Delhi
Although its bar scene has grown rapidly in recent years, Delhi still has a long
way to go to compete with Mumbai as the capital of Indian nightlife. Apart from
5-star hotels, the watering holes of Delhi are concentrated around Connaught Place,
with a growing number in the more prosperous southern suburbs. Legally, alcohol
can only be consumed and purchased from the age of 18. The price of a beer while
out and about in Delhi can vary considerably, depending on the venue, with the fancier
spots often charging around triple that of the more basic bars.
Newspapers including the Hindustan Times (website: www.hindustantimes.com) and The
Times of India (website: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com) carry daily and weekly
listings and information on nightlife in Delhi. Listings can also be found in magazines
such as First City and Delhi Diary.
Bars & Live Music: More and more bars stage live music at least once a week (usually
on weekends), which ranges from jazz and latin to hip hop and 1980s disco. The Maurya
Sheraton, Diplomatic Enclave, has the lively Dublin bar, with an Irish theme, while
Rick's, situated in the Taj Mahal Hotel, 1 Mansingh Road, offers a swish modernist
style. Outside the 5-star hotels there are a mushrooming number of commendable bars,
the pick of the bunch in Connaught Place being Q'BA, 42 E-Block, which sometimes
has live music. Another good choice here is DV8, 13 Regal Building, which has comfortable
leather chairs, a big-screen television and a top range of domestic and imported
beverages.
In Greater Kailash I's N-Block Market is the trendy Shalom Med Lounge Bar, which
sports an inventive drinks menu and tasty Lebanese food. Meanwhile, in Vasant Vihar's
Basant Lok Complex, there are two excellent watering holes: ultra-stylish Kylin
and the more informal Hookah Bar & Lounge. Expresso bars are becoming increasingly
popular and can be found in many areas of the city. The two most prolific chains
are Barista and Cafe Coffee Day.
Clubs: Most discos are in the luxury hotels and many of them operate a couples-only
policy, as well as a dress code. Places tend to come and go rather frequently, so
to find out the in-vogue discos during the time of your visit quiz locals and peruse
First City magazine
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Mumbai (Bombay)
The party animal will not be disappointed by Mumbai. The city reckons itself to be the capital of Indian nightlife. Certainly, the bars and clubs offer enough variety to satisfy even the most jaded palate. Colaba and south Mumbai used to be the centre of the city's nightlife, but recently competing clubs and lounges (an Indian hybrid of a bar and a club) have started opening in the suburbs. The prevailing atmosphere is informal (a jacket and tie is almost never required) but Mumbaikers like to be well turned-out and the atmosphere of some establishments is decidedly chic. Many bars and clubs operate a couples-only policy, for members and non-members alike, and charge an entrance fee. The most popular drinks are beer and spirits (particularly whisky) rather than imported wine, which is relatively expensive and often of indifferent quality, although Indian wine is now better made and more widely available than ever before. The legal minimum drinking age is 21. Licensing hours appear to vary and 5-star hotels have an extension to enable them to sell alcohol until 0030. Many of the larger international hotels have a nightclub on the premises as well. Time Out is published fortnightly and is available from news stands. It carries listings on many, if not all, aspects of having fun in Mumbai. Bars: Indigo, Mandlik Road, Apollo Bunder, was the original Mumbai bar-restaurant and, despite having spawned numerous imitators, its minimalist décor still attracts a smartly turned-out set. Geoffrey's, in the Hotel Marine Plaza (itself a fine example of art deco architecture well worth visiting), is the best-known English-style pub in Mumbai. Geoffrey's stays open until 0100, and serves a good set-price lunch. Henry Tham's, near Apollo Bunder, is an über-slick bar and restaurant that is currently the hippest place to have a drink in town, popular with Bollywood starlets and their aficionados. Leopold, Colaba Causeway, near Regal, sells inexpensive beer and good snacks; it is popular with backpackers. Zenzi, 183 Waterfield Road, is a stylish bar in the northern suburbs of Bandra with lots of lounges and bright colours - it's popular with expats and well-to-do Mumbaikans. All the 5-star hotels have bars, where you can drink in air-conditioned and pricey seclusion. Clubs: In the past, the best nightclubs in Mumbai were to be found in the 5-star hotels; this is no longer necessarily the case as new places are opening all the time. There is now a dazzling array of nightclubs (known variously as clubs, bars or lounges) on offer in Mumbai. Filled every weekend with Mumbai's trendy youngsters, Ra, in the Phoenix Mills Compound, Lower Parel, is usually a lively option. Red Light, 145 MG Road, plays a range of music, including hip-hop, and is popular with students. For something a little more grungy, try the Voodoo Pub, 2/5 Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road, which hosts an unofficial gay-friendly night on Fridays. Of the nightclubs in the international hotels, Insomnia, in the Taj Mahal Hotel, Apollo Bunder, continues to be one of the most expensive and fashionable dance venues in town. Live Music: Not Just Jazz by the Bay, Soona Mahal, 143 Marine Drive (tel: (022) 2285 1876; website: www.mars-world.com/restaurants/jbb.html), is the only remaining bar for live music in the city centre. It has a varied programme of live music; it also stages karaoke nights and on some nights features Indian music. |
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Bangalore
Bengaluru has the liveliest nightlife outside of Mumbai and pubs proliferate along Brigade Road, Residency Road and Church Street. Local newspapers and the free local listings monthly, Trailblazer, give details of several discos and live music and theatre venues. Pubs open before noon and close their doors at 2300-2330, but anyone inside can usually get served until later. Down Town in Residency Road, Guzzlers Inn in Rest House Road just off Brigade Road, and Nasa in Church Street are all popular. Special to Bengaluru is the phenomenon of lounges, to which most clubs have been converted in recent times. They have comfortable sofas around the dance floor and serve food and alcohol. Try Cosmo Village at 29 Magrath Road, Spinn at 80, 3rd Cross, Residency Road, and Urban Edge at 131 Brigade Road. Live music venues include Nineteen Twelve at 40 St Marks Road, A Pinch of Jazz at 47 Dickenson Road and Purple Haze at 17/1 Residency Road. |
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Chennai (Madras)
Chennai's after-dark party scene is curbed by laws that prohibit bars and nightclubs operating beyond midnight, although some do stay open a little longer. Shame, as there are some fabulous venues around, although a fraction of the number seen in Mumbai, Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Delhi. Of the few decent bars and clubs, most are in the 5-star hotels. Many nightclubs have a cover charge (usually only on weekends), a smart-dress code (no shorts, singlet tops or scruffy attire) and may only allow couples (ie not single males). Zara's, 74 Cathedral Road, is considered one of the hippest places to be, a tapas bar appreciated as much for its 'Spanish short eats' as its luscious cocktails and funky music; busy on Friday and Saturday nights. The dark, sexy Leather Bar, The Park hotel, 601 Anna Salai, has olive suede walls, leather sofas and black leather floors; it attracts a very stylish crowd, and plays some very danceable music. For a real boogie, head upstairs to the ever so trendy Pasha's, The Park hotel, 601 Anna Salai, another magnet for Chennai's beautiful people. Bike & Barrel, Residency Towers hotel, Sir Thyagaraya Nagar Road, is a cheerful bar with a lively atmosphere, adorned with (you've guessed it) barrels for tables and a huge motorbike suspended from the ceiling. Geoffrey's, Hotel Radha Park Inn, 171 Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, is a little more low-key and congenial for women on their own, while Dublin, ITC Hotel Park Sheraton & Towers, 132 TTK Road, is an Irish-style bar with separate sections, some quiet, some a little more raucous, to suit the mood. Last but not least, Durrant's, Sheraton Chola, 10 Cathedral Road, is small, civilised and comfortable for a leisurely drink. |
