Unfussy local bars make a comeback in Bengaluru
After many bar openings in the city, where the aim seemed to be to offer the most Insta-friendly experiences, it feels like neighbourhood spots with affordable pricing and good food are back in the spotlight
The search for that perfect evening hangout, where the music is low and the vibe high, never ends. Speaking for Bengaluru, you’d think this would be easy—there seems to be a new bar opening every weekend. But after you’ve been to your nth bar where you need to pay attention to the theme, the music, the intricacies of the cocktail programme and read pages and pages of the menu in dim light, you are ready for a place that doesn’t demand so much of you, or from your pocket. The good news is, after many seasons of bar openings in the city where the aim seemed to be to offer the most Insta-friendly experiences, from massive Greek and Roman interiors to intimate spaces where you have to book a slot five days in advance, it feels like there is a shift towards more low-key spots where you can just show up. That’s not to say Bengaluru didn’t always have such spots—OG pubs like Pecos are still around, after all—but they were getting lost in all the buzz around high-concept bars. This year, they finally started getting a bit of attention, along with some spit and polish.
You could say it started with the revival of one of Bengaluru’s oldest neighbourhood bars, Dolphins in Cooke Town, which was saved from closure and revived by two patrons in 2023. Amit Dev and Neil Quadras, who run Dolphins now, have added two new outlets to the brand’s portfolio in 2025 because they believe that unfussy, neighbourhood bars are making a comeback. “When the offer (to partner with the original owner to run Dolphins) came up, we didn’t even think twice... It ticked all the boxes in terms of the kind of place we wanted to open—a friendly neighbourhood bar," says Dev. “Dolphins went back to the basics of good food, affordable pricing and friendly, no-frills service. We do see the trend growing, where people are looking to build bars for the everyday middle-class budget crowd rather than be heavily crowded on weekends only," he adds.
Ajay Gowda, whose company Byg Ventures runs popular spots like Byg Brewsky and Bob’s Bar, felt the time was right to launch a new friendly local. The two-weeks-old Yaakay Bar and Canteen in Sahakar Nagar with a solid “chakhna" menu and unpretentious drinks—mostly beer and house pours, along with a few cocktails—is an ode to the unpretentious local bars of the city. “There are places you go to for an occasion, to celebrate something or to take people you want to impress, and then there are places that beckon because you want to be yourself, just catch up with your buddies for no reason at all," says Gowda. The name is a nod to the Kannada word for both “why" and “why not". “We felt there was a gap in the market for this as there is a bit of fatigue around high-concept spaces."
Another new bar that launched this month, Quarter House by Keen Mustard Ventures that also runs Daysie and Suzy Q, tables a very similar proposition. “Quarter House is RR Nagar’s neighbourhood bar. No frills, no fuss—just a spot to unwind, laugh too loud, and stay for one more round," is how the company describes it. Quarter House is not to be confused with Quarter Peter, yet another new bar which calls itself “the most budget-friendly bar in Bengaluru". It offers everything “by the quarter" (quarter bottles of liquor and quarter plates of food), with prices starting at ₹99 for a drink.
These neighbourhood bars are also focusing on the community, says Pratheek Reddy of Bar Sama. Though Sama, located in the Ulsoor area, is in a higher price category than the other new ventures, it reflects a similar spirit of belonging to a neighbourhood. “When we launched in August, we opened up quietly and invited folks from the neighbourhood to drop in," says Reddy. “The city’s drinking culture has evolved to accommodate all kinds of spaces, and now every neighbourhood needs a place that feels like home."
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