When 30BestBarsIndia announced its Top 30 Bars of India 2025 in Goa a few days ago, the message was unmistakable: Bengaluru is no longer an emerging cocktail city; it is the benchmark. With Bar Spirit Forward ranked No. 1 and SOKA at No. 2, the city secured the top two positions. Six Bengaluru bars made the Top 30 and four the Top 10, while Wine in Progress won Best Independent Wine Bar, Muro took Best Restaurant Bar and ZLB23 at The Leela Palace retained Best Hotel Bar. Ajay Gowda’s Industry Icon Award, for shaping modern drinking culture through Byg Brewski, Bob’s Bar and Yaakay, underlined the depth of local leadership.
Bar maestro Arijit Bose describes the city as a “fun, eclectic city” with drinkers spread across every spectrum. That diversity, he says, has created an audience unusually open to experimentation, aided by strong international connectivity and frequent exposure to global bar culture.
Much of the city’s advantage lies in how it treats its people. Avinash Kapoli, co-founder of SOKA and Kompany, says bartender training is now viewed as a long-term investment rather than a short-term fix, producing professionals focused on technique, flavour and hospitality rather than speed alone. Niharika Raval, co-founder of Muro, agrees, as she says, “There’s a clearer roadmap for ambition, growth and mobility within the industry, which simply didn’t exist a decade ago”. This professionalisation, she adds, has also encouraged more women to step behind the bar, bringing diversity, sensitivity and strength to the community.
Artist and partner at Dali & Gala, Siddharth Kerkar, reduces the formula to a simple truth: great bars are built by great teams. His concepts prioritise visibility and confidence for bartenders, rather than hiding them behind theatrical counters. Naval Kukreti, director of food and beverage at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, notes that bartending is now recognised as a career path, reflected at ZLB23 in how storytelling and service philosophy operate as a single system.
If talent is the foundation, design has become the city’s signature. Kapoli argues that “good drinks are no longer enough”; space, service, story and menu must now work in harmony. At SOKA, an intentionally small 38-seat format forces precision: every seat and interaction is planned to create intimacy. Kerkar views the modern bar as a convergence of culinary, visual and human arts, while Kukreti describes spatial design, lighting and pacing as tools that shape memory, choreographing the guest journey like theatre.
After years of oversized, heavily themed venues, Bose believes Bengaluru’s drinkers now crave spaces that feel warm and lived-in. He points to the old-school mood of the new Woodside Inn and the sharp, sound-led personality of Bar Doubble as signs of this shift. Wine in Progress, he adds, proved that even a rough-edged setting could succeed if the experience felt authentic.
The audience itself has evolved. Kapoli sees guests drinking less but better, valuing balance over strength. Kerkar notes that many patrons are well-travelled and comfortable with complexity, but still want drinks they can return to. At Dali & Gala, cocktails are designed to be visually expressive yet repeatable. Raval observes a parallel shift in intent. “There’s been a move from volume to value, from familiarity to experimentation. Guests are more informed and willing to engage with complex menus if the purpose is clear.”
Bose offers the long view. Once known for pub culture and later for craft beer, Bengaluru has now evolved into India’s cocktail capital. Among international bartenders, he notes, there is a familiar saying: a great bar is only five per cent about what is in the glass and ninety-five per cent about what surrounds it.
Vikram Achanta, founder of Tulleeho and co-founder of 30BestBarsIndia, recalls that a decade ago, the city was seen as price-sensitive and wary of high-concept bars, with Copitas as a rare exception. ZLB23 changed that perception, proving that premium, idea-led formats could thrive.
Today, he describes Bengaluru as a talent incubator, confident, collaborative and supported by an audience willing to engage early. In the process, the city has not merely caught up with global cocktail culture; it has learned to shape it on its own terms.