Mumbai’s Woodside Inn Debuts In The City As An Ode To Bengaluru’s Legendary Pub Culture

In a city that’s widely called the pub capital of India, a new pub opening might almost go unnoticed. But then, if you are Woodside Inn from Mumbai making its debut, then your ears might perk up for many reasons. It could be your friend from Mumbai telling you how they probably had their first drink here or some wild night out. It could be because you live in Indiranagar, and the rate at which restaurants open here is insane. Or it could be because you have an insatiable need to visit a new place every time. Well, whatever the reasons may be, for us, it was that the Woodside Inn was calling itself an ode to the city’s legendary pub culture.

As Pankil Shah, the co-founder, put it, Woodside Inn wants to be a part of our city’s rich pub culture legacy, and honestly, we like that. There are no theatrics or over-the-top pitch; they are here to be your go-to watering hole. On preview night, we dropped by to see if we could go back and convince our friends to leave their 100 Feet Road pub crawl and come to the slightly less crowded bylanes of Indiranagar (New Thippasandra to be precise). First impression, yes. The two-floor space with communal tables, al fresco seating, and distinct corners gives that familiar vibe we’re so used to whenever we’re out with friends. We are told there at 144 frames that adorn the walls, with about 20 odd that pay homage to Bangalore’s Purple Hazes to Nasas.

We sat on the first floor, slightly away from the bar, so we could people-watch but also not look creepy while doing that. Unlike the Doffs and Sarathys, at the Inn, the food is more polished and refined, true to the gastropub tag it has. It’s also a limited menu, so you can spend less time figuring out what to order and more time drinking and having a good time. We dropped by alone with an agenda to bounce in an hour, but the good company of the founders and friends from the media made us stay longer. And order more than just the highly recommended Grilled Harissa Chicken Skewers, that’s part of their live grill series.

Local brews of Toit, Geist, Red Rhino, and Mannheim feature on the tap, along with your Kingfisher, and the cocktail programme has classics along with house specials in the form of Coconut Lemongrass Margarita and Tokyo Twist. We opted for the Pondicherry Tisane Highball, a sober cocktail to go with the rest of our orders — Sweet Potato Chips with Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Bangers & Mash, and Woodside Inn's Signature Grilled Seabass. Of the lot, our pick of the night was the Grilled Harissa Chicken, Bangers & Mash and the Sweet Potato Chips. The chips featured a BBQ-spiced rub that pairs well with the warm, rich dip. As for the chicken, perfectly spiced. If you are like us, you’d order a few more rounds of that to pair with your pint. 

We are convinced that this could be our new neighbourhood bar, especially given we’ve one too many friends who live in and around New Thippasandra (it really is becoming a popular sub-neighbourhood). Plus, burgers and pizzas are on the menu too, and we do know some friends of ours who love having a burger on their night out, so all in all, the space covers on all fronts — the scene and the food.

Timings: 12 noon to 1 AM

Cost For Two: INR 1,500

Rating: 4.9/5 on Google

Instagram Handle: @woodsideblr