Away from the mayhem of Jogiwara Road, Joyful Café is located in Dharamsala, a stone's throw away from the famous Norbulinka Institue. Started by a lovely couple – Kynsai and Chimoyi, Joyful is a pretty café, serving lovely thin crust cheese pizzas and equally delightful coffee, cakes and pies.
A 12-inch cheesy, thin crust, wood fired pizza with mutton and nuts toppings was served on our table. After having only one bite of the pizza I felt mesmerised. The generous amount of cheese, soft melt-in-your-mouth mutton and the combination of Italian herbs, was just delectable! Though I'm not a great fan of Mutton and Cheese combination, I was told that the reason it's called Tibetan Pizza is simply because Tibetans like to eat Mutton. The Pizza tasted heavenly and reminded me of the best pizza, I had at Tanto (a restaurant opened by an Italian) in Pondicherry.
It was time for dessert and the warm, moist and soft banana cake, felt like the perfect follow up after the sinfully succulent pizza. The cake was baked perfectly, with the right amount of sugar and had a rich flavour of banana. It turned out to be one of my most favourite desserts, in all of Dharamsala and Mcleodganj.
Kynsai told me, that one of his favourite places to visit in Delhi, is The Big Chill Café and how it has influenced him, to give attention to each dish on the menu. And to honest, although, Joyful café sports a different look and menu, as compared to Big Chill, it certainly maintains the same quality of food, as its inspiration. Besides, the attention to beautiful, cozy and spacious seating, deserves special mention.
So, if you are visiting Norbulinka, make your visit to Dharamsala worthwhile and visit this café to have the best wood-fired oven pizzas and wonderful desserts.
Joyful Café is indeed, a joyful place for foodies.