With a small handwritten note pasted on its shutter, B Merwan & Co., one of Mumbai’s most iconic Irani cafés, quietly closed its doors last month. The note offered gratitude, not explanations. Yet, in that silence, a city heard the end of an era.
Founded in 1914, B Merwan & Co. was more than a café. It was a habit, a meeting point, and for generations of Mumbaikars, a place where time slowed down just enough to matter.
There was no press release or farewell event. Just a simple message thanking patrons for their love and support. Within hours, the news spread across Mumbai, triggering an outpouring of memories, tributes, and disbelief. For many, it felt less like the closure of a business and more like the loss of a familiar presence in their daily lives.
An icon that grew with the city
B Merwan & Co. witnessed Mumbai’s transformation from a colonial port city to India’s financial capital. Through changing skylines, shifting economies, and evolving lifestyles, the café remained constant serving affordable food, strong tea, and a sense of belonging.
Office-goers stopped by for brun maska before work. Students lingered for hours over a single cup of chai. Journalists chased deadlines, writers found quiet corners, and families returned year after year to the same marble-top tables. Over time, B Merwan became a preferred choice not through marketing, but through trust.
It went on to serve four generations of customers, many of whom were introduced to the café by their grandparents and later brought their own children. In a city obsessed with speed, B Merwan stood for continuity.
Built on simplicity, sustained by loyalty
The strength of B Merwan & Co. lay in its restraint. The menu was uncomplicated, prices remained accessible, and the experience never tried to reinvent itself. Servers remembered regulars by name. Orders arrived without repetition. Strangers shared tables and conversations flowed effortlessly.
Like other Irani cafés, B Merwan represented a rare democratic space where anyone could walk in, sit for hours, and feel welcome. That quiet inclusivity made it an integral part of Mumbai’s social fabric.
Why did the shutters come down?
According to family members, the decision to close was deeply personal and increasingly unavoidable. The owners, now ageing, faced the physical and emotional demands of running a labour-intensive business. After the passing of one of the partners, the family collectively decided it was best to let go.
Rising operational costs added to the challenge. Regulatory pressures to modernise – including moving away from traditional wood-fired ovens, made operations more expensive. At the same time, changing customer preferences, competition from modern eateries, declining footfall, and intense real-estate pressure made sustainability difficult.
While no detailed public statement outlined every reason, the family confirmed that continuing operations was no longer feasible.
A cultural loss beyond words
The closure of B Merwan & Co. reflects a broader trend. Mumbai has steadily lost many of its Irani cafés, institutions that once shaped the city’s public life and offered spaces where social and economic boundaries blurred.
For patrons, the loss is deeply emotional. Social media has since filled with photographs, anecdotes, and tributes, underscoring the bond the café built over more than a century.
An end, but not an erasure
Though the shutters are down, B Merwan & Co. lives on in memory, in stories shared, tastes remembered, and rituals passed down. It may no longer serve tea, but it leaves behind something more enduring: a reminder of a gentler Mumbai, where life unfolded one conversation at a time.
As the city continues to evolve, the closure of B Merwan & Co. stands as a quiet symbol of what Mumbai is leaving behind.
Some brands are built to scale. Others are built to stay.
B Merwan & Co. did the latter and that is why its absence is so deeply felt.
