We know Kangana Ranaut as a lot of things: actor, producer and occasional political commentator. But now, she’s taking on a different kind of challenge: feeding people. The Mountain Story, her new café, opens on February 14, Valentine’s Day—because of course, she’d pick a date as loaded as that.
Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, The Mountain Story is less of a vanity project and more of a personal return to the flavours of home. This isn’t another fine-dining spot where truffle oil gets casually drizzled over everything. It’s a place shaped by nostalgia. Think slow-cooked Himachali food and wood smoke curling up into crisp mountain air.
Kangana announced the café with a video on Instagram, wandering into the space like a queen surveying her domain. There are snow-capped peaks in the background, a cozy interior warmed by a flickering fireplace, and staff members in traditional Himachali caps, looking like they know their way around a good pot of gravy. The self-proclaimed pahadi actress speaks in a voiceover, painting a picture of childhood meals, the scent of her mother’s cooking, and a simpler life far from the chaos of Bollywood. It’s a love story, she insists.
The Food At Kangana's Restaurant
Expect traditional Himachali fare, the kind of dishes that aren’t made for hurried city life but for slow afternoons spent watching the snow fall. A platter of thali loaded with local specialties makes an appearance in the video, steaming and rich, unapologetically true to its roots. There’s wooden and cane outdoor seating, because when you have the Himalayas as your backdrop, why would you ever eat indoors?
The post’s caption drives home the sentimentality: “A childhood dream comes alive—my little café in the lap of the Himalayas. The Mountain Story—it’s a love story. #TheMountainStory Opening 14th February.”
Romantic? Maybe. A little dramatic? Definitely. But then again, that’s Kangana.
This latest move places her among a growing list of Bollywood celebrities moonlighting as restaurateurs. Malaika Arora has Scarlett House. Karan Johar has Nuema in Colaba. Shilpa Shetty runs Bastian (a hotspot for overpriced but Instagram-worthy brunches). Hrithik Roshan owns a café in Lower Parel.
However, in Kangana's case, it is the road back home; to the mountains, to the kind of food that doesn’t just fill your stomach but stays with you like an old song from the 1960s. And if she plays this right, The Mountain Story won’t just be another celebrity-backed eatery, it would be the real deal.
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