In a quiet alley of Vasant Vihar, a nondescript ATM feels like a trap door. Enter the daily passcode within seconds, and the door to your right swings open, revealing an exciting world. You feel like a spy. Excitement mounts. Dim lights, cosy tables, low-retro music, and cocktails poured with precision welcome you. Located in Vasant Vihar, PCO Bar - Delhi’s first speakeasy -opened its doors in 2012, at a time when the concept was still new to the city’s nightlife scene.“A true speakeasy is about discretion and craft,” says Neeraj Sharma, head bartender at PCO. “We don’t advertise, we don’t have signs.
Every cocktail tells a story, every ingredient matters.” Customers arrive unsure of what to expect, drawn as much by the understatement as by flavour to a space of curated novelty. “We experiment with unusual ingredients for a cocktail—12 in total—from ketchup, Chyavanprash, coconut, MSG, raw milk, bubble gum, poppy seed, tobacco, Kinder Egg chocolate, porcini mushroom hydrosol, and agar-washed apple juice with coconut being the ‘forbidden’ ingredient this month. It’s playful, but precise,” Sharma adds.
New hangouts
Speakeasies trace their roots to Prohibition-era America, when alcohol was illegal and bars had to operate in secret. Passwords, hidden entrances, and interiors designed for conversation rather than noise defined the experience. Delhi’s modern speakeasies follow the same ethos: hidden doors, handcrafted drinks, intimate ambience, and a focus on the journey over visibility.
A newer entrant, Pod, opened last June in Greater Kailash 2 as a part of Savour Works Coffee and Chocolate, a Delhi-based specialty coffee roaster. “We wanted to create an exclusive space where people could relax and enjoy drinks,” founder Baninder Singh explains.
Pod specialises in coffee and chocolate cocktails with subtle Thai influences, all crafted in-house, from syrups to chocolates to coffee. Among their signature drinks is Night Shift , a Boulevardier-inspired cocktail with cold brew and cacao butter and Gyanduja, clarified with hazelnut gelato. These are the crowd favourites.One of the main differences between batch and hand-shaken cocktails is consistency. In batch cocktails, all ingredients are measured and mixed ahead of time, so each drink tastes the same. “The magic is consistency,” adds Pratham Yadav, head bartender at Pod. “We batch-make every cocktail, so the cocktails taste the same, whether it’s 7 pm or midnight.” Thai-inspired creations like Khaosan Cream, a twist on Mango Sticky Rice, showcase the bar’s thoughtful touches. Priced at ₹875–₹975, each drink is a deliberate indulgence.
A personal space
Another hidden gem, Bar Behind the Sandwich Shop, hides behind a sandwich shop in Basant Lok. Step inside, and a red-and-black interior with vinyl seating, soft music, and Japanese cocktails line the wall. Inspired by Tokyo’s tiny Golden Gai watering holes, the founders Nitin Tewari and Sahil Negi wanted a space that felt personal.Nandini Muthal, 28, visiting Bar Behind the Sandwich Shop for the first time, says, “Delhi’s scene has grown quickly. The speakeasy bars may not be of international standards yet, but they still surprise you. The best one I’ve been to was in Barcelona.”
Cocktails, presented like a bartender’s notebook with sketches and Polaroids, make each drink feel personal. Even corporate regulars find escape—“A neat Negroni here feels like a little retreat,” says Tokyo-based executive Hiroshi Tanaka, who visits the bar on his trips to India. Signature drinks like Water Melone and Mango No. 5, paired with bar bites, complete the intimate experience.
Customers echo this sentiment. Rohan Mehta, a PCO regular, says, “Walking in feels like stepping into another world. It’s private, with well-panelled interiors giving a quiet, relaxed vibe, and the drinks are unlike anything you get in a regular bar. I still remember the excitement when it first opened. Now it feels like a nostalgic place I keep returning to.”
The quiet streets, upscale neighbourhoods, and a mix of young professionals and the Gen Z crowd make south Delhi a natural spot for these speakeasy bars, whose patrons strike the perfect balance: discreet yet accessible, urban yet removed from the city’s bustle.
Adding to this growing landscape is Rumour, a new speakeasy-style lounge set to open this April in Vasant Vihar. The intimate 45-seater space draws inspiration from a New York-style loft aesthetic. Concealed behind a hidden entrance, Rumour aims to bring together elevated wine culture with a more high-energy social experience.
Capitalising on the trend
Many new bars, however, are cashing in on the trend by labelling themselves speakeasies—even with signage that advertises themselves as such. That goes against the spirit, says Sharma. “It’s about discretion, craft, and creating a world your guests can step into. That’s what we’ve tried to keep alive at PCO,” he says.
Muthal echoes a similar sentiment, noting that while these bars are exciting additions to Delhi’s nightlife, the rapid rise of too many such spaces risks diluting the intimacy and authenticity that define a true speakeasy.
Ultimately, the magic isn’t just in the drink; it’s in finding it. The thrill of discovery, the hidden door, the carefully crafted cocktail, Delhi’s speakeasies are intimate time capsules, offering a rare escape from the chaos of city streets into worlds of indulgence, creativity, and secrecy. In a city that never sleeps, some secrets are still worth keeping.