A cup of coffee can be accompanied by a game of snooker, a board game that takes a few minutes to learn, or even a pottery session in which visitors make their own crockery. In Pune, a growing number of cafes are offering customers more than food and drinks, combining dining with activities that encourage people to spend time away from their screens and everyday routines. From painting and pottery to board games, books, video games and wellness activities, these spaces are attracting people looking for an experience alongside their meals.At Clay7Studio in Erandawane, customers can make pottery while enjoying food. Owner Rashmi Vaidya started the venture five years ago as a pottery studio in Baner before developing it into a clay cafe three years ago at its current location. Its menu includes sandwiches, pasta and coffee. “Clay connects us with our roots. It is not only about art, it calms us down. We are building something from the ground up in this world of breaking things down,” Vaidya says. Customers can book two-hour workshops in which they make their own clay pieces, which are subsequently fired and glazed for safe use at home. Food is served during the activity, engaging all five senses.For those who prefer painting, Easels Cafe in Hinjawadi offers food-and-painting combinations. Started in 2024, the cafe was founded by Sanjay Mahajan, a computer-generated imagery (CGI) and visual effects (VFX) artist with 25 Hollywood and Bollywood movie credits to his name. His wife, Rupali, who works in IT, helped develop the concept. “We wanted art to reach everyone. I know from personal experience that working in IT involves a lot of stress, and I wanted something that would help people unwind away from screens,” Rupali says. The cafe remains open until 11.30 pm to accommodate people arriving after work. It also hosts office events and art shows, and a second centre operates in Wakad.At Gameflix Entertainment in Camp, the attraction is board games. Owner Nikunj Jain started the venture in 2025 to offer people a screen-free way to spend time together. The space has around 300 board games, including international titles that are not widely available in India. “Some games take many days to learn, but we teach people how to play them in 30 minutes,” Jain says. He says the venue welcomes different age groups, particularly families with children aged 10 to 15, who can play together rather than spend their time on individual screens.Meanwhile, The Third Space on SB Road combines a book cafe with pool, snooker and PlayStation 5 gaming. Owner Nihar Jadhav, who started the venture in June 2025, wanted to create a place where people could spend time without feeling pressured to leave quickly. “We wanted a community space where people don’t have to get up constantly or keep thinking about time. Here, they can unwind through books, gaming, or pool, accompanied by good food,” he says.Taking the idea beyond recreation, Raaha Wellness-Cafe in Koregaon Park combines food with holistic wellness activities. Owner Priyanka Khandelwal Gupta established the wellness centre in October last year and opened the cafe in April this year. The centre works with the National Institute of Naturopathy and the Ministry of AYUSH, and offers services such as medical yoga, a range of therapies and acupuncture. Its food menu includes soups, salads, rice bowls, Lebanese and Thai dishes, ramen, desserts and beverages, including kombuchas, with a focus on ingredients it considers beneficial for gut health.Story continues below this adThe premises have around 10,000 plants and are designed with sustainability in mind, including natural cooling instead of air-conditioning. The centre also organises workshops, meditation sessions and music events, while offering multi-day wellness retreats. Around 70 per cent of its clientele are women. “Loneliness is a big pandemic. We want to create awareness and make wellness acceptable and accessible to everyone,” Gupta says.Together, these spaces reflect a shift in how some Punekars approach eating out. Food remains part of the experience, but it is no longer the sole reason to visit. Whether it is shaping clay, painting a canvas, learning a board game, playing snooker or taking time out for wellness, customers can turn a meal into an activity and a longer social outing.The writer is an intern with The Indian Express, Pune