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ZLB23

Bengaluru

• The Best Bar in India 2024

New Entry

A stroll down a winding garden path, a trot through a bustling hotel kitchen and a short ride in a service lift: this brief journey, albeit confounding, is well worth it, for it delivers you to this Kyoto-inspired speakeasy in the heart of Bengaluru. In the age of Instagram, it’s hard for a bar to remain a secret, especially when it’s in an iconic city hotel such as The Leela Palace Bengaluru. Yet, ZLB23, complete with heavy velvet curtains and crystal chandeliers, manages to transport guests straight to the Prohibition era.

On the menu of this vibey, underground bar – where the jazz bands are boisterously fun – is a selection of small bites and well-crafted cocktails. Priyanka Mondal, the bar supervisor and creative genius behind the counter, whips up inspired takes on cocktails such as the Japanese old fashioned, a refreshing blend of Japanese whiskey, angostura and homemade fennel syrup and a shiso negroni, a twist to the iconic drink, improved with the addition of the classic Japanese ingredient.

While cocktails take centre stage, ZLB23 also boasts an impressive list of hard-to-find whiskies and other spirits from around the world. The food is no afterthought, with the culinary team crafting a tightly edited curation of nibbles that pair delightfully with the sips. The hickory smoked duck, for instance, is pan-seared to perfection with miso glaze, truffle passion fruit emulsion and crispy pangritata.

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