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The Monsoon Made Us Do It: A Bar-By-Bar Guide To Drinking Your Way Through Bengaluru
From art-drenched cocktail dens to the dive bar that never lets you down, here’s how to spend a rainy season doing the rounds of Bengaluru’s best bars
Bengaluru doesn’t really do ‘light drizzle’; it does traffic that stretches an eight-minute drive into forty-five. And if you’re on the fag end of a hectic work day and want to skip the traffic hour, the city’s bars have your back. Here’s our recco for where you can duck when the monsoon doesn’t let up.
Dali & Gala
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Walk up to the mezzanine level of The Museum on Museum Road and you leave the weather behind entirely. More than seventy pieces of art built around Salvador Dalí and his muse Gala fill the room in themed clusters: a Rose Room made for couples, a mirror-heavy stretch that turns into a photo booth by 9pm as well as corners dedicated to sun, sea and mischief. The bar team works mostly in mezcal and tequila, though the whisky, gin and rum lists hold their own. Save this one for a night you actually want to dress for.
Bar Spirit Forward
On Lavelle Road, behind unfussy dark interiors and low light, sits one of the city’s most technically serious cocktail bars. Co-founded by Arijit Bose, the bar leans on a kitchen shaped by Japanese omakase sensibilities, pairing sharp, punchy cocktails with food built for grazing. It’s had a genuinely strong year too, climbing seven places in the country’s best bar rankings and picking up the India’s Best Bar title at the 30 Best Bars India Awards.
403 Forbidden Bar
There’s a reason this bar’s name reads like an error code: everything about the space is built to shut out distraction. The lighting stays low and the bar counter itself winds through multiple levels of the room, so your evening keeps changing shape without anyone raising their voice to make it happen. The drinks carry real personality, like Reborn, which uses Tequila with passionfruit for a tropical kick. We recommend making this bar the last stop on your pub crawl.
Amicii
Spread over two floors on 100 Ft Road in Indiranagar, Amicii is the perfect space for a long, unstructured hang where you can start with a coffee and make your way to something stronger as the evening settles. What makes it a genuine monsoon pick, though, is the rooftop: a double-height space with a retractable roof, framed in greenery, that closes over the moment the clouds decide to show up. The party simply doesn’t have to move. Their menu leans into comfort food like pizzas, tostadas, wings that make great for sharing plates!
Bob’s Bar
Every city has one bar that needs no introduction, and in Bengaluru, that’s Bob’s. It’s the first place I made my way to in the city, and the place you can turn to for a reliable drink (or three) mostly because nothing about it asks you to leave. The pricing means another round is never really a decision, the bar carries a wide spread of both Indian and imported spirits, and the snacks (disco vadas, onion samosas, fried chicken) ensure it’s all just fun and no stress.
Pecos
Ask anyone who’s lived in Bengaluru a decade longer than you, and Pecos will come up eventually. It’s an old-school beer bar running almost entirely on nostalgia: retro rock on loop, a mostly local crowd, and waiters who somehow clock your usual order by the second visit. This is where you go to sing along badly, order more fries than necessary, and let a miserable commute stop mattering the second you’re seated.
Soka
Soka has had a fast rise, up from No. 28 to No. 18 in this year’s best bars rankings, and still climbing. Set in the middle of Indiranagar’s pub row, it opens into an unexpectedly earthy Art Deco room: diya-lit walls, a striking centrepiece by Goan artist Siddharth Kerkar, and a snug 38-seat layout that borrows its intimacy from old European jazz clubs. Founded by chef Sombir Choudhary and bartender Avinash Kapoli (the bar’s name is built from their initials), Soka draws its cocktail list from Bengaluru’s own history and neighbourhood lore. It is pricey, but worth every rupee. Just be there on time or you’ll miss your reservation.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Bengaluru bars offering unique monsoon experiences include Bar Spirit Forward, known for its technically serious cocktails and food pairings, 403 Forbidden Bar, designed to eliminate distractions, and Bob’s Bar, a reliable spot for drinks.
Ask News18About the Author
Original source: https://www.news18.com/lifestyle/food/
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