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The best nightlife in Mumbai

Mumbai offers India’s biggest night out - © Peter Adams 2010
Mumbai offers India’s biggest night out - © Peter Adams 2010

Expert guide to Mumbai

  1. Overview
    Overview

    Overview

  2. Hotels
    Hotels

    Hotels

  3. Attractions
    Attractions

    Attractions

  4. Restaurants
    Restaurants

    Restaurants

  5. Nightlife
    Nightlife

    Nightlife

  6. Shopping
    Shopping

    Shopping

Mumbai offers India’s biggest night out. The proximity of Bollywood means there are plenty of glitzy bars to cater to the perfectly coiffed industry crowd, but there are some more off-beat venues too, as well as craft beer pubs and key cultural hotspots, including the gloriously gilded, grandly-restored opera house. Abigail Blasi, Telegraph Travel's Mumbai expert, gives her top recommendations for the best nightlife in Mumbai.

Colaba and Marine Drive

Mumbai Opera House

Mumbai’s grandiose Indo-Saracenic opera house was inaugurated in 1911, and recently reopened after six years of restoration. It’s fantastically decorative: the interior is a creamy meringue of gilt and stucco, lined with statuary, chandeliers, and red velvet seating, all worth the price of ticket entry alone. With its ornate spiral staircases, rows of boxes overlooking the stage, and ceiling decorated with swirling gold motifs, there’s a sense of occasion to any event here. It’s not only a wonderful place to see an opera, but plays (in English), book launches and traditional music recitals.

Contact: ​91-22-2366 8888; royaloperahouse.in
Opening times:​ Various
Prices:​ ££
Getting in: Reservations recommended

Mumbai Opera House
Once a cinema, the Mumbai Opera House has been restored to a meringue of red-velvet, gilt and chandeliers

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National Centre for the Performing Arts

At the southernmost end of Marine Drive in a great Brutalist building, the hub for the Mumbai literati can be found. If you’re looking for something with a little cultural weight, be it dance, classical concerts, opera, an exhibition or theatre, this huge complex is the place to go in Mumbai. There’s always something going on in its funky wood-lined late 60s interiors, from theatre, jazz,  and film retrospectives to classical Indian music and ballet. With it's large auditorium seating over 1000 people, and crystal-clear acoustics, it is a real draw for international orchestras and musicians.

Contact: 00 91​ 22 3989 5050; ncpamumbai.com
Opening times:​ Various
Prices:​ ​££
Getting in:​ Reservations recommended

The best hotels in Mumbai
The best hotels in Mumbai

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Colaba Social

The Social: a take-it-easy, urban hangout dreamed up for millennials to frown over their laptops during the day, with no need to move on to unwind as work turns to play. There are several branches of the Social in Mumbai, all hip, laidback bars, with exposed brick walls, mismatched furniture – it’s the picturesquely distressed industrial look. The Colaba incarnation is the pick of the bunch for its location, near the Gateway of India. Cocktails are served in the brand’s signature test tubes, and are quirky to boot, with choices such as Wick Jaggery, which mixes dark brown sugar with Captain Morgan rum.

Contact: 00 91 22 2282 8484; socialoffline.in
Opening times:​ Sat-Thu, 9am-1am; Fri, 5pm-1am
Prices:​ ​££

Colaba Social
A trendy urban hangout, Social is a coffee shop by day and popular bar by night

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Urban Foundry

Mammothly high ceilings, metal furniture and stark concrete walls give this lively and popular bar the industrial look hinted at by the name, but there’s something oddly gothic about the décor as well: metal beams are hung with wrought-iron chandeliers and there are brown-leather Chesterfield sofas to sink into. Couples and groups love it for its creative snacks (wasabi fried rice and prawn gyoza), comfort food and quirky cocktails, such as the Knuckle Up with vodka, lemongrass, pomegranate and lime served in a copper beer mug with a knuckle duster handle.

Contact: ​ 00 91 22 6105 4617; theurbanfoundry.in
Opening times:​ 12pm-1.30am
Prices:​ ​££

Urban Foundry
With high ceilings, metal furniture and stark concrete walls, Urban Foundry is alively and popular bar in Colaba

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Bandra

Doolally Taproom

Mumbai has a sprinkling of craft beer havens, and this Bandra place is one of its favourites, with beers from its microbrewery in nearby Pune. The punters are here for the beer, with usually around six to 10 on tap, such as mango cider or Belgian witbier. It’s the kind of laidback place where you’re allowed to bring your dog, and for big lively gaggles of friends to catch up amongst cocktails. They also run lots of creative art workshops – from decorating pebbles to glass bottle cutting – and a pub quiz.

Contact: doolally.in
Opening times:​ Daily, 7am-1am
Prices:​ ​££

Why India should be your next holiday destination
Why India should be your next holiday destination

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Olive Bar and Kitchen

A sunny Mediterranean-feel bolthole, with shabby-chic décor, pebbles underfoot, trees hung with lanterns, and seating scattered with orange and lemon-hued cushions, Olive is the place to see-and-be-seen for the most gorgeous of Mumbaikers. It’s a favourite of Bollywood and cricketing stars, and hosts quite a party over the weekend but the main attraction here are the long, lazy Sunday brunches, with a spread of great pizzas and eclectic salads including watermelon and goat cheese. The chic crowd sip tipples such as Aperochic, which mixes Hennessy VF, Martini Rosso, Aperol, fresh pink grapefruit, and house-made grapefruit bitters.

Contact: ​00 91 22 2605 8228
Opening times:​ Daily, 7.30pm-1.30am; Sat and Sun, 12.30pm-3.30pm
Prices:​ ​£££
Getting in:​ The dress code is smart casual

Olive Bar and Kitchen
A sunny Mediterranean feel bolthole, Olive is the place to see-and-be-seen for the most gorgeous Mumbaikers

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Aer

For sexy glitz and to sip cocktails amongst Mumbai’s immaculately garbed beautiful people, head to Aer. With a dazzling and breathtaking view of the twinkling yet hazy Mumbai skyline from the 33rd floor of the Four Seasons, it has become one of Mumbai's best rooftop bars. The interior is silly futuristic designer at its finest, with moulded plastic armchairs to pose against for your social media shot. To get in, you may have to queue at weekends, and you’ll need to dress up to fit in (no sandals or hats for men).

Contact: ​00 91 22 2481 8000
Opening times:​ 5pm-2am
Prices:​ ​£££
Getting in: Dress code is smart casual; reservations recommended

Aer Mumbai - Credit: ©Jaideep Oberoi/Jaideep Oberoi
Head to Aer for for amazing views of the hazy Mumbai skyline Credit: ©Jaideep Oberoi/Jaideep Oberoi

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Bonobo

Enter through a hard-to-locate, unpromising doorway off a busy street, but once inside there’s a beach-holiday vibe at this funky Bandra rooftop bar. It's a great place to hang out on a balmy night, with its palm-tree sunshade and swirling murals; and inside there is a small dancefloor where the cheerful crowd get into throwing some shapes. Its cocktails add to the tropical vibe, ranging from classic to out-there: take your pick from a strawberry and coriander; an olive and jalapeño martini, or a regular mint and lemon or watermelon and lychee mojito.

Contact: ​00 91 22 2605 5050; bonobo.co.in
Opening times:​ Daily, 6pm-1am
Prices:​ ​££

Bonobo
Make a stop at funky Bonobo rooftop bar and sample some quirky cocktails

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The Wine Rack

Living up to its name, with its minimalist poured-concrete walls lined by over 300 bottles of wine, this sophisticated drinking spot is a slightly different proposition from most Mumbai bars. The list has lots of choices including many locally produced labels by wineries, such as Reveilo Wines. This is Lower Parul’s hottest new night out, really a restaurant with wine bar attached, but it’s hauling in the Mumbai glitterati for wine tastings, international cuisine given an Indian slant by Australian chef Sarah Todd (former Masterchef contestant), and DJ nights featuring some slinky beats.

Contact: ​00 91 22 3395 1701
Opening times:​ 12pm-1am
Prices:​ ​££
Getting in:​ Reservations recommended

The Wine Rack
The Wine Rack is Lower Parul’s hottest new night out, hauling in the glitterati for wine tastings and international cuisine

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Trilogy

In Juhu, this buzzy spot combines a nightclub and a seafront umbrellas-in-cocktails lounge. It’s been recently renovated, and now more than ever it’s the place of choice for a glammed-up crowd of beautiful people with notably good hair, designer t-shirts and artfully ripped jeans. To rub shoulders with this lot, you have to make it past the door police so do dress up for the occasion. The waterside setting and the fresh-fruit cocktails make it an ideal spot for laidback beach parties, and the interior is covered in pixel-cube spotted lights for when the urge to dance becomes too great.

Contact: 00 91 22 2646 9689; trilogy.in
Opening times:​ Wed-Sat, 10pm-3am
Prices:​ £££
Getting in:​ No shorts nor open shoes; reservations recommended

Trilogy
Trilogy combines a nightclub and a seafront umbrellas-in-cocktails lounge