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Barc

Kathmandu

• The Best Bar in Nepal 2024

New Entry

Perhaps the last place you’d expect to find the chic and intimate Barc, with its forest green walls, minimalist furniture and calming jazz soundtrack, is in the nondescript Bluestar Complex office block in the heart of Kathmandu. Hidden away, it feels like a true speakeasy.

Co-founder Abhishek Tuladhar started making cocktails while living in Singapore, before training as a mixologist in London, and eventually returning to Nepal with a plan to bring innovative and quality drinks to the local market. He opened Barc in 2021 with his friend, Adarsha Tamrkar, after hosting a series of pop-up events.

Each page of the creative cocktail menu is headed by either a key local ingredient – such as titaura (hog plum), khattu (liquorice) and aila (a Newari spirit made from fermented rice, grains and millet) – a flavour profile like ‘spirit-forward’, or a drink type like ‘highball’ or ‘margarita’. The signature Bloody Nepali, served in a martini glass, is a bold mix of vodka, Barc’s titaura mix and sugar, while the Coco Clarity is a mellow blend of coconut-washed vodka, banana ice cream wash, banana liqueur, dry vermouth and caramel syrup. The comprehensive bar food menu takes influence from all over Asia, including Japan, Thailand, Korea and China, with dishes including tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes), Sichuan stir-fry, chicken katsu and steamed momos.

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