Mumbai (Bombay) Entertainment

  1. Busaba

    Red walls, framed postcards and old photos give this loungey restaurant-bar a bohemian feel. It's next to Indigo so gets the same trendy crowd, but serves cheaper, more potent cocktails.

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  2. Café Mondegar

    Mondegar's nightly traveller-based crowd is as 'colourful' as the wall caricatures by a famous Goan artist, but that could be our beer-goggle glasses talking. Expect to shout your draught beer (around Rs85 ) orders over the popular, non-stop CD jukebox.

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  3. Dome

    What may be the swishest hotel bar in town, this white on white on white rooftop drinking lounge has awesome views of Mumbai's curving seafront. Cocktails beckon the hip young things of Mumbai nightly - get out your Bollywood star-spotting logbook.

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  4. Gokul Bar

    This classic, 100% male, Indian drinking den is a Mumbai icon and a great place for meeting locals. The upstairs air-con section is usually the haunt of the real boozers (and maybe the odd woman). With decor that is at best spartan, and no music, cocktails, or any other frills, you park yourself in a booth and indulge in cheap beer: end of story.

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  5. Henry Tham's

    This super-swanky bar-cum-restaurant features towering ceilings, gratuitous use of space and strategically placed minimalist decor. It's the currently darling of the Mumbai jet set and therefore the place to see and be seen. To find it, look for the monolithic door - thankfully opened by a doorman.

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  6. Insomnia

    For Bollywood star-spotting, ultrachic Insomnia remains the place to be seen dropping some serious dough. It doesn't get going till after midnight and the minimum drinks spend is a hefty Rs600 ( Rs1600 on Friday and Saturday).

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  7. Leopold's Café

    Drawn like moths to a Kingfisher flame, most tourists end up at this Mumbai traveller's institution at one time or another. Around since 1871, Leopold's has wobbly ceiling fans, open-plan seating and a rambunctious atmosphere conducive to swapping tales with random strangers. Although there's a huge menu, it's the lazy evening beers that are the real draw.

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  8. Olive Bar & Kitchen

    Hip and snooty, this Mediterranean-style restaurant and bar has light and delicious food, soothing DJ sounds and pure Ibiza décor. Thursdays are packed: they're the new Saturday, though Saturday hasn't heard the news.

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  9. Polly Esther's

    Wallowing in a cheesy time-warp of retro pop, rock and disco, the Gordon House Hotel's mirror-plated, groovy nightclub still manages to pull a crowd. It comes complete with a Saturday Night Fever illuminated dance floor and waiters in Afro wigs.

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  10. Ra

    If you were wondering where the city's beautiful people come to shake their money-makers, wonder no more. Ra's glass roof opens wide to the stars, and your wallet will open even wider to pay for it's top-notch cocktails. It's in the Phoenix Mills shopping complex, 1km (0.6mi) north of Mahalaxmi Racecourse

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  12. Red Light

    This very trendy bar is a huge hit with Mumbai's student scene, particularly on Wednesday's when it's thumping hip-hop sessions are on. The fun-house-mirror trip to the loos is not for the faint hearted.

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  13. Saltwater Grill

    As close as you can get to Mumbai's ocean without swimming in it, this beach bar sits cocooned by its own palm-frond jungle. Right next to H20, it's a prime contender for the title of 'ultimate sundowner cocktail venue.'

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  14. Samovar Café

    This intimate place inside the art gallery overlooks the gardens of the Prince of Wales Museum and is a great spot to chill out over a beer, mango lassi (around 50 ) or light meal.

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  15. Vie Lounge

    Right on Juhu Beach is this glamorous party spot (opposite Little Italy restaurant). Call before dragging yourself all the way out here to check there isn't a private Bollywood bash on.

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  16. Voodoo Pub

    Famous for hosting Mumbai's only regular gay night (held here each Saturday), this dark and sweaty bar has little going for it on other nights of the week.

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  17. Zenzi

    This super-stylin' hang-out pad is a favourite among starlet wannabes and well-heeled expats. Comfy lounges are frequently visited by efficient and chatty service and the burnt orange decor is warmly bathed in soft lighting. It's at its best when the canopy is open to the stars after the monsoon season.

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