A cafe in Udaipur with a view: the Roof Top Cafe at Hotel Rudra Kripa

Udaipur is often called the Venice of the East, and most visitors spend their days among its lakes and palaces. The city is just as memorable from a rooftop. At Hotel Rudra Kripa, on Udaipur’s quieter north side, the Roof Top Cafe looks out over the city to the Aravalli hills – a calm place to start the day, or to end it.

The view from the roof

Start with the view: the rooftops of Udaipur below you and, on the horizon, the Aravalli hills that ring the city. Come up early for breakfast as the sun rises and the city wakes, or in the late afternoon to watch the light warm and soften over the hills.

After sunset the lights of Udaipur come on below and the hills become a dark line on the horizon – the time for a long, unhurried dinner. In the monsoon, from July to September, the hills turn green: see the monsoon in Udaipur for what the rainy season brings.

Food and atmosphere

The menu runs from local Rajasthani delicacies to international flavors, with snacks and drinks for the hours in between. The team is attentive and happy to help you choose: ask what’s on today, and tell them how spicy you like your food or about any dietary restrictions – they’ll adjust a dish to suit. For a full sit-down meal, the hotel’s multi-cuisine restaurant in Udaipur serves Rajasthani and continental dishes indoors.

A meal up here is about more than the food: soft music in the background, ambient lighting after dark, a lounge area and plenty of greenery make it an easy place to linger over one more cup.

What makes a good cafe in Udaipur?

Ask travelers what makes the best cafe in Udaipur and the same few things come up. Here they are, and how the Roof Top Cafe compares:

• A view. Ours looks over the city to the Aravalli hills. If a lake view is what you’re after, the rooftops around the ghats of Lake Pichola are the place; up here, it’s the city and the hills.
• Calm. The hotel is in Sukher, a quieter neighborhood on the north side of Udaipur, away from the crowds and traffic of the old city.
• Good food. Rajasthani dishes and international flavors, from breakfast to dinner.
• The right light. Sunrise for a quiet breakfast; sunset and the evening for the glow over the hills and the city lights.
• Easy to reach. If you’re staying at the hotel, it’s just upstairs – no taxi back after dinner.

An aesthetic cafe in Udaipur: arches and jharokhas

If it’s a beautiful setting you’re after, the look here is simple. White cusped arches – the scalloped arches of Rajasthani architecture – frame the views, and wicker chairs sit around glass-topped tables. For a table with a frame of its own, ask for the jharokha, the overhanging window-balcony you’ll see on palaces and havelis all over Rajasthan: here a wicker table for four sits inside its arches, overlooking the city. After dark, soft lighting warms the white arches.

Taking photos at the Roof Top Cafe

If you’re looking for a cafe in Udaipur for a photoshoot, come at golden hour – just after sunrise or before sunset – when the light falls low and warm across the roof. Four shots to try:

• The jharokha table, framed by its cusped arches, with the city beyond
• A portrait under the white arches, with the hills in the distance
• The rooftop pool at dusk, lit from within, as the city lights come on below
• A poolside table at sunset, as the sun goes down over the hills

Your own photos are welcome. For a professional shoot, such as a pre-wedding session, ask the hotel first.

For dates, families and groups

Romantic dinners

A table under the stars, the city lights below and soft music: it’s an easy setting for a date night, an anniversary or a proposal. Tell the team you’re celebrating and ask what they can arrange.

Family gatherings

A relaxed setting and a menu that runs from Rajasthani cooking to international dishes suit all ages, so the cafe works well for a family breakfast or dinner. Traveling with children? Ask the team for a milder version of a dish.

Birthdays and group dinners

For a birthday, a reunion or a dinner with colleagues, ask about bringing a group when you get in touch. For a conference or a larger celebration, the hotel’s meeting and event spaces are the better fit.

A pool cafe in Udaipur? Drinks by the rooftop pool

If you’d like to eat and drink with the water close by, the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool faces the Aravalli hills, with loungers, towels and poolside dining, so you can order a snack or a cold drink between swims. Ask at reception about pool hours.

Plan your visit

Come up for breakfast at sunrise, or stay on for dinner under the stars. To reserve a table, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 96100 04244; for the practical details, see our page on the Roof Top Cafe, an affordable cafe in Udaipur.

To plan the rest of your day, our guide to places in Udaipur to visit gives drive times from the hotel.