The Barkhana, Wakad, Pune

Restaurant Name: The Barkhana
Phone: +918432003700, +918432003400
Address: Survey 164, Shop 215, 216 & 217, Floor 1, Commercia Building, Near Hinjawadi Flyover, Wakad, Pune, Maharashtra 411057 India
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,700
Cuisines: Bar Food, Mughlai, Chinese, North Indian, Fast Food, Desserts, Beverages
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Karaoke, Free Parking, Live Sports Screening, Sports TV, Gastro Pub, Indoor Seating, Table reservation required, Restricted Entry, Smoking Area, Desserts and Bakes, Dance Floor, Live Entertainment, Nightlife, Live Music, Romantic Dining, Wifi

The Barkhana, Wakad, Pune: About

Located on the highway in Wakad, The Barkhana is one of the most popular resto-bars in the area and probably in the city. The proof of that would be, even on Tuesday night, the sprawling space was full. No wonder it was adjudged as the best nightlife venue of the year at the Times Food and Nightlife Awards in 2022.

Decor:

The Barkhana is housed on the first floor of a commercial complex located on NH-4 in Wakad. The indoor section is high on wood and leather with a wooden dancefloor and an adjoining DJ console. This area also doubles up as the perfect space for live gigs which happen quite often here. The seating is a mix of comfortable leather sofas and wooden chairs. The sprawling outdoor section is where all the action is. It has tables with comfortable high chairs. The grunge and distressed theme runs throughout the outdoor section. There is a live bar here which also has some counter seating. The vibe in the evenings is electrifying.

Food: The Barkhana

The Barkhana is one of the most popular bars in the city thanks to the VFM offers on spirits and beverages. If you are visiting during the day, look for happy hours and other offers on drinks. The bar menu has a range of signature, classic and house cocktails. We started with a refreshing tequila sunrise and a gin and tonic. Both cocktails were spoton and the spirit quantity was 14/ Keema kebabperfect. We also tried a few house special cocktails graciously put together by head bartender Manish. Chef Deepu Alamchandanihas put together a multi-cusine menu with a good mix of north Indian, Italian and pan-Asian dishes. Keeping in mind the younger crowd, lots of fusion dishes with cheese, naanzas and pizzas are included in the menu. As the cocktails kept coming we decided to focus on the wide range of appetizers and starters to go with the drinks. After a mandatory round of tasty chicken nachos and crunchy chicken popcorn, we moved to the north Indian starters to which a whole section is dedicated. The malai broccoli, which is currently trending across restaurants, was delicious. The cheesy chatpati murgi has chicken tikkas stuffed with cheese and grilled. This was tasty and paired well with our round of craft beers. The mutton seekh kebabs were cooked well but were strictly average. From their special menu, we picked the tempura prawns, which were rightly crisp and wellseasoned. Wish they had given a more appropriate dipping saucethan the generic mayo. Naanzas always make a great substitute for mains when you are at a bar. We got the butter chicken naanza which was unnecessarily loaded with cheese. The butter chicken masala underneath was tasty, but the cheese overpowered it. The Hyderabadi biryani was served in a sealed earthen pot which was opened at the table. The chicken was succulent and cooked well. The biryani was tasty. We ended with a New York-style blueberry cheesecake.

Plus & Minus:

The cocktails and the drinks at The Barkhana were spot-on. The willingness of the staff to customize the drinks was impressive. The food, for most parts, was great, barring a few dishes. The overuse of cheese and mayo in dishes almost always overpowers the base flavours and this happened in a few dishes. The dessert options were quite limited. It would be great to see some Indian dessert options added to the menu.