I Found A Fairytale Castle In Gurgaon Serving Gooey Pizza, Tangy Pasta & Sparkly Drinks

Gurgaon has no shortage of restaurants. You can throw a stone in Sector 65 and, chances are, it will land somewhere serving sushi, cocktails or a deconstructed version of something that did not need to be deconstructed. So when I was told there was a café here that felt like a fairytale castle hidden in the middle of all this corporate madness, I was intrigued. Then I actually walked into Café de Flora.

Inside Café De Flora Gurgaon

Located in Sector 65, the café feels completely detached from the Gurgaon outside its doors. It is almost bizarre! One minute you are surrounded by the usual corporate landscape, and the next, you are standing inside this whimsical, floral little fantasy. Think fairy dust, flowers, pretty corners, pink everything and enough princess energy to make you reconsider every life choice that led you to own a black work tote.

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We Started With Potato Wedges, And I Was Glad We Did

The first thing we ordered was the Truffle & Parmesan Potato Wedges. 

They arrived crisp, properly seasoned and covered with just enough Parmesan. I appreciated that they were not excessively cheesy or weighed down with sauce. They had that very satisfying crunch when you bit into them, followed by the soft potato centre.

The dip on the side also deserves a mention because it worked. The whole thing was light enough to snack on while waiting for the rest of the food, but substantial enough to feel like an actual starter.

For me, this is the kind of dish you order for the table. You know the drill: everyone arrives, no one’s food has landed yet, and someone inevitably says, “Should we get something in the meantime?” This is what you order.

Then came the Peri-Peri Chicken Tenders, and this was where the meal started getting serious.

There were about six to seven pieces, and these were not tiny little chicken strips pretending to be a starter. They were long, chunky and filling. I took one bite and immediately knew we had ordered more food than we realistically needed.

Worth it! 

The peri-peri seasoning had the kind of heat I enjoy. It was spicy and masala-heavy without completely obliterating the chicken underneath. 

The Croquettes Were A Tiny Fried Surprise

The Chipotle Chicken Croquettes were probably the most fun starter on the table.

They looked innocent enough when they arrived. Golden, crispy little balls. Then I bit into one and got a proper chicken-filled centre that was creamy and ridiculously easy to eat.

The interesting part was the avocado served alongside it. I will admit, I looked at it and thought, Why is avocado here?

Then I dipped the croquette into it.

Oh. Okay. Now I understood. The cool avocado cut through the fried, spicy richness beautifully. It made the croquette feel less heavy and added this fresh little interruption to what could otherwise have been a very rich bite.

I Played It Safe With The Pasta, It Paid Off

For the main course, I went with the Penne Arrabbiata.

Could I have ordered something more adventurous? Absolutely. The menu has options like Fettuccine Mushroom & Truffle Oil and Spaghetti Martino, among others. 

And I am very particular about tomato-based pasta. I want tang, and I want the tomato to actually taste like tomato. I want enough seasoning to make every bite interesting. 

Thankfully, this one had that tang I was looking for.

There were onions, tomatoes and enough seasoning to give it some personality. The sauce had a proper chatpata quality to it, which I loved. It was not painfully spicy, but it definitely was not shy either.

My Takeaway Mistake-That-Wasn’t-A-Mistake

We were already full. Like, properly full. And then the Chicken Picante from Café de Flora’s Neapolitan pizza collection arrived.

Obviously, we ate it! 

This pizza had the exact combination that makes me lose all ability to listen to my stomach. It was spicy, cheesy and comforting, with chicken, jalapeños and sun-dried tomatoes bringing plenty of flavour to every bite.

The jalapeños gave it the heat, while the sun-dried tomatoes added that slightly sweet, tangy note that kept the pizza from becoming one-dimensional. And the cheese? Gooey, utterly and properly gooey.

I actually took two slices home. This was not strategic. I simply knew myself well enough to realise that I was going to want this later.

And, unsurprisingly, I did. I ate the leftovers around two to three hours later, and the pizza still held up surprisingly well. The cheese was still soft and melty, the toppings still tasted fresh, and the jalapeños had not lost their punch.

Basically, midnight-me was very grateful to afternoon-me.

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The Starry Rose Is Basically A Drink With Main Character Syndrome

Now we need to discuss the Starry Rose, because this drink deserves its own little moment. This is not a cocktail you casually order and forget about.

It arrives with a giant rose-shaped ice cube sitting inside the glass, surrounded by pink sparkle and enough visual drama to make you feel like you have been cast as the princess in a very expensive cottagecore fantasy.

I am aware that describing a drink this way sounds ridiculous. But look at it. It works.

The cocktail itself is made with vodka, homemade rose nectar, cardamom, orange and jasmine blossom water. Taste-wise, it sits somewhere between sweet and slightly sharp. 

I also ordered the Flora de Picante from the Flora de Margaritas collection, and this was a completely different personality.

It has pineapple-infused tequila, jalapeño, mango panna, passion fruit and cilantro, so you already know this is not going to sit quietly in the corner.

It was refreshing, fruity and had a little kick from the jalapeño. I liked that the tequila did not make the drink feel excessively heavy. There was a bright, almost sparkling quality to it, followed by that little spicy finish.

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So, Would I Go Back To Cafe De Flora? 

Yes, and not just because the place looks like someone gave a Pinterest board a physical address. You could absolutely come here for the dreamy interiors and pretty cocktails, but you would be doing the kitchen a disservice if you stopped there.

Café de Flora is, in many ways, exactly what Gurgaon does not look like from the outside. It is whimsical in a city that can sometimes feel aggressively corporate. It is floral where everything around it is concrete. And somewhere between the rose-shaped ice cube, the spicy pizza and the bowl of tangy pasta, I realised that maybe the fairytale thing isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Cover Image Courtesy: Mahi Adlakha

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