Step Inside Upstairs, Indian Accent’s New After-Hours Bar Built For Jazz, Martinis & Mystery

For many, Indian Accent signified the point of origin for modern Indian cuisine when it opened its doors 15 years ago. Today, the iconic restaurant opens a new pair of doors—this time to an intimate bar on the first floor of its Lodhi property. It extends the restaurant’s overall vibe of being cocooned in a world of plush leather, rare fragrances, silk and chiaroscuro. This holds true for the drinks that Upstairs, which is what the new bar is named, serves—a play on Indian flavours and ingredients that we've come to expect from Indian Accent for years now.

The Ambiance

There's a general air of a well-kept secret about Upstairs, giving it the aura of a place that only a few are privy to. The name, Upstairs, carries a gentle literalness, as if it were a place that would need you to know someone, who would then know a password that opened the ties to a veil you never knew existed. “That was the idea, but also to keep the place simple and true to our ethos,” shares Rohit Khattar, founding chairman of EHV International, when I met him at this chic new hideaway last weekend.

While Delhi is home to ample bars by now, Upstairs at Indian Accent calls out to a very specific niche that few places in the world have managed to establish over the years. Think of the legends of The Polo Lounge at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles—where you're likely to stumble upon the human side of people you've seen on the other side of a screen—deep into a meeting, or seated at a quiet corner with their partner, or even at the bar, by themselves. Here, at Upstairs, the ambiance is exactly the same. A close equal can be The Library Bar at The Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi's Chanakyapuri.

The presence of a specialist martini menu also gives its ambiance the distinct James Bond-esque vibe—something that's hard to miss, or not be inclined toward. A tall bar anchors the room, all glittery in dim candlelight just the way every bar worth its salt should. Rich Sabyasachi upholstery wraps the space in a tapestry of shadow and colour. The wallpaper feels like a backdrop to a scene in which Bond might walk in, pause, and assess the room before selecting a corner seat that tells you he already knows everything he needs to know. It is sultry, elegant, and crisp at the edges, like a frame from a perfectly shot sequence.

The Cocktails

Curated by Varun Sharma, head of bars at the hospitality chain, the cocktails reinterpret classics through an Indian lens. The mobile martini cart is a definite attraction, and draws your attention upon first glance. The bartenders at Upstairs have topped the martini menu up with Indian ingredients and accessories. This takes shape in the form of six martinis, each with a very Indian touch.

The 'desi dirty martini', for instance, is shaken—not stirred—with a nimbu achaar brine that gives it a very distinct taste. In ways, you'd relate it to a very well-made paani of a fuchka in Kolkata. The bar also offers a take on a classic French martini, but with a kokum riff that gives it a velvety touch—one that anyone with a sweet tooth will absolutely savour. The saunf-infused fennel-tequila martini is self-explanatory, but is surprisingly well-suited to Indian taste buds. Even classics, such as the bone-dry martini, adds vermouth spiced with the flavours of the nihari—making it stand out from a typical one. Of the six martinis in the menu, the desi dirty martini was our pick of the lot—the sort of drink that could easily become Upstairs' signature.

Should your mood lean simpler, the bartenders will oblige with a whiskey sour or a straight pour from the glittering bar that, like the grace of any top bar around the world, doesn't scream out at you. Whatever you choose, the night moves to the rhythm of slow jazz. Vocalist Alyse Pascoe brings a sultry, honeyed tone reminiscent of the jazz bars we've seen in the golden era of Hollywood, as well as ones that Bond himself frequented in his earliest cinematic years. Her voice slips through the room like a warm current, softening edges and deepening the shadows amid quick winks and a sparkle of laughter between her and the patrons of Upstairs.

The Food

The food at the bar is headed by Indian Accent's head chef, Hitesh Lohat. The menu, it appears, would be tweaked every quarter. The inaugural one, Markets of Delhi, pays homage to the city’s iconic culinary neighbourhoods. Expect Old Delhi fried chicken with its nostalgic crunch, a 'kabab sando' on cloud-soft shokupan inspired by Karol Bagh, and braised pork belly with timur and dale chilli that calls upon Humayunpur. These dishes support the night’s atmosphere rather than distract from it. They are the understated dinner companions, and yet, signature to what Indian Accent has been known for—reinventing dishes of comfort, but with restraints.

They have, after all, been there—and done that aplenty.

Upstairs opens at 6PM in the evening, and will remain open for pours until 1AM for now. Soon, it'll serve patrons until 4AM in the morning, as per the management. With this, Upstairs joins Delhi’s rare circle of true late-night bars. It is an enclave of jazz, candlelight, shadow-play and martinis, and is now open for Indian Accent's regulars and select invitees. In time, it is expected to evolve into a members-only space on select evenings.

ELLE Gourmet's Verdict

Until then, Upstairs is a destination bar that Delhi has been on the lookout for. It creates a cocoon that stays open late into the night, but does not rush its guests into the night. Here, the night stretches languidly, the martinis arrive with intent, and the atmosphere feels as if you should expect something exceptional to happen, at any given time.