31 Best Nightlife in India

Kolkata's favorite pub is compact and always packed—it hosts nine hours of live music every day. Besides talented and popular local bands playing rock, blues, alternative, and jazz, the venue hosts top international acts frequently. It's a great place to bond with musicians and music lovers—the city is teeming with both.

The large bar here is a classic watering hole decked out the way it looked in the years leading up to the end of the Raj. The drink menu is massive, and lounge music keeps the vibe contemporary.

A popular hangout for young professionals and those on a date, this sheesha (hookah) lounge also serves a Sunday brunch and has a menu of Japanese, Mediterranean and Continental cuisine.

The rooftop club at the Four Seasons is one of the most popular—and most expensive—bars in town, but it offers stunning views of the city in all directions, and is probably worth a drink.

Named for the Vedic fire god, the swanky Agni, in the Park Hotel, attracts Delhi's party crowd, playing electronic interspersed with pop, hip-hop, and Bollywood hits. The door staff can be selective.

As the name suggests, Aqua is a giant outdoor space focused on a large swimming pool surrounded with lovely cabanas. It's got a well-heeled, more sedate crowd, especially when compared to its crazy next-door neighbor, Agni.

Brunton Boatyard’s bar and café is decorated, as its name suggests, with rifles and other such colonial-era weaponry, as well as chests and maritime artifacts. The rich wood rafters and views of the harbor make it an excellent place for a sundowner or a late-night drink.

Local professionals congregate in this pub, which has skilled bartenders. Coming from the speakers is a mix of rock, pop, and Bollywood music. Midweek theme nights and special offers on sangria pitchers help pack 'em in.

Blue Frog promises interesting live music from all over the country and internationally almost every night, delivered via a state-of-the-art sound system and accompanied by classy cocktails and snacks. Entry is free before 9 pm on most evenings, except for ticketed events.

With some of the best views of the city, the open-air Dome attracts a young, good-looking crowd who sit, amid candlelight, on plush white sofas and chairs. It's one of the best sunset-drink spots in the city, and the fact that the menu includes a selection from the excellent Kebab Korner only sweetens the deal. Drinks are fairly expensive, but if you're on a budget, grab a Kingfisher for Rs. 450. That's hardly a steal, but you're paying for the view.

Facing the Arabian Sea, this bar is elegant and more reserved than many of its peers, and attracts a rather high-class clientele for the live jazz band that plays each night.

A relatively staid yuppie crowd likes to hang out in the clubby (in the British sense) setting here, but it's also one of the few bars with enough TVs to accommodate a big sporting event like Wimbledon or the World Cup.

The safest destination to test out one of Mumbai's infamous permit rooms offers a no-frills, dingy atmosphere—this is the kind of place you want to hit up for supercheap drinks (we're talking nearly retail prices per bottle, which you can order to your table) before you head to the club, or for a late-night drink postclubbing, if the owners have paid the cops enough to stay open past bar time that night.

At the dark and publike Golf Bar, you're sure to hear cheesy pop and rock hits from the '80s onward (think wedding reception). Some nights it's just elderly gentlemen sipping whiskey sodas on leather couches, while other nights you may stumble on a party in full swing.

This venue obviously isn't especially India, but it does sometimes book some interesting bands (call for the weekly performance schedule). If you're homesick for the States, come here for a plate of nachos, washed down with a margarita or two.

Chic, chic, chic, and the cocktails are innovative and delicious: street-food-inspired concoctions include the betel-leaf martini and the sour mango mojito. It's one of the new classics in town, with a loyal following.

Koyla is a rooftop hangout with hookahs, Arabian music, a good breeze, and tasty barbecue bites. No alcohol is served.

This candlelit nightspot draws Mumbai's who's who for bites of top-notch antipasti, risotto, seafood salad, and sips of caipiroskas (caipirin is made with vodka instead of the rumlike cachaça).

Rebranded from Not Just Jazz by the Bay, this had been one of Mumbai's few jazz venues, but with the name change went the music that had been the joint's hallmark. Still, while the music can sometimes be meh, the pizza is among the city's better pies, its location by the sea is beautiful, and it stays open until 1:30 am.

The Astor Hotel may have fallen out of favor with travelers due to the glitzier and younger competition, but its lounge remains a top draw with party animals. The spacious interior—a rarity in city nightspots—draws a suitably well-heeled crowd that also comes for the food. The spicy glazed prawns, the clay-oven barbecued chicken, and the Caribbean chicken skewers all come recommended. The drinks are less amazing.

While very much a hotel bar, this place can be very lively. The wood-panel room has a curved bar, a leather sofa, a library with newspapers, an oddball collection of books, and sports channels playing on TV. It's known for its collection of vintage single malts and live jazz.

The booze selection is hard to beat at this magnet for Delhi's beautiful people. It features an extensive whisky selection, accompanied by snacks that are Southeast Asian. Go before 9 pm if you want a seat.

Popular with both locals and tourists, Seagull is a great option for a chilled beer by the sea, especially if you opt to sit outside on the pier. There’s also a restaurant offering a large selection of local seafood and other dishes.

This laid-back lounge with plenty of low-slung couches is where expats head for quiet drinks and conversation over wood-fired pizza.

Despite newer, younger venues around town, Tantra still draws the hottest crowd to its dance floor. Favored by those in their 20s, Tantra is where film stars and models let their hair down.

Stay long enough in Mumbai, and the words "cold beer on tap" start to sound like some distant faraway dream. This bar's founder, Greg Kroitzsh, a transplant from Vermont, decided to quit whining about India's headache-inducing bottles of Kingfisher Strong, and make the dream real. The Barking Deer brews its own pale ale, as well as Bombay Blonde, a tasty lager, and the Belgian Wit, a crisp wheat beer. Kroitzsh keeps on hand a nice sampling of imported bottled beers, and the pub fare, like the eggplant Parm sandwich, is well regarded. Weekend nights tend to become overcrowded with partyers, but afternoons present a quiet opportunity to relax and reflect on your trip. The best part? Happy hour (4–8) is two beers for the price of one. There's free Wi-Fi, too.

This is among the most legendary dives in the entire city, complete with a pair of beat-up pool tables, black light, and a psychedelic mural of Jim Morrison.

This brewpub currently stands as a reminder of how tricky it is to get government permission to brew beer in Mumbai. Huge brass tankers have sat unattended behind the clean, inviting black-and-white checkered bar since its opening. Bottles of imported ales, stouts, and lagers are served instead; the atmosphere, pub food, and bar snacks, like hot, tangy sweet-potato-and-chives popcorn, make it well worth the visit. The brewing license is coming, we are told, but in the meantime, there are many reasons to keep coming back.

Underground is a popular venue, though the crowd gets a bit rambunctious as the evening wears on.