Biryani, chaat and tikkas: The big shift in Bengaluru’s pub food scene

A few weeks ago, I had curd rice for dinner at a pub. Yes, you read that right. Indian restobar menus have long been dominated by international pub fare — burgers, pizzas, lasagnas, and the like — but this is now changing courtesy of several outposts spotlighting Indian cuisine. Now, traditional Indian fare finds centrestage in menus: think sambar saadam, bun omlettes, chaat, biryani, and more. 

Awadhi mutton biryani at Suzy Q
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

At Mannheim Craft Brewery, Indian cuisine has been an “essential” part of their menu strategy.   Nirmal PV, partner, says, “We make it a point to offer a strong and well-curated selection of Indian dishes across all our locations. It’s about understanding what consistently resonates with our guests,” he says, adding that the team studies a locality’s existing restaurant landscape when planning a menu. For instance, at one of their outlets, the team chose to focus predominantly on south Indian non-vegetarian specialties such as Calicut mutton fry, Andhra chilli chicken, appam with stew, and Coorgi pandi curry. “The response was extremely positive and helped us carve a distinct identity.” 

Nirmal explains that they hire chefs who have experience in specific cuisines. “Each dish goes through multiple trials and refinements before being finalised. We have not relied on external consultants for menu development; it’s an in-house, hands-on process for us.” Popular dishes include burnt garlic chicken tikka, paneer tikka, prawn ghee roast, and podi wings. 

Tandoori paplet at Daysie
| Photo Credit:
SOHAM SHONEY

At Social, their chefs across cities bring their own food cultures, memories, and local understanding into the process. “This is exactly how we build our Local Heroes menus,” shares  Chef Shamsul Wahid, group executive chef, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality. For example, in Mumbai, they introduced dishes like vada pav bao, samosa bhakarwadi with thecha, and Kandivali fried chicken as an ode to the city’s street food culture and Maharashtrian home-style flavours.

“When we build hyperlocal dishes or city-specific menus, it comes from spending time in that place, understanding what people actually eat, what they miss, what they celebrate, and then interpreting it through our lens.”

He says since the brand “was imagined around real Indian social spaces; dhabas, tapris, Irani cafés, railway kitchens…”, the presence of Indian flavours on the menu is not a pivot. Indian dishes on their menus include toast-e-galawati, nihari croissant prashant, and chaat ke gubbare. “In 2025, guests consumed over 1,13,825 plates of chaat across Social outlets, and we delivered over 15,294 kilograms of biryani across India,” adds Shamsul. 

Donne biryani at Mannheim Craft Brewery
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

But what makes Indian flavours work well as bar sides and mains after a night out drinking? Anirudh Khenny, partner, Keen Mustard Ventures (Serious Slice, Quarterhouse, Suzy Q) says the cuisine at Daysie “is built on layered flavour, spice, acid, fat, and warmth. That combination naturally complements alcohol.” Here, menu highlights are masala khakra, Bohri keema samosa, and Anirudh’s favourite is the haleem butter toast. 

I ask if there were any unexpected hits. “A few dishes like crispy nadru (a Kashmiri dish) and khumb galouti that we expected to be niche turned into high-volume sellers. What surprised us most is how comfortable diners are with bold Indian flavours even late into the night. There is a clear shift away from safe, neutral bar food toward dishes that balance spice, freshness, and depth,” adds Anirudh.

Chicken gilafi sheek at Mannheim Craft Brewery
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Nirmal says the sundal — a simple preparation of black and white chickpeas tempered with grated coconut, mustard seeds, and curry leaves — turned out to be an unexpected hit as a bar snack. “Dal khichdi has also performed remarkably well. We’ve noticed that many diners prefer something light and comforting for dinner after enjoying spicy, flavourful snacks with their drinks.” 

At Suzy Q, Anirudh sees the popularity of Indian food at pubs as a structural shift rather than a seasonal trend. “As Indian diners become more confident and better travelled, they don’t park Indian food into a ‘specialty cuisine’ box anymore. Bars and pubs are moving toward flavour-driven, comfort-forward menus, and Indian cuisine is naturally designed for that future,” he says, adding that the Awadhi mutton biryani and mutton bhuna achari have been popular with diners. 

Haleem butter toast at Daysie
| Photo Credit:
SOHAM SHONEY

Shamsul agrees. “For a long time, pub menus leaned heavily on borrowed formats. But Indian diners have always had a strong relationship with their own flavours. What is changing now is the confidence with which those flavours are being placed at the centre of the table. Indian food like chaat, kebabs, tikkas, and biryani naturally fit the pub environment: it is bold, shareable, layered, and built for conversation.”

Published – February 20, 2026 11:04 am IST