5 reasons why Starbucks is the best cafe in Mumbai

I remember when the first Starbucks opened in Mumbai at Elphinstone Building, there was a coiling line outside, as if there was no tomorrow for coffee and like many other mumbaikars I was the one watching that line from far away and judging all the crazy people and swearing that I'd never do something like that. But four years down the line I am also a Starbucks fan! Just imagine! Main Bhi! (that was my Jab We Met moment in writing). Starbucks is hands down the best coffee cafe in Mumbai (Sorry Barista. Sorry CCD. Sorry Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf). Now just to prove my point I am going to list down all the pros.

1. Best brown tinted tissues

Handkerchiefs can now be kept in the museum along with the Rs.1000 notes. This is the tissue generation. We use and throw, tissue and people both and Starbucks is the right place for both. Apart from providing an amazing ambiance for conversations it also supplies amazing brown tinted tissue papers which by the way are recycled and also of a much better quality than any other cafe and also available in abundance for free. You don't have to go to the counter again and again to beg for some extra tissues!

2. Best free water with ice

My pet name is "kunwa" ... matlab water well because I can down liters of water in a go and I love drinking water and I believe in it being served in the best way possible. In other cafes you have to beg at the counter for water and you get it in small PLASTIC cups! Ewwwwwwwww. But in Starbucks you get water in large, beautiful, clean glasses and they add ICE to it! Like trust me I go there sometimes just to drink water. Please don't judge me but I just love the way they serve water.

3. Clean restrooms

The color of the tissue papers for hand is green and for the bum is plane white. That's how much I go to the restroom of Starbucks (no points for guessing why. ref in point 2.). I have a thing for clean restrooms because I literally rest. Apart from doing my thing, I like to watch myself in the mirror, talk to myself, think about my break-ups with hashtag FML, put some imaginary make-up on and I know I can do all of this in the cafe outside but I like to do it in the restroom because it's my "me" time and Starbucks provides clean restrooms to do this so full marks to them.

4. Smiling faces

Who likes sullen faces? If I am paying you half of my salary for a cup of coffee then you might as well smile at my stupidity (that was the sulky me for costly coffee at Starbucks). But my gareebi aside Starbucks staff is the best - they are helpful, courteous, they smile a lot (sometimes way too much) and they call out your name in the funniest manner which makes you smile a lot (Madiha is always Mediha which makes me feel like Mehendi Hasan) and also they repair and prepare your coffee if you don't like it, which brings me to my next point...

5. Repair and prepare your coffee

Once my brother was paying the bill so I ordered Venti Hot Chocolate and Java Chip Muffin and I ate the muffin first so my hot chocolate went cold. I asked the staff to warm it and realized that there wasn't enough chocolate in it so they added some chocolate but then I realized that there was way too much chocolate in it so they added some milk but then I realised that I messed up my coffee and they were still ready to replace it and give me fresh Venti Hot Chocolate but I refused (because after so much of hot chocolate I wanted to use the restroom) but bottom line is that the staff will repair and prepare your coffee until you like it!

There are a lot of other things that are amazing about Starbucks and of course a lot of things that can be better but we will talk about them some other day and if you think I was paid for writing this then please! I am not so popular neither am I loyal. If I come across another better coffee shop i'll smile my way towards its entrance and say, "Sorry Starbucks."