A Manga-Inspired Saga: Japonico Is Taking Over Gurugram & How

Another Friday night in Delhi and an insatiable urge to find the next best place. I've been on a Japanese food hunt for a while now, and while there are the usual spots that help, stumbling upon something new, fresh, and bold always feels good. Walking into Japonico feels like stepping into a nocturnal dream on Golf Course Road. Established by ace restaurateur Sahil Sambhi and designed by Freddy Birdy, the space defies everything we know about restaurants. What stuck out to me was the energy of the place. Water, fire, and air come together like cords of a melody. The place is part high-end Japanese restaurant, part electrifying cocktail bar, and part urban playground that pulsates from early evening dinner service to late-night revelry.

Whether you’re sliding in for a sunset skyline cocktail on the "outdoor" terrace, taking a seat by the mesmerising robata grill thats manned by the Marco Pierre White trained Chef Robert Blondi, or claiming a spot at the communal DJ dining table, there’s an effortless energy here that draws you in and makes you make mental nots about when next you're bound to visit.

Japonico easily slid its way high up on the 30 Best Bars list and rightly so. Their drinks menu is a stunningly crafted Manga-inspired menu that revolves around a fictional character — Kaito Sakamoto — and his journey through growth, perseverance, happiness, and brotherhood, among other themes. We had the talented Mayank serving us that night, who took all the trouble to let us into this world of Japonico.

I believe it is the bar that helps Japonico pivot from just another bar with artisanal cocktails to pure storytelling theatre. Each drink represents a chapter in Sakamoto's life, from humble beginnings to his rise; every sip connects with a narrative beat that's fun, flavour-forward, and unexpectedly refined.

We suggest trying The Humble Beginning—a refreshing blend of fermented fruit wine, sparkling sake, and vodka that also doubles as an invitation to the story itself. For something punchier, the Golden Harvest balances spice and sweetness with yuzu kosho and tequila, while creations like smoked wasabi martinis or whiskey-and-coffee-twisted concoctions challenge to charm the palate (will succeed, must I say!).

Headed by the lovely Roberto Blondi, the food at Japonico is a beautiful collision of Japanese food's basics with a global inspiration. Expect pristine sashimi, inventive hako zushi pressed rolls, and robata-grilled treasures. The chef's menu doesn't just serve food, it tells stories through texture and bold, balanced flavour.

I suggest you order the hamachi carpaccio, which is a silky, citrus-kissed spectacle that's as delicate as its name suggests — or let the robata grill captivate you with flame-kissed seafood and meat. I suggest the baby chicken, which might bring you to tears, or signature plates like miso-black cod and truffle-dusted yakitori, which sing with nuanced complexity. Vegetarians aren't left behind either; thoughtful options like a shiitake-and-truffle-oil salad complement the menu's richer notes.

For dessert, whether you go for a fluffy Japanese cheesecake or an indulgent molten fondant, it rounds things off with perfect finesse.

The place is a nocturnal dream with moody amber lighting, rippling metal chain curtains, and immersive digital art projections that feel part futuristic Tokyo alley, part curated art installation. A striking water feature at the bar adds a sense of calm to the buzz, a quiet heartbeat under the zone’s vibrant pulse.

Inside, the layout feels deliberately dynamic: a sleek bar where the waterfall installation steals glances; a robata theatre where flames dance; and an alfresco terrace where the skyline twinkles as the night deepens. By late evening, the place transcends dining, the music rises, the DJ spins, and Japonico transforms into a nightlife hub without losing its refined edge. From the first bite to the final sip, it’s the kind of place that makes you want to linger, linger a little more, and promise yourself you’ll return soon.