OTHER NIGHTCLUBS AND PUBS, Mumbai

This is an unusual nightclub wherein they often have poetry readings and short plays staged. The music is a great mix and they have a live band on some nights. Some nights are also dedicated to jazz.

Dress Code: No sandals for men or floaters are allowed. I'm not sure but I don't think men in shorts are allowed in as well.

My final night in Mumbai was finished off with some dancing at this club ~ 1900s (called Beyond 1900s now) ~ located in the Taj Mahal hotel. We were initially trying to locate a club called Upstairs or Two Flights Up (memory fails), but it had just been closed and we ended up here on the recommendation of an Indian woman we encountered that night.

There was a surprisingly steep cover to enter (about $15) and drinks were $5 each, but I only paid for one. A man named Gotham introduced himself, introduced his girlfriend, then proceeded to buy our drinks (for me and my two friends) for the rest of the evening. So, it wasn't an expensive night after all. . . :-)

Dress Code: If I had known earlier in the day that I'd end up at a club, I would have worn something a bit nicer than the clothes I had on. The Indian women were wearing a mix of Western club-wear and salwar kameezes and the men were in clubwear, too. . .we felt pretty scruffy in comparison.

It would pay to clean up and dress up (even a bit) before hitting a club like this one.

Well, I'm not really sure why they say Mumbai is the city that never sleeps because there is a curfew of 1:30 a.m. for bars and clubs. That being said, this is Mumbai and there are always exceptions to the rule. The clubs in hotels are allowed to stay open later and you will find other establishments that do ignore the rule.

Live Music Venues have become more popular and this is a list of some of the best:

Zenzi - 183 Waterfield Road, Bandra www.zenzi-india.com/

Blue Frog - Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel bluefrog.co.in/cms/home.html

Hard Rock Cafe - Bombay Dyeing Mill Comound, Pandu Rung Budhkar Marg, Worli

Not Just Jazz by the Bay - 143 Marine Drive , Soona Mahal

Rouge - Rizvi Mahal Bldg, Nr Bhabha Hospital, Bandra (West)

Another confused location. By day a store selling Provogue (Local Fashion House) products and by night a lounge which occassionally hosts fashion shows and other related do's.
Gets nice and packed and plays a good mix of local and int'l music.
Provogue is right next to lush so the corwd tends to mingle and move about.

Dress Code: Dress Up... You never know where you might end up (read: Ramp)

It's hard to describe Olives. It's a restaurant but you'd never want to eat there cause it's "too" lively, crowded and loud. But it's great for drinks, they even have a cobbled path leading to the back where you can enjoy some savory Hookah / Arguille / Sheesha.

Dress Code: Dress well to impress the beautiful ladies that frequent this lounge / restaurant / nightclub.

This used to be a classic Pub in the old fashioned sense, but recently with an increase in demand the jukebox has been replaced by a DJ, The Brews have given way to Cocktails.
It's still a great place to meet on a night when you just wanna hang loose with your crew.

Dress Code: Casual.

A favorite is the Vie Lounge in Juhu. Located right on the beach Vie is gaining a reputation for being the best place in town to mingle with the crem crowd.
It opens up to the beach and has an extensive bar menu. Very much the place for a night of looking and been looked at. Foreign Bartenders ( read: white women) make for an int'l look along with the location which is quite novel.
One possible drawback is that Vie is a favorite for private parties, so call ahead to check if it's open entry.

Dress Code: Dress Up. This place tends to enforce the dress code hard.

Mumbai has plenty of party spots with the most popular being Insomnia(Taj Mahal Hotel), Athena and Polly Esther's to name a few. Because these clubs are frequent by Mumbai's elite socialites, coincidentally, the cover charge goes up too. Expect to pay up to Rs1000 for cover charge alone and it is a must that you dress to impress in order to get in. If you are lucky enough, you may also be dancing right beside a Bollywood star! There are other cheaper places to have a drink around the Colaba area although you may need to ask around for directions.

You just can't go wrong with monde's (as it's affectionately called by locals). This corner pub has huge windows opening outwards giving it an almost cabana-ish feel. It's great for a mid-day brewski to take your mind of the heat and the endless shopping possibilities on this side of town.
The Interiors has artwork by noted Goan Indian Caricaturist Mario Mendonza.

Dress Code: casual

Three Flights Up calls for a lot of superlatives. It is one of Mumbai's largest nightspots that can accommodate upto 800 individuals. The dance floor is all of 500 sq. feet with state of the art sound and light system. Like the name suggests, it is on the third floor, with a 70 feet long blue-lit entrance tunnel with matching runway lights leading upto the disc. The décor boasts of natural brick walls, patterned wooden flooring, etched mirrors, wrought iron glass topped tables and wooden chairs in a combination of black, red and purple. At 110 feet, their bar is probably the longest in the world. The music is of all kinds, from the 70s to the latest. Indian is played only on request. The crowd is fairly young. Ladies get free entry and do not even have to pay the cover charge. If you are the male of the species however, there is a Rs. 200/- entry plus Rs. 200/- cover charge on Saturdays, Rs. 400/- cover charge on Fridays and Rs. 200/- cover charge from Sunday to Thursday. For lunch, they offer the worlds longest buffet with Indian, Chinese, Continental and Italian cuisines. Three Flights Up has other attractions like pool tables and interactive games.

Timings : 7 pm to 1 am (12 noon to 3 pm lunch buffet)
All credit cards accepted.
Valet Parking