

The breakfast is an exercise in flavours, and you’d do well to build an appetite for it. But the feast on the table is not the only draw; there’s one for the eyes as well —- glorious views of Kanchenjunga, from the restaurant’s deck. 

And whilst you dig in, here’s a tale to keep you company. 

The story of Keventer’s Darjeeling 

During the 1900s, Darjeeling was the destination of choice of British officers, who, to escape the hot climes of the mainland, would head here. The slower tempo of life here seemed to appeal to them. Spotting an opportunity in this seasonal migration pattern, a Swedish dairy entrepreneur, Edward Keventer, set up a restaurant that would feed their appetites. 

And since then, that’s just what Keventer’s has done. 

The menu expanded with time to include pastries, breads, croissants and cakes, and hot chocolate, with the flavours and recipes grounded in the city’s social milieu. 

The place amassed a huge cult following in the time that followed, becoming a part of films shot in Darjeeling, such as Satyajit Ray’s Kanchenjhunga (1962), Anurag Basu’s Barfi (2012) and books like Feludar Goendagiri and Darjeeling Jomjomaat.

That it became a touchstone of pop culture increased its appeal among tourists who headed to the city. Soon, Keventer’s became synonymous with Darjeeling. 

But now, for what connects Keventer’s restaurant to the milkshake. 

Edwards Keventer’s was chosen by the British Government in 1889 to modernise the Indian dairy industry. It saw him establish dairy farms in Chanakyapuri, Aligarh, Calcutta, and Darjeeling, where he pioneered technology such as scientific cattle breeding, nutrition and pasteurisation. 

It is said that Edward Keventer’s contributions gave birth to modern Indian scientific, industry-scale dairy farming, processing, and marketing of milk and dairy products. 

In 1937, Edward passed away, and the Keventer restaurant in Darjeeling was acquired by the Shahs of Nepal, who, after independence, passed it to the Jha family in 1970, who continue to manage it. 

The other outlets of the brand were acquired by industrialist Ram Krishna Dalmia, who diversified the company’s product line by making powdered milk, condensed milk, milkshakes, and ice cream. And this is how Keventer’s grew, with more dairy-based products added to the menu. The Darjeeling outlet, meanwhile, continues to retain its legacy menu and flavours.

So, the next time you’re in Darjeeling, make a stop at Keventer’s, where flavour and history waltz in step. 

Sources 

'Keventer’s Darjeeling: What To Eat At The Iconic Eatery Captured In Movies': by Rajan Bhattacharya, Published on 5 July 2024.

 

 

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