Bengaluru, October 2026: Perched above the city, Bahati looks across Cubbon Park, the skyline of UB City, and Vidhana Soudha. Rohit Barker has curated a destination that brings together the energy of a restaurant, the intimacy of a bar and the atmosphere of a lounge, creating a space that moves seamlessly between dining, design, and music.
At its core is an idea of belonging: to a city, to a moment, to the people around you. By day, glass shutters open the space to Bengaluru, bringing the greenery and skyline into the room. As the sun sets, the same space shifts character lighting deepens, colours become richer and music takes over, moving Bahati from an all round lifestyle venue into a more immersive night-time experience.
Bahati’s interiors are designed around a mix of colours, textures and materials rather than one fixed aesthetic. Deep reds and burnt oranges are paired with black, beige and earthy tones, while bark, stone, earth and foliage inspire the textures across the space. Polished granite, glass and metal are layered with animal-inspired fabrics and organic textures.
Some areas are suited to quieter conversations, while others are designed around music, movement and a livelier atmosphere. The overall space is designed to feel different depending on where you sit and how the evening unfolds an instinct that comes naturally to Rohit Barker, whose career has been shaped by understanding how people discover and experience music.
Rohit was the first radio jockey on India’s first private FM station before becoming a Channel V VJ and a familiar name within India’s house music and festival culture. At a time when music discovery was shaped by radio, television and DJs rather than algorithms and streaming platforms, he helped audiences discover new sounds, artists and cultures.
Rohit Barker, co-founder of Bahati ““After almost three decades of being around music, nightlife and people, I’ve realised that the best nights are the ones you can’t quite plan. You can set the scene, choose the music and get the food right, but it’s the people who give a place its energy. That’s really what I wanted Bahati to be a space with its own character, but one that changes with the people who walk through the door.”
That same vision continues at the table, with food designed to be as much a part of the evening as the music and setting. Chef Anil J Nair, whose experience includes working alongside Chef Manu Chandra at Lupa and with Michelin-starred culinary talent, brings together influences from the family kitchen, street food and contemporary global cuisine. The menu takes familiar flavours as its starting point, then shifts them through different techniques, textures and pairings.
The Food
The menu brings together Indian flavours, street food and global influences, with familiar dishes approached through new combinations and techniques.
- Small Plates: Tandoori Pineapple with black olive murabba and feta mousse; Ghee Roast Chicken Golgappa with curd-rice mousse; and Mutton Dosa with slow-cooked spiced mutton.
- From the Grill: Lobster à la Sigiri, with tandoori-marinated lobster and green chutney.
- Mains: Duck Mapas, a Kerala-style coconut and spice preparation; Smoked Butter Chicken with Malaysian roti jala; Sea Bass Pollichathu with pearl couscous; and Bahati Mutton Biryani, layered with saffron, fried onion and whole spices.
At the heart of Bahati is a menu built for discovery. Chef Anil J Nair draws from different cuisines, reworking familiar flavours into dishes that are playful, layered and easy to enjoy the kind of food that keeps the table talking and ordering one more.
Chef Anil J Nair: “For me, it starts with the ingredient. I like to understand what it can do before deciding where the dish should go. I work with different techniques, textures and flavours along the way, and sometimes the most interesting combinations come from putting things together that you wouldn’t normally see on the same plate. I’m not trying to change a dish completely; I’m looking for that point where it still feels familiar, but gives you something you didn’t expect.”
The cocktail programme is divided into 3 worlds-
The first is Bahati’s own House Concoctions, built around Indian ingredients meeting international and African influences. There is-
- CHUI (Swahili for Leopard) combining tequila reposado and mezcal with charred pineapple, Kanthari and lime.
- FAHARI (Swahili for Pride) brings together whisky, dates, jaggery, cold brew, chocolate and Parmesan foam.
- DHAHABU (Swahili for Gold) takes aged rum through mango, passion fruit, saffron, vanilla and coconut.
- MIZIZI (Swahili for Roots) combining Mediterranean gin and London dry gin with tomato and coriander for a savoury, herbaceous finish.
- ROHO (Swahili for Soul) brings together Cognac, rooibos and Nilgiri tea with lime and orange bitters for a warm, tea-forward profile.
- MARIDADI (Swahili for Elegant) pairing Scotch whisky with coconut, rooibos tea and pandan for a silky, aromatic drink.
- MREMBO (Swahili for Beauty) combines jamun vodka with mixed berries, apple and rosemary for a fruity, floral and vibrant pour.
- ALMASI (Swahili for Diamond) brings together Alphonso mango and ginger gin with saline solution and orange bitters for a bright, polished and subtly tropical cocktail.
Second is a cocktail menu encompassing three eras–
- Pre-Prohibition classics: Martinez, Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Whisky Sour, French 75
- Prohibition: Sazerac, Mary Pickford, Negroni
- And Contemporary Classics: Penicillin, Tommy’s Margarita, Paloma, Picante de la Casa, Espresso Martini and Old Cuban.
And a dedicated Sober Sips programme that includes Virgin Mango Picante, Madras Spritz and Thai Lemonade.
At its heart, Bahati is built around belonging not simply as an idea, but as a point of view that runs through the space, the music, the food and the way people experience the night. More importantly, its story extends beyond the opening itself: a man who has spent three decades understanding how people gather around music is now creating the physical world he believes those gatherings deserve. Bahati is that world shaped by everything Rohit has seen, heard and understood about what makes a night worth remembering.
