cafes · our pick
openbook coffee & library
if you only sit down at one cafe in jibhi, sit down at this one. the coffee is the best in the valley, there's a wall of books to pull from, and the banana bakes are the kind of thing you'll think about on the drive home. but openbook isn't for everyone, and it would be the first to tell you so.
- where
- jibhi village, a short walk off the main road
- known for
- banana walnut, banana chocolate, the best coffee in the valley
- price
- ₹₹ · a coffee and a bake runs roughly ₹250-450
- best for
- an afternoon alone with a book and your own thoughts
- rating
- ★ 4.7 (130+ reviews)
it's for the kind of person who likes a slow life
openbook isn't for everyone, and it doesn't pretend to be. it's for the kind of person who reads, who isn't in a hurry to get from one place to the next, who can spend an afternoon with no one but the pines and a book they pulled off the shelf. you come here to find yourself a little: to sit with your own thoughts, to slow down to the speed the village already moves at. if that sounds like your kind of day, you won't want to leave. if it doesn't, you'll be restless in ten minutes, and that's fair too.
the best coffee in the valley, and it isn't close
jibhi has plenty of pleasant cafes, and we list the ones worth sitting at. but for coffee, properly made coffee, openbook is the one people in the valley send you to first. order it black if you want to taste what they're doing, or a cappuccino if you want the comfort version. either way it's a step above the sweet, milky cafe drinks you'll get most other places.
the banana walnut and the banana chocolate
the thing people actually come back for is the baking. the banana walnut and the banana chocolate are made in-house and usually gone by afternoon on a good day, so come earlier than you think you need to. get one to have there with your coffee, and, if you've any sense, a second one wrapped for later. they travel well, which is how you end up eating jibhi on the bus back to aut.
the wall of books is the whole idea
the library part isn't decoration. pull something off the shelf, sink into a corner, and stay as long as the afternoon lets you. it's the rare cafe that wants you to linger rather than turn the table. bring a journal. bring nothing. that's permitted here too.
how to do an openbook afternoon
walk over late morning before the bakes sell out, take a window seat, and order a coffee and a banana walnut. read for an hour. order a second coffee, because you will. then walk five minutes back into the village for the rest of your day. if you're staying nearby, this is the easiest good morning jibhi gives you. pair it with the rest of the village's slow list.
openbook coffee jibhi: common questions
where is openbook coffee in jibhi?
openbook coffee & library is in jibhi village, a short walk off the main road. it's easy to find on google maps and an easy stroll from most village-side stays.
does openbook have the best coffee in jibhi?
most regulars think so. for a proper espresso-based coffee rather than a sweet cafe drink, openbook is the one people in the valley point you to first.
what should i order at openbook?
the banana walnut and the banana chocolate bakes are the standouts, made in-house and often gone by afternoon. pair one with a black coffee or a cappuccino.
is openbook good for working or reading?
yes, that's the whole point of the place. it's a library cafe built for slow afternoons with a book, a journal, or quiet work. it's not the spot for a loud group catch-up.
the rest of the cafes
openbook is our pick, but it isn't the only place worth your time. for the riverside lunches, the rooftop dinners and the cake-and-swing afternoons, read the full guide.