While a lot of us carefully time our
clocks in sync with the happy hours at leading city pubs, there are cheap
joints, where happy hours last all day (and in some cases, all night) long.
Some legendary, some unknown, some shady, some really cool, here’s a list of
dirt cheap drinking joints in Bombay where you can chill with your buddies, with
beer on a budget.
(No, we haven’t included Junta, Gokul,
Mondegar, Leopold, Toto’s and the likes)
Ha, starting perhaps with the shadiest!
This bar is so perfectly tucked away near Metro theater, that only regulars
will be able to guide you best to its location. Ideal for pre-party cheap
drinks, Harvic is frequented majorly by Xaviers’ students and young
professionals from nearby offices. The boiled eggs and chana zor garam are
recommended must-haves with drinks, at the place where two people can have a
meal under 500 rupees.
Where- Anandi Lal
Poddar Marg, Near Kitkat Restaurant, Dhobi Talao, Marine Lines,
Another bar which holds a special place
in the lives of Xaverites; be it broken hearts, mended friendships or the
Malhar frenzy, you will find students from Xaviers in Sunlight’s puny corners
at all times. A typical bar-like setup, this place has a diverse menu ranging
from bar snacks to those authentic bombils and mandli fishes. Moreover, there’s
even popcorn for chakna, which comes really cheap and a pint of beer costs
approximately 150 rupees.
Where- Ravindra House, Kalbadevi Road,
Near Furtados, Dhobi Talao, Kalbadevi
After shopping at Hill Road or lounging by Carters, if you
are in the mood for something stronger than the drinks at Candies, Yacht could
be a place you should head to. Regulars and newbies are treated equally and you
can order a quarter or half bottle of alcohol here. Egg preparations are plenty
along with (shhhh) beef ones. In short, when you are extremely broke and need
to give a cheap treat, Yacht could come to the rescue.
Where- Near Bandstand
& St
Andrews Church, Hill
Road,
Bandra West
Well, ahem, well, not to sound
privileged but hassle-free entry to this makes us ‘presswallas’ feel like the
coveted ones. Unlike common perception, not all, but only one of you needs to
hold a press club membership to enter here and binge on cheap beer and cheaper
food. The food is good, the terrace seating is wonderful, and the place has
decent crowd. This one’s probably not the cheapest, but we let you eavesdrop on
all the dope we have on celebrities, politicians and even aliens from Jupiter!
Sounds about right, doesn’t it?
Where- Glass
House, Azad Maidan, Fort
A place where future CEO’s (IIT
undergrads) and entrepreneurs can be found nonchalantly
sipping some chilled beer or whiskey. Over the years, a lot more girls are
found on the first floor of Laxmi (which is the bar area) while the place
continues to be a pure-veg family restaurant on the ground floor. Their masala
pao and tava pulao are to die for. The place is pure vegetarian (what???) but
still has over 50 accompaniments with drinks, in multiple courses, so you can
skip the tangdi for once.
Where- IIT Main
Gate, Powai
Another pre-party drinks place at Pali
Hill, PJs has an equal share of followers for the food too. Indian, Chinese and
a hint of Italian, their chilly cheese toast is brilliant, along with the
pepper steak. The only drawback- the place charges 50 rupees on weekdays and
100 rupees on weekend as entry fee (weird). But that works in a way, as the
crowd gets filtered and you can clink glasses with a lot better crowd.
Where- SAISA Gymkhana,
St. Anthony's Institute, 33rd
Road, Pali Hill,
Bandra West
We discovered
this place when we walked up to Taj, realised we could never afford it, but
wanted to have beer with the same view. Since this rooftop place overlooks the Gateway
of India, couples can easily plan their date-nights here. The place serves only
beer and wine, with multi-cuisine food options, and leaves you mesmerised with
unending views of the Mumbai harbour.
Where- Hotel Harbour View, Kerawala Chamber, Opposite Radio
Club, 25, J P Ramchandani Marg, Colaba,
An erstwhile
Irani café, Café Ideal has retained the Parsi-ness in the menu by offering
limited, yet authentic Parsi delights, along with a range of multi-cuisine
options. They still have a jukebox, where you can play old favourites and enjoy
some beer, along with mild liquor and cocktails. The place is another café by
the seaside, as it is located along the Chowpatty beach. Ideally, grab a window
table at Café Ideal and unwind over some lunch, chilled beer and old music,
while seeing the world go by.
Where- 5, Fulchand
Nivas, Chowpatty, Mumbai
Well the best thing about this place
is, that it is present everywhere. Named as Jughead’s or Pop Tate’s, this
‘unrestaurant’ serves brilliant sizzlers, pastas and starters, along with a
host of drinks, with amazing happy hours from 2:47 pm to 7:42 pm. With outlets
right from Thane west to Sakinaka and Mulund to Malad, you are likely to be
near an outlet in the ‘burbs as you read this.
Where- Malad, Vikhroli, Saki Naka, Vashi, Thane, Andheri,
Mulund
The location couldn’t have been more
posh, and the pricing couldn’t have been more modest. Situated in the lanes of Colaba,
Alps preserves that old world Bombay
charm, in a setting which couldn’t be more Bombay-sque. Right behind Taj, in
the same lane as Mondegar, head to Alps for a
cheap pitcher of beer (and no other alcohol) and some delectable starters.
Where- Nawroji
Furdunji Road, Roosevelt House, Behind Taj Intercontinental, Colaba
Disclaimer- While most of these places may
make you go ‘shady shady shady’ the minute you enter, remember that you are
drinking daru at a cheap place, so don’t expect a swanky crowd or the most chic
ambiance. These places are mostly thronged by college students and broke
people, so no, not date material. Also, women, just gauge the crowd if you are
going alone, but the staff at all the places is polite and courteous to their
lady guests. Relive your college days and bring in the weekend. After a few
drinks everything will turn hazy anyway!
