In this post, as I revive the best moments of my stay in the capital city, let me take you on a tour to the most iconic place and my favourite place in South Delhi: the historic Hauz Khas Village!!! It may be a bit scruffy at the edges, but there's no funkier spot in the capital to shop, eat and generally enjoy the vibe. It is hyped, no doubt. But I love it. Whether you are a visitor or a resident of Delhi, I am sure you enjoy spending time at the village.
What once used to be an actual village, has now turned into an urban village crammed with a plethora of cafes, restaurants, pubs, boutiques and the likes lining the tight alleyways of this arty little enclave. It is peaceful during the day, and comes alive in the night. It is noisy. It is crowded. But it has an amazing vibe to it!
For a foodie, Hauz Khas Village is heaven. With hundreds of places offering all kinds of food, it is the best! Right from kebabs and street food at Desiya to the Italian and Mediterranean fare at Zo Cafe & Kitchen, you name it and you have it.
Ali Baba Cave, Barsoom, The Pink Room, Roost Bistro, Matchbox, My Bar, Out of the Box, Elma’s, TLR, etc. are known to serve the best continental food while places like Amici Cafe, Imperfecto, Speedy Chef, Kaffeine, Smoke House Deli and New York Slice lets you devour sumptuous Italian cuisine.
Besides there are many restaurants serving speciality Indian cuisine like Hyderabadi, South Indian, Coastal, Malabari and so on. Not to mention the Momo and hotdog cabin, The Same Place serving Asian delicacies like sushi, barbeques at Garange Inc, delicious Indian seafood at Mandaa, burgers and waffles at Big Burrp Theory, Mughlai food at O Curry, Tibetan and Nepalese food at Yeti, American and Mexican fare at Fork You, L’Opera with it’s exquisite French menu and Turkish fare at Chaman Lal.
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| at Out of the Box, Hauz Khas Village |
Chill out at rooftop cafes &
restaurants
Many of the restaurants and pubs have rooftop and outdoor sitting. And if you know me, you know how much I love roof top cafes. I spent a couple of hours chilling at some roof top restaurant when I went pub hopping. Great places to unwind and rejuvenate to dance at the next party!
Out Of The Box is one of the most popular roof top outdoor seating restaurants in South Delhi. They have a full fledged bar, hookah and free wifi too. The Pink Room is an exclusive restaurant for women, but has a mix crowd of both men and women. It has everything Pink- Pink walls, Pink chairs, Pink Menu and Pink interiors.
Amour, Fork You, Raasta, Garage Inc, Mia Bella, Imperfecto, Thirty Nine, Matchbox, etc are some of the very popular restaurants with outdoor sitting arrangements.
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| at My Bar Grill, Hauz Khas Village |
Drink the best cocktails
Hauz Khas Village has plenty of pubs and bars to choose from. But you need to figure out which suits you the best depending on the price, ambience and crowd. My Bar Grill and Bottlegger offers the best deals on cheap booze at the village. But the real fun of drinking at Hauz Khas Village is during ladies night and happy hours.
Girls, here are the best ladies night scenes at Hauz Khas Village:
Tuesday: Fork You, Pizzeria Rossa, Elf Cafe Lounge, Bootlegger, Mia Bella
Thursday: Out of the Box, The Pink Room
Friday: Chamanlal & Sons Bar, Thirty Nine
Sunday: Raasta, Matchbox
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| Say 'Hey' my party buddies Anikit and this sweet French girl, Helene |
Party all night
Almost all places have free entries for ladies. So I ended up partying more than a couple of times a week. The great music is enough to transport you to another world. The free cocktails on ladies night, great food and a bunch of great friends is enough to have a great evening at Hauz Khas Village.
Out of the Box is a place to look out for at Hauz Khas Village. It features best national and international live gigs during the weekends. Out of the Box nights are an absolute blast! Fork You is famous for its ladies nights on Tuesdays, with free cocktails in customized glasses for the ladies.
More than the elaborate food and bar menu, you'll be mesmerized by the ambience at The Living Room. Totally laid back, the place has a very retro feel to it. The nights are promising with some great live music performed by not so popular artists.
Moonshine Bar and Cafe was another one of my favourites. Some great music, happy crowd dancing the night away to some amazing live band makes it the perfect party place in Hauz Khas Village. Raasta is also known for hosting the best parties in Hauz Khas Village. The weekends are crowded as expected!
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| Moonshine, Amour, Raasta, Garage Inc, Fork You |
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Best for date nights
Even though there are so many pubs and restaurants to choose from for the perfect date night, most of them are crowded and it is tricky to find the best one for the date night.
Amour The Patio Restaurant, Cafe and Bar is known to be the most romantic place in Huaz Khas. The ambience is fantastic and the food is delicious. The restaurant serves wide variety of food: Continental, Mediterranean, Italian, European, French and Seafood cuisines.
Imperfecto in the Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi is just perfect for a date with someone special. It serves Mediterranean, Italian, Continental and Spanish cuisines. The decor and ambience of the restaurant gives you a feeling of nice lounge in Europe. They play soft Italian music. Perfect for a date night?!
The great patisseries and cafes
Hauz Khas Village has some awesome cafes and patisseries that serve delightful desserts and provide a great place to hang out with friends or spend a chilled out afternoon all by yourself. The delicacies they serve is to die for.
Elma’s Bakery, Cakes and Tea Room is world famous in Delhi for their high-tea service, authentic scones, and large, generous slices of cakes, not to mention their policy that discourages patrons from using cellphones and laptops. Perfect for an afternoon rendezvous with hot chocolate and marshmallows for company.
L’Opera on the Bistro Lane is an authentic French patisserie that offers a variety of high-end French desserts. You have a wide variety of authentic macaroons, cakes, tarts, pastries, croissants, canapés, tapas, Feuilletes and quiches.
If you like to sit in cafes, sip coffee or tea and work on your laptop, you could head to either Kunzum Cafe or Flipside Cafe, both of which offer free wifi and a great chilled out space to work.
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| L'OPERA Hauz Khas Village |
Shop for unique labels
From independent designer labels to retro clothing, Hauz Khas Village has it all. Shivan & Narresh has a flagship store set up at HKV. They are known for dressing supermodels with their 100 percent stitch-free swimwear and unique signature style.
You can find everything from clothes to accessories for men, women and children at this little fashion boutique called O LAYLA. Owned by famous fashion stylist Ritu Kumar, the store is edgy and eclectic. Along with Ritu Kumar’s own designs under the O LAYLA label, the store also showcases upcoming designers and labels.
Created by NIFT-graduate Gautam Sinha, Nappa Dori, which translates to ‘leather and thread’, is a tiny store filled with beautiful handmade leather accessories. From home and fashion accessories to gifts for every occasion, Nappa Dori’s collection uses hand-stitched fabric prints with vintage graphics.
Lola’s World is a colourful boutique offering children and adult clothing , accessories and toys from renowned European brands started by Chloe Le Bonnois, a globetrotter from France. Parisian label Nana Ki, run by Chloe and her mother Danielle, weaves in sophisticated European designs with authentic Indian fabrics to produce a fushion collection of cotton kurtas, silk skirts, pants, pashmina leggings, cardigans, and delicate silk-chiffon dresses.
Iris and Emeline, another French duo, started this quirky label called Purple Jungle as a tribute to the urban jungle that is Delhi. The store features a trendy and colourful range of accessories, bags, pouches, cushions, newspapers, digital prints, and soft toys made of tube tires and such. You are sure to find bold designs that borrow classic Indian graphics (think ‘Horn Please’ totes and rickshaw-printed purses) at this tiny boutique.
munkee.see.munkee.doo defines effortless urban style that sells funky, well-tailored clothing, with an emphasis on 60’s mod style. Houndstooth checks, shift dresses and Avengers-style zipper black jackets are the order of the day. Their hand-painted, graffiti-style sneakers are a great buy too.
WHITE stocks over 20 designer labels for women, from names like Rajesh Pratap Singh, Siddhartha Tytler and Gaurav Gupta to up-and-coming labels like CellDSGN and Kishmish. Inspired by Greek mythology, Navneet Randhawa and Gulneet Bajaj are the creative minds behind Aphrodite. Named after the goddess of love and beauty, the store offers chic, trendy and elegant clothing, ideal for a Sunday brunch or a fun night out.
Housing the biggest names in Indian fashion, OGAAN is a stylish boutique in the Village. OGAAN, which means ‘wave’ in Sanskrit, features Indian and fusion clothing, accessories and jewelry. Started by Kavita Bhartia, the store is known for its visual display and interpretation of new trends. Her own fashion line is also on display here.
Haven for art lovers and creative
people
You never know whom you might bump into at a cafe or bar. Hauz Khas Village isn’t only popular amongst youngsters, but is also frequented by artists, art lovers and creative people. There are many spaces in the village that provide a perfect opportunity for such people to connect and share ideas.
HKV has its fair share of art galleries, some big some small, showcasing works by contemporary artists of all kinds. While Delhi Art Gallery exhibits the best and most sought after art works, there are several other galleries that sell moderately priced works for those who like to invest in contemporary art.
Hauz Khas Social, also known as Social Offline is a space that blends the best of the office and the café. Combining work and play, it’s an urban hangout designed to take you offline while still keeping you connected. Social is a collaborative workspace, a hub for artists and innovators.
Yodakin is the go-to place for all things alternative. You can buy alternative books, periodicals, music and cinema by independent publishers, record labels, musicians and filmmakers at the store.
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| Social Offline/ Hauz Khas Social |
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