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Published on 2025-09-06Updated on 2025-09-06
If you’re landing in Kolkata worried about missing your daily fix of sparkling water, breathe easy. This is a city where tradition meets trend — and yes, where bubbles flow as easily as chai. From quirky cafés and colonial tea rooms to glitzy malls and gourmet supermarkets, sparkling water is everywhere. With every sip you take, you slowly make your way into the rhythm of the city.
Start at Barf Soda Paani on Park Street, a café buzzing with youthful energy. Known for its offbeat drinks and quick bites, this is where artisanal sodas and sparkling water share space with sandwiches and fusion snacks. The playful interiors and chatter make it the perfect spot to kick off the day.
Just around the corner on Park Street is Flurys, the grand dame of Kolkata cafés. Since 1927, chandeliers have glistened over pastries, chocolates and pots of tea in this heritage spot. Sparkling water isn’t the star attraction, but it’s part of the elegance — the crisp sidekick to an English breakfast or a slice of chocolate cake in one of the city’s most iconic rooms.
But if you happen to be across town, closing a business meeting in one of New Town’s sleek boardrooms, there’s no need to go thirsty either. Just step into the German Café & Bistro — a little pocket of continental charm. Here, European breakfasts, fresh breads and sausages share the table with pretzels, cheese and of course, a tall glass of sparkling water. It’s a space that feels effortlessly global, yet still carries Kolkata’s unmistakable flavour.
From nostalgia to neon, the sparkling water journey continues in Kolkata’s malls. At South City Mall, one of the city’s busiest shopping hubs, everything — fashion, electronics, food — converges under one roof. The food court is a mini-Kolkata, mixing fast food and regional favourites. From fine dining at Mainland China to coffee at Starbucks, sparkling water is just an order away, whether at a restaurant, café, or the mall’s supermarket.
Multiple malls in Kolkata serve sparkling water, be it in their restaurants or departmental stores. (Shutterstock)
Quest Mall, meanwhile, turns the sophistication dial up. Its designer labels and restaurants like Yauatcha and Serafina make it the city’s most cosmopolitan shopping stop, where sparkling water feels less like a drink and more like a lifestyle accessory.
For a more relaxed family vibe, Mani Square Mall hits the sweet spot with cinemas, arcade games and eateries that serve everything from biryani to burgers — with sparkling water always within reach.
In the south, Acropolis Mall draws a lot of the young office crowd, with fashion brands, a multiplex and rooftop restaurants that come alive at night. It’s where shopping trips melt into impromptu dinners with friends — and where sparkling water is a seamless part of the urban script.
Beyond cafés and malls, the supermarkets seal the deal. Spencer’s, a Kolkata classic, has for decades supplied families with everything from daily groceries to imported treats. Walk out with fresh bread, cheese and of course, a couple of bottles of sparkling water slipped between the veggies.
Sparkling water has become a marker of Kolkata’s gourmet turn. (Picture by Vadish, Freepik)
At Nature’s Basket, another of the city’s premier grocery chains, indulgence takes centre stage. International chocolates, organic grains, exotic fruits, fine wines — and yes, sparkling water — line the shelves, making the bubbly not just refreshment but a marker of the city’s gourmet turn.
So, if you’re a traveller in Kolkata, rest assured about your thirst for sparkling water. After all, it’s everywhere — woven into the city’s cafés, malls and markets, fizzing quietly in the background of Kolkata’s vibrant lifestyle.
