This new cafe in Anna nagar serves coffee with a bit of everything

It is a wonderful time for coffee lovers in Chennai. Every other month it would appear that a new cafe is opening, and like a moth to a flame, beverage enthusiasts unearth these cafes, finding new ways to consume the drinks they know and love. Grounded by the Hawk Federation is Anna Nagar’s newest contribution to the coffee space, built to accommodate anything one might want to do while sipping their beverage of choice.

The Hawk Federation is a Chennai-based clothing company, founded by Kevin Moses, who branched out from clothing to start a cafe. “I wanted to make a community that is based around coffee culture,” says Kevin when asked what made him take up this passion project. “The hope is for the cafe to be seen as a space that can be a second office or a second home.”

Grounded certainly has the space to be both of those things. It covers an area of about 7,500 square feet, making it one of the biggest cafes in Chennai. Apart from simply serving drinks, it allows you to make use of a variety of amenities. Work meetings can be taken in a conference room; a home theatre is available to rent out; and a fully equipped gaming room becomes the perfect place to unwind. Customers can do anything they want, from watching their favourite movies to sitting alone and ruminating over their crippling caffeine addictions.

Grounded hopes to draw in the Gen-Z crowd, trying to make coffee culture more accessible to younger generations. It remains open from 8am to 2am the next day, the timings set to keep up with Anna Nagar’s renowned nightlife. “A cafe should be a place that connects people,” says Kevin. “There is something here for every age group. We really want to promote coffee culture in Chennai, similar to how you might see it in Mumbai or Bengaluru”.

Like any new cafe hoping to establish itself in a competitive space, Grounded debuts with an ambitious beverage menu, blending items that aren’t commonly paired together. They have a range of speciality coffees, including an adventurous blueberry iced coffee, which might be more of an acquired taste.

The tiramisu latte and the crème brûlée transform your favourite desserts into drinks. A fresh strawberry espresso spritz or a coffee honey lemonade is also available if one wants to opt for something less decadent. There was certainly no shortage of creativity when it came to curating the selection of drinks.

The cafe opened in of February this year and, as of this month, introduced a daily special menu with a limited number of food items. A highlight from this trial menu is the pesto sandwich, which is served with fresh pesto and soft bread, and it is stuffed with either prawn or paneer, depending on your preference. This dish was a perfect snack to munch on in between sips of coffee.

There is a range of desserts available for those who do not want to commit to a heavy meal, including caramel chocolate muffins and a Biscoff and raspberry blondie. And those who do can go for a choice of pastas for the main course.

The space has potential to be the frequent third space for coffee lovers that it clearly hopes to become. Yet the cafe still shows clear signs that it is in its nascent stages and is figuring out its rhythm.

What exactly the focal point of the cafe is becomes convoluted. The hesitancy in introducing a full menu might be taken as a sign. A sign that Grounded hopes to perfect what they already have before adding more to a place that is doing the most as it is.

Given a few more weeks, the cafe is sure to learn what excites its customers the most. As of now, it establishes itself as a cafe with the potential to bring something new into a coffee lover’s world.

Grounded Cafe is at 1st St, Block M, Block F, Annanagar East. The theatre and gaming rooms are available to be rented for ₹1,000 per hour, and the conference room is available at ₹1,500 per hour. For reservations, call 8937469409. A meal for two costs ₹1,500.