Hoppipola is a really hip, casual hang out and bar in Kalyani Nagar, near Kerala Cafe. Quirky and pretty interiors with a chilled out outdoor seating as well. It has typical low warm lighting and pumping music setting the perfect mood. I would say though, some of the funky looking tables and stools on the outside, looked cool, but were seriously wobbly and unstable, each of us fell off the chairs at least once, some of us, more than that!
This is a serious party place with drinks and spirits starting at Rs. 99 and cocktails starting at Rs. 149 for happy hours. Group of friends hanging out after a long time? Want a crazy office party? This is a serious contender for that. But wouldn't really call this a 'first date' kind of place, unless you kids are into it nowadays.
Drinks - We had a few amazing cocktails. Long Island Ice Freeze and Not So Old Fashioned were my definite favourites. Great refreshing taste and fairly punchy as well. IQ was quite nice, a watermelon and vodka concoction. The interesting sounding Da VinciTini was decent. A few mocktails we tasted were really nice too.
Time Pass Platter - This is the ultimate chakna platter! A perfect mashup of the greatest alcohol accompaniments ever. Cheeselings, bhel, sev and chana chor garam!
Salads - I mean, bar and party place mein healthy food kaun khata hai? Well, those nutters, which every group has, this place has them covered. The Caesar Salad we had was excellent. Fresh vegetables, cheese, croutons and the non-veg version has chicken and crispy smokey bacon as well! Dil khush!
Starters
Cheesy Nachos Avalanche was literally an avalanche of bar food goodness. Crispy chips, cream sauce, salsa, all topped with a heap of melty gooey cheese. It was really good and I couldn't stop eating this.
Thread Paneer was quite nice, soft paneer with a super crispy noodle exterior, served with a sweet tangy sauce.
Southern Spiced Crispy Prawns were excellent too, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with a typical intense South Indian style spicy masala, quite perfect!
Thai Spiced Grilled Fish were amazing, juicy fish skewers with classic Thai flavours of lemongrass, Kaffir lime, Thai basil etc. I would have loved it to be punchier, but not bad at all.
Stir Fried Chilli Pork was quite nice too. Nice flavours, really juicy fatty and meaty pork, the quality was great. Would have loved a bit more punch in the sauce, though.
Chilli Chicken Bao was decent. But unfortunately, Naga Chilli Potatoes and Old Monk Chicken Wings were really bad, they had no flavour at all. They really need a lot of improvement.
Pizza - Who doesn't crave a pizza, especially, a thin crust cheesy one after a couple of drinks, eh? Well I certainly do and I was more than happy munching on these. Especially the vegetarian - Truffle Trio - was amazing. The sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and hint of truffle oil, just made it a really morish pizza. The sun dried tomatoes were a bit sweet, but this was another dish I just couldn't get enough of! I didn't even realise and I was down 4 pieces already!
The Jerk Chicken Pizza was decent, the chicken needed more flavour and it did not really go well with the rest of the toppings, especially the raw bell peppers. The tomato sauce for the pizzas too needs to be better.
Sizzler - The Stuffed Chicken Sizzler was amazing. Juicy chicken, stuffed with spinach and mushroom with a delicious brown sauce loaded with garlic, herbs and pepper. The sauteed vegetables and mash was nice too, but I would've preferred fries over the latter.
The Paneer Makhni Sizzler was a bit confusing. It was just paneer makhni gravy with jeera rice and laccha paratha. It wasn't like an intersting fusion dish but just normal curry, rice and paratha in a sizzler style presentation. The curry too was decent not that exceptional. This could do with a rethink.
Desserts - We had a Sizzling Brownie and it was really good. The brownie was really tasty and it wasn't burnt on the base like some places do. Overall a nice end to the meal.
Verdict - This is a great place to hang out, party and chill out with friends. The drinks are cheap and the food is really good, classic bar grub. Some dishes need improvement, but it's not the end of the world. This is not the most high end pub or bar of Pune, but definitely a worthy contender to let your hair down or have a fun nightout with the squad or unwind at the end of a stressful work week.
This is a serious party place with drinks and spirits starting at Rs. 99 and cocktails starting at Rs. 149 for happy hours. Group of friends hanging out after a long time? Want a crazy office party? This is a serious contender for that. But wouldn't really call this a 'first date' kind of place, unless you kids are into it nowadays.
Drinks - We had a few amazing cocktails. Long Island Ice Freeze and Not So Old Fashioned were my definite favourites. Great refreshing taste and fairly punchy as well. IQ was quite nice, a watermelon and vodka concoction. The interesting sounding Da VinciTini was decent. A few mocktails we tasted were really nice too.
Time Pass Platter - This is the ultimate chakna platter! A perfect mashup of the greatest alcohol accompaniments ever. Cheeselings, bhel, sev and chana chor garam!
Salads - I mean, bar and party place mein healthy food kaun khata hai? Well, those nutters, which every group has, this place has them covered. The Caesar Salad we had was excellent. Fresh vegetables, cheese, croutons and the non-veg version has chicken and crispy smokey bacon as well! Dil khush!
Starters
Cheesy Nachos Avalanche was literally an avalanche of bar food goodness. Crispy chips, cream sauce, salsa, all topped with a heap of melty gooey cheese. It was really good and I couldn't stop eating this.
Thread Paneer was quite nice, soft paneer with a super crispy noodle exterior, served with a sweet tangy sauce.
Southern Spiced Crispy Prawns were excellent too, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with a typical intense South Indian style spicy masala, quite perfect!
Thai Spiced Grilled Fish were amazing, juicy fish skewers with classic Thai flavours of lemongrass, Kaffir lime, Thai basil etc. I would have loved it to be punchier, but not bad at all.
Stir Fried Chilli Pork was quite nice too. Nice flavours, really juicy fatty and meaty pork, the quality was great. Would have loved a bit more punch in the sauce, though.
Chilli Chicken Bao was decent. But unfortunately, Naga Chilli Potatoes and Old Monk Chicken Wings were really bad, they had no flavour at all. They really need a lot of improvement.
Pizza - Who doesn't crave a pizza, especially, a thin crust cheesy one after a couple of drinks, eh? Well I certainly do and I was more than happy munching on these. Especially the vegetarian - Truffle Trio - was amazing. The sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and hint of truffle oil, just made it a really morish pizza. The sun dried tomatoes were a bit sweet, but this was another dish I just couldn't get enough of! I didn't even realise and I was down 4 pieces already!
The Jerk Chicken Pizza was decent, the chicken needed more flavour and it did not really go well with the rest of the toppings, especially the raw bell peppers. The tomato sauce for the pizzas too needs to be better.
Sizzler - The Stuffed Chicken Sizzler was amazing. Juicy chicken, stuffed with spinach and mushroom with a delicious brown sauce loaded with garlic, herbs and pepper. The sauteed vegetables and mash was nice too, but I would've preferred fries over the latter.
The Paneer Makhni Sizzler was a bit confusing. It was just paneer makhni gravy with jeera rice and laccha paratha. It wasn't like an intersting fusion dish but just normal curry, rice and paratha in a sizzler style presentation. The curry too was decent not that exceptional. This could do with a rethink.
Desserts - We had a Sizzling Brownie and it was really good. The brownie was really tasty and it wasn't burnt on the base like some places do. Overall a nice end to the meal.
Verdict - This is a great place to hang out, party and chill out with friends. The drinks are cheap and the food is really good, classic bar grub. Some dishes need improvement, but it's not the end of the world. This is not the most high end pub or bar of Pune, but definitely a worthy contender to let your hair down or have a fun nightout with the squad or unwind at the end of a stressful work week.
