Heads up for tails

From the décor to the menu, Puppychino caters to a special breed – the dog lover.

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 4, 2016 12:13 AM IST

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Puppychino, Delhi’s (India’s) first dog café, is located in Shahpur Jat. (Source: Express photo Tashi Tobgyal)

Dog owners have a secret sorrow. No matter how they try, they cannot love like a dog — and nobody encourages this guilt more relentlessly than dogs themselves. Famous for their devotion and loyalty, canines have a less-publicised side that involves staring, stalking and emotional blackmail. Now, they have a new plea for their “parents”— a café called Puppychino where canines and humans can socialise together. Everybody’s barking about it. It even has cupcakes for pets (and none for “hoomans”).

Puppychino, Delhi’s (India’s) first dog café, is located in Shahpur Jat, in a meandering lane where style seekers try to discover edgy designs in quaint boutiques. An offbeat restaurant for dog lovers fits snugly among the concept showrooms housed in tall buildings. Inside the cafe, the walls are cool and pale, the furniture is minimalistic and there’s synergy in design that caters to two sets of clientele — that come on four feet and two.

Massive dogs chase a yellow frisbee in a play pen, a prim Beagle pushes a coloured ball with its muzzle, a little girl wraps herself around a handsome Siberian Husky while her mother tosses a plastic bone at a Labrador. The enclosure, where around 10 dogs can romp at a time, is uncluttered but for two benches. An in-house trainer watches over the troops in the play zone and the air, thanks to the dispenser, is fresh. People and animals bond over games that involve a remarkable amount of running, rolling and being whacked by tails. Dogs are social animals, and the ones who visit Puppychino are at their best behaviour.

Two sisters in their twenties started Puppychino because they were guilty of leaving their own dogs behind when they went out. (Source: Express photo Tashi Tobgyal)

The door separating the play area from the dining room carries a board instructing, “Don’t let the dogs out, no matter what they tell you”. It’s easily ignored. The 25-seater dining space, on a weekday evening, has drawn groups of youngsters with or without pets. On a table overlaid with pizzas and tall drinks for humans is a toy Pomeranian called Louis digging into a Woofsome Cupcake (made with cornmeal, coconut milk and yoghurt but without sugar or spice). His owner is a student from College of Art, Delhi, who has turned up with her gang that plays guitars between conversations.

Two sisters in their twenties started Puppychino because they were guilty of leaving their own dogs behind when they went out. “Every time we left them, they would tear the mattresses and rip apart the furnishings. It was their way of showing their anger,” says Nayani Tandon, the proud mum of two dogs, who sports a paw tattoo on one hand and silhouettes of her dogs (which became the logo of Puppychino) on the other and ear studs resembling bones and paws. Her sister, Mallika Tandon, is a communication design student, who has worked on the décor and the menu.

Their commitment to dogs extends to the functioning of the café, including the menu for dogs and “Hoomans”. The former is based on innovations of human food and include Strawberry Risotto with Mint Curd, Snoopy Spaghetti, which uses whole wheat spaghetti, fresh vegetable and parmesan cheese, and Toothsome Pancakes, in which gluten-free wheat is mixed with cornmeal, coconut water and peanut butter. The Hooman bulk of the menu comprises shakes, sandwiches, pasta, pizza and burgers that the girls created with a stress on comfort food. The owners serve at the table and clean up later, not because wait staff is unaffordable, but because their dogs and dog lovers by nature like personal rather than professional interactions. Let’s wag to that.

Address: 3rd Floor, 119, Shishan Bhawan, Shahpur Jat; 12-10 pm.
Call 33105862 for reservations.

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life. Professional Background Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint. Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series). Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season: 1. Climate & Environment "Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week. "How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site. "Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner. 2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage "Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle. "Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport. "The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle. 3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc" "Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema. "Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups. "How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor. Signature Style Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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