Any celebrations are made better with a drink in hand — be it a night with your partner, friends, or even a solo drink to unwind after a long day at work. When paired with the focused service, delectable dishes, and individualised attention signature to stand-alone establishments, the celebrations become merrier. Understanding this, the third edition of Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s readers’ choice Delicious Dining Awards thanked and awarded the best stand-alone bars for their stellar job.
Delicious Dining Awards (DDA) 2022, organised by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia, highlights, celebrates, and awards India’s best restaurants, bars, beverages, and personalities, as chosen by those who know the Indian culinary scene best—You! Over the years, the celebrations have seen the best restaurants and bars from the culinary industry find a spot on the coveted list. This year, things were bigger, better, and fresher!
Delicious Dining Awards 2022 felicitated the best stand-alone bars as chosen by readers through an online voting process. The three-month-long cut-throat competition, however, was spearheaded by the diners themselves. Over the course of the voting period, readers and diners were given the opportunity to nominate and vote for their favourite stand-alone bars across categories. They raised a toast for the best stand-alone bars—such as the ones that offer the best alfresco setting, ideal for all kinds of parties or even the best artisanal bar, perfect to unwind over delicious drinks. Noting the rise in breweries in the country, the publication also included favourite microbreweries for this year’s celebrations. The result? A lot of love poured over some of the country’s best stand-alone bars!
The fierce battle ended with a celebration and awards ceremony at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity on July 19. But who won and got the most votes? Check it out below!
These are the best standalone bars according to T+L readers
The go-to rooftop bar for the young partygoers of Delhi, Raasta serves an electrifying ambience along with a Continental-Italian menu and a range of drinks. Bringing a slice of the Caribbean to the capital, the venue is big on music and pays tribute to the legendary Bob Marley, who made Rastafarian culture a part of the mainstream music scene. The open-air diner is a thumping party destination at night, making it an ideal place to beat weekday blues and celebrate weekends.
A rustic hideaway in a garden filled with microgreens, herbs, and plants, Olive Bar and Kitchen in Mumbai has been a patrons’ favourite for over two decades now. The ever-changing experimental restaurant offers a laid-back Mediterranean vibe. Be it Sunday brunches in its sunlit courtyards or Thursday nights at the vibrant bar, affairs here are always dreamy, and often star-studded.
Perched on a beach-facing cliff in Vagator, Goa, Titlie has quickly become a crowd favourite. Chef and co-owner Tarun Sibal’s ‘collaborative cuisine’ shines at the culinary bar. Featuring in-house tinctures and bitters along with a range of rich wines, beers, gins, whiskies, and more, the place makes for a refreshing mixology experience in the sunshine state. Like they say, the glass is always half full at Titlie.
Representing the style and flavours of Oriental cuisine, Bo Tai is a modern Thai bar and grill. Furnished in cosmopolitan Italian design, the Delhi restaurant occupies a sophisticated spot in Mehrauli, overlooking the Qutub Minar. Besides a rich food menu, the place wins hearts for its signature cocktails that range from refreshing aperitifs to stiffer tipples infused with traditional Thai ingredients.
Park, Great State Dive has taken Pune’s craft beer scene up a notch. Launched late last year, the rooftop brewery loves to experiment with indigenous ingredients, brewing styles, and seasonal produce to curate unique beers for all kinds of palates. Proud of being a go-to local neighbourhood bar, Great State Dive likes to keep it simple with food that is comforting, the cocktails that are heady, and the beer that is brewed with extra love.
In over a decade of its existence, Toit has played a small part in setting a trend for craft breweries and pubs in Bengaluru and India. The brick-walled microbrewery is known for the use of all-natural ingredients, eukaryotic yeast, imported malts, and the hippest of hops. The perfect place for beer enthusiasts, Toit also conducts brewery tours that take your drinking experience to a whole new level; as a sweet addition, they donate the funds collected from the tours to charities.
Image Credits: Brands
Related: All Your Questions About The Delicious Dining Awards Answered
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