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Cocktail barSpeakeasyVasant Kunj
PCO in Vasant Vihar opens to a weekly code keyed into a phone booth; this Delhi speakeasy won the Times Food and Nightlife Best Bar award six years running.
OrderEve's Choice or Oral Fixation from The Forbidden menu, or book the Director's Room for mood cocktails.
DrinkThe Forbidden, a menu of 12 drinks built on ingredients banned somewhere, plus mood cocktails in the reservation-only Director's Room
FoodBar food alongside the cocktail list
TipThe four-digit code changes every week and goes out to PCO's WhatsApp patron list, so get the code before you go; the door opens for five seconds.
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Cocktail barCocktail barGreater Kailash
Barbet & Pals in Greater Kailash 2 takes its cocktails from the Himalayan foothills, a Delhi bar by bartenders Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal with Amninder Sandhu.
OrderA Bird's Eye View cocktail with the Naga pork sausage Bar-Brat.
DrinkBird's Eye View, a rotating regional menu themed on Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal's Himalayan roots
FoodSmall plates from chef Amninder Sandhu spanning Kumaon, Bengal and Naga flavours
TipThe basement holds Cavity, a separate weekend tasting bar from the same team; book both in advance.
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Cocktail barCocktail barGreater Kailash
Top Banana sits above Ikk Panjab in Greater Kailash 2, a vinyl-only Delhi cocktail room with a wood-edge bar for scribbling late night notes.
OrderThe Shadow Play martini with the Artichoke Ice Riot small plate.
DrinkShadow Play, a pickle-three-ways martini, and the zero-abv Watch It
FoodFrench-Japanese small plates from chef Tarannum Sehgal, a Provence Michelin kitchen alumna
TipThe bar-top doubles as a guestbook; ask staff for a marker to leave your own note.
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Cocktail barMartini and jazz barLodhi Colony
Upstairs sits one flight above Indian Accent at The Lodhi hotel, a 36-seat Delhi martini bar with live jazz vocals on most evenings of the week.
OrderThe desi dirty martini and a winter pea kulcha with goat's cheese.
DrinkTableside martinis, including a desi dirty martini with a potato-cheese olive
FoodBar bites from Indian Accent's chef Hitesh Lohat, built on Delhi market memories
TipReserve ahead; the room is small and is moving toward a members-only model.
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Cocktail barCocktail barLodhi Colony
The Love Hotel is tucked inside Guppy on Lodhi Road, a 20-seat Delhi cocktail room from the Olive Group with a naked bar and playful drink names.
OrderThe Late Checkout old fashioned with the crunchy summer wraps.
DrinkLate Checkout, a whiskey old-fashioned with coconut syrup and matcha white chocolate foam
FoodKobachi-style Asian small plates for grazing, from chef Saurabh Sharan
TipThe room seats only 20, so a booking ahead of a Friday or Saturday night helps.
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Cocktail barCocktail barVasant Kunj
Hoots in Vasant Vihar's Basant Lok market is a dim, intimate Delhi cocktail bar that reached No. 59 on the Asia's 50 Best Bars 51 to 100 list in 2021.
OrderThe miso old fashioned twist and a whisky sour with chamomile foam.
DrinkA miso old fashioned twist and a whisky sour topped with chamomile foam
FoodBar food built to share alongside the cocktail list
TipIt is a small room; go on a weeknight if you want a seat at the counter without a wait.