Clarks Varanasi's heritage dining room — Awadhi curries, continental breakfast, and Cantt calm a world from the old city lanes.
Cantt time capsule
At The Clarks Varanasi, 1916 Cafe carries a date in its name and a room to match — high ceilings, table linen, service trained for guests who remember when Cantt was the city's polite half. Awadhi gravies, continental breakfast, and high tea sit on one menu because the hotel has always hosted both railway officers and river pilgrims cooling off from the old city.
What to order
Breakfast here is the quiet luxury — eggs, bakery, coffee without lane noise. Dinner leans Awadhi: slow-cooked curries, breads brought hot, desserts that lean milk and cardamom. High tea is worth booking if you want a mid-afternoon pause before ghat chaos.
When to escape the lanes
Monsoon afternoons and post-temple exhaustion are the best excuses. Eat in Cantt, then drive to the ghats for Ganga Aarti or compare with street-level Behind Yellow Doors Diner another evening — fine dining twice, different neighbourhoods.
Visitor tips
- Reserve for Sunday brunch or high tea — Cantt families treat this as occasion dining
- Air-conditioned rooms make this a monsoon-afternoon refuge
- Dress smart-casual; the setting is colonial heritage, not lane casual
- Combine with Cantt shopping before an evening ghat run toward [Dashashwamedh Ghat](/destinations/varanasi/attractions/dashashwamedh-ghat)
Visitor questions
The restaurant generally accepts walk-in diners and reservations — call ahead for high tea or large groups.