The evolution of bar bites in India. And why regional flavours in global formats are reigning

Walk into one of the many cocktail bars that now dot urban India and expect to be met with a detailed menu of tastefully presented drinks crafted in ways that can’t be mirrored at home. The garnishes go beyond the usual flower-and-foam dance, seemingly adding to the story behind the drink, not just its flavour. Familiar classics such as the Old Fashioned and the Negroni now come with twists and upgrades. The bar bites and small plates that accompany a round of drinks go much beyond the masala papad or chicken tikka, lining your stomach and complementing the complexity of the concoction.

Chakhna culture and its regional evolution

Bar bites, or “chakhna”—as they are often referred to in northern India—have come a long way. Plates of malai paneer, tandoori chicken and kebabs were commonplace in the north, while masala papad, chana jor garam tossed with lime and onion, salted peanuts, chakli, murrukku with Schezwan sauce showed up along with your drink order at bars in Mumbai. Chicken liver, offal and tripe tossed in spices have been staples in Bengaluru, while feni bars across Goa would serve mango and water pickle (lacto-fermented brine with sliced mango, salt, and chilli). Dried fish was pretty popular in coastal areas, fermented fish in the north-eastern part of the country, and a red ant chutney in central India, to align with local spirits. 

“Back in the day, the bartender was also preparing the snacks for you. ‘Aunty bars’ in Mumbai had aunties cooking five dishes including sukka bombil and a dry liver fry, or pork sausages if she was Catholic. They would all sell out by the evenings,” says Gresham Fernandes, chef-partner at Mumbai’s Bandra Born, whose menu features a liver pate—or an elevated version of the fried liver served bars—besides “basics” like parmesan on toast and olives. Fernandes himself grew up eating boiled peanuts, chickpeas, or boiled eggs at home, besides an uncle’s recipe of slow-roasted garlic (with the peel on), finished with lime and salt. 

About half a decade ago, chakhna served at restaurants and bars meant a standard greasy, salty, crunchy affair, something that people wouldn’t really spend money on. It was purely functional: to line the stomach whilst drinking. And hence to encourage people to keep drinking.

Cocktail menus are setting the tone

In most Indian cities, the idea of going out  drinking daily is still nascent, as opposed to cities such as London or Singapore. A lack of night markets offering eating-out options means that bar-hopping hasn’t yet found a firm footing. However, menus at a number of cocktail bars in urban India today are replete with complete meals, not just bar snacks, that pair with the drinks. “So, bars today are on restaurant lists and vice versa, because restaurants too have detailed cocktail menus,” points out Fernandes. 

“As alcohol menus evolve with Japanese gin, mezcal, and craft cocktails, bar nibbles had to evolve as well, making them an extension of the cocktail, balancing flavours, textures, and even cultural references. But chefs can experiment without the pressure of a full-course meal, making it low-commitment and high-impact, because guests love the surprise,” says Krishna Sharma, head chef, at Mamma Killa, a recently opened cocktail bar in New Delhi. 

Indians are no longer drinking just to get high, but for the experience. “Ten years ago, a group of friends would order the same [type of] whiskey or beer, but today everyone is trying different drinks. Naturally, bar bites have also evolved to match that diversity, and the price tag reflects this shift—from free fillers to small plates in India that require thoughtful sourcing, skilful technique, and culinary creativity,” says chef Abhishek Ram Deshmane at Slow Tide in Goa. This is perhaps why masala papad is no longer just a crunchy snack with an onion-tomato mix. “It’s now a tostada with fermented chilli, smoked yoghurt or jackfruit vindaloo,” says Deshmane, who serves this upgraded version of the papad, besides the Channa Koliwada, Masala Murmura, Sour-spice Pulimunchi Mackerel, Pathrode (spiced colocasia leaf rolls), and Vellyo Rawa Fry at the Anjuna-based bar. 

Why bar bites are priced to make a point

While most bars will offer patrons the first round of nibbles as a small bowl to snack on the house, the second portion is chargeable. “Chakhna used to be purely functional, existing only to cut the edge of the alcohol. But the leap to high-priced, reimagined versions reflects not just inflation but a deeper shift in what the bar-going experience signifies today. It’s not about the ingredients alone—it is about craft, concept, curation, and context. Even peanuts aren’t basic anymore; they are slow-roasted in ghee instead of deep-fried, tossed in house-made spice blends or smoked paprika dust, and garnished with microgreens or pickled onions,” says journalist and food critic Geetika Sachdev, who has been covering the food industry for the last five years. 

What’s prompted this refocus on bar bites is the revolution of bars in India in the last five years. “Especially cocktail bars, a lot of which are world-class, and are priced higher. So, bars that weren’t considered the safest bet are now profitable if done right. The awards for bars help—if there were no awards, like the World’s 50 Best Bars, there wouldn’t have been as much interest,” points out Fernandes. 

From garnish to Instagram: What makes bar food trendy in 2025

Cocktails with a curry leaf garnish, alluding to a story from south India, or a piece of bhakarwadi sitting atop a drink signifying its association with Maharashtra, or one with a tadka-infused ghee for fat-washing, might add to the story and showcase regional diversity, “but if it falls short on the flavour, then it’s a lost cause,” says Sachdev, who blames Instagram for garnishes being led by how they make a drink look. 

“There was a time when garnish just meant a wedge of lime on the side. We didn’t overthink it. But now? It’s become a language. People drink with their eyes first, and garnishes are how we start that conversation. Every garnish, every bite, every sip, it has to hit a note and tell a story,” says Chef Sombir Chaudary, chef-partner and founder of SOKA Cocktail Bar in Bengaluru and the parent company Kompany Hospitality, whose bar menu comprises Sookhi Matar, Kara Podi, Mutton Erachi Tacos, and Spicy Smoked Kulcha with Chhena Core. “A taco with eraichi (a traditional Kerala meat-based dish) or a sushi roll with tamarind and podi are also conversation starters,” he points out.  

Garnishes can make drinking a sensorial experience. Like at New Delhi’s Kamei, where a cocktail called Swimming the Currents includes a petrichor aroma stick and a seaweed crisp as garnishes—elements meant to evoke memory via texture and scent. “Guests want theatre, memory, and ritual, all in a glass,” says Vanshika Wadhwa, co-founder and creative head of the Pan-Asian restaurant. Garnishes also make cocktails align more with an “IG aesthetic”. Presentation is key, even when it comes to what is being served with the drink. Which is why no one will post a picture of a steel bowl filled with peanuts. But switch it up in terms of flavours, and you'll have reorders. “Even if staples like peanuts and fryums will be served in local dive bars, the cocktail world is seeing Korean fried chicken with gochujang glaze, Thai-style crispy lotus stem, or Spanish patatas bravas reimagined with Indian spices,” notes Sachdev. 

Why bar bites in India are becoming region-focused 

With a growing interest in hyper-regional, traditional Indian food, menus at bars are playing catch up too. Minakshi Singh took serious note of this when she added thukpa and momos to the menu at her Gurugram bar Cocktails and Speakeasy (inspired by co-owner and mixologist Yangdup Lama’s roots in Kurseong, Darjeeling), and received great feedback. Singh admits they were pushed to create a more expansive food menu when they started off as a bar. So while they have the usual suspects like nachos and sliders, they also have Wai Wai Sandeko, Alu Dum, Gundruk Sandeko, and Momo Cha. At Singh and Lama’s third establishment, The Brook in Gurugram, they offer dishes such as liver in dalle (a Bhutanese variety of chilli) besides a whole platter of traditional dried Newari snacks like Ccheura, Mula ko Achaar, Kakra ko Achaar, Bhutani Aloo, and Bhatmas Sandheko. “We also realised we were playing to our strengths, given that most of our kitchen staff had roots in Kathmandu,” says Singh. “Today, you don’t need nachos [on the small plates menu]. You can have tapioca or banana chips with garlic aioli that will taste just as nice, maybe canape-style with salsa on top.”

Regional flavours work, which is why Mumbai-based restaurant Bombay Daak is serving up chakhna inspired from 29 states from across India, earning it the tag of a "daaru-chakna” spot. The menu specialises in traditional, lesser-known bar accompaniments like Shikaar ka Achaar, a pickle that originates from Bhatinda, or poha made with roasted chicken. There's also the iconic Parsi Luncheon Meat, besides Smoked Pork, Anishi (yam leaves), Wai Wai, and Fried Bombil, that dig deep into nostalgic flavours. “You can serve sorpotel with a Negroni today,” says Fernandes, who admits that five years ago, he wouldn’t have put duck waffles on the bar bites’ menu at Bandra Born, but on a tasting menu instead. “The cocktail programme is cool enough to support a dish like that,” says Fernandes, who likes deep-fried chicken wings (they tried 20 versions of it but then chose to go with a staff recipe for the menu), besides olives and marinated cheese and feta, and a meat platter: all characterised by a high umami flavour profile, as bar bites. 

Despite the region-focused interest, bars still retain dishes that are high on cheese or heavy on carbs, like Bandra Born’s cheese toast, which comprises a dash of Habanero chillies to make it spicy. “In Brazil, chakhna is just fried pork. Or Chicharrón, which is fried pig skin tossed in lemon and salt. So, even though umami chakhna is popular in 2025, something fried, salty, sour, and spicy will always hit the spot,” explains Fernandes. 

Indian bar food trends: Where flavour meers form

Bars and restaurants in India are putting the umami-ness of regional flavours in bite-sized, easy-to-eat formats (that can be held in one hand and don’t require cutlery) like tacos, sushi, baos, gyoza, sliders, and mezze platters. Think thecha guacamole with papad crisps, sushi rolls with podi, tandoori mushroom baos, mutton ghee roast tacos, and gunpowder fries with aioli.

“Instead of serving the Bengali delicacy kosha mangsho in its traditional form, it’ll be stuffed in a slider. Spicy Malabar prawns will be coated in a tempura batter, or chicken wings will be dusted with Chettinad spices. Bars and restaurants are also highlighting the origin of ingredients, like Naga pork cooked confit-style or Goan chorizo in baos,” says Sachdev. 

While bars are not particularly bound to a specific cuisine, they follow a certain line of thought, like Love Hotel, the newly opened cocktail bar at Guppy in New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony. “There’s more freedom to design the menu. Some places today may serve finely plated modern bar food, while others may stick to simple, no-fuss dishes,” says chef Saurabh Sharan, who’s abiding by the latter, with offerings such as a simple Brie and Chilli Tempura, Wakame Salad, and Tuna Watermelon to go with a Japanese-forward drinks menu.  

It is perhaps evident that for most places, the aim is to have fun with bar food. And flavour is king. For instance, avocado on toast wouldn’t work as a bar bite unless the flavours are balanced. How can one achieve this? “By taking a ripened avocado, adding chipotle sauce, and a smoky lemony flavour,” says Fernandes, who lists more flavourful bar bites—plain pineapple slices with a spicy salt, or lychees with a spicy vinegar used as dipping sauce. 

The evolution of bar bites occurs when chefs experimenting in restaurant kitchens and mixologists behind bars work together. “Yet, there is still not as much cultural push or impact via bars yet, as opposed to that from cafes like Subko or restaurants like Papa’s [in Mumbai]. Sure, bars like WIP (Wine in Progress) in Bengaluru serve sashimi at 6pm with wine or sake, but India is still a ripe market for such focused bars,” says Fernandes. While there are local breweries manufacturing different spirits across India—besides the likes of toddy in Kerala, chang and rice beer in north-east India, and mahua in central India—the fact remains that India, which has largely been a rum-drinking country, has just one rum-led bar, Bar Outrigger, which opened in Goa last year. Until then, it is the infusion of regional flavours in both drinks and dishes that do the heavy-lifting of mirroring the diversity of the country.