The Best Party Places In India

Indian cities’ nightlife is hampered by all sorts of restrictions. Yet die-hard revellers would hardly let mundane realities such as time or noise curbs come in the way of getting down and dirty. So here’s a long list of the best party hotspots in the country, in no particular order of awesome!

- Aparajita Mukherjee

MUMBAI

BlueFrog The Frog, as it’s known in common parley, revolutionised the live music scene in Mumbai and has since become synonymous with it. The management is reverential towards musicians and their craft—the bar is open only for beer and wine when a performance is on (no noisy cocktail shakers!). Nestled inside the Mathuradas Mill Compound, the club’s futuristic interiors, long bar, circular seating pods and avant-garde sound are in stark contrast to its location in an abandoned utilitarian industrial mill, which makes the whole experience that much more interesting. The prices are not exorbitant, but it isn’t inexpensive enough to be a daily hangout either.

Genre Live music and stand-up comedy

Cost for two `3,000

Address D/2 Mathuradas Mills Compound, N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai (they're moving to a new address end of August)

Phone [phone]

Royalty

With a Royal Lounge (fashioned by celebrated designer Rocky S), an elevated VIP area with private service, the Red Room with baroque furnishings in hues of red,and the 10,000-sq-ft European Renaissance main club area, Royalty lives up to its name! Deftly-made cocktails and upbeat Bollywood music make it easy to get used to the size of this place. However, even with the huge carpet space, the club gets quite crowded—to tackle the breathlessness of packed spaces, the club is equipped with oxygen pumps. One of the few internationally-reckoned clubs in India.

Genre Bollywood music

Cost for two `7,500

Address Krystal Building, Waterfield Road, Bandra Talao, Bandra West, Mumbai

Phone [phone]

Toto’s Garage