Baraza Bars & Bites, Yerawada, Pune

Restaurant Name: Baraza Bars & Bites, Yerawada, Pune
Phone: +917666222555, +918097411057
Address: Pubtown, Creaticity, Shastrinagar, Yerawada, Pune, Maharashtra 411006 India
Time: 12:00 Noon – 01:30 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,800
Cuisines: Pizza, Bar Food, North Indian, Kebab, Biryani, Chinese, Continental
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Mall Parking, Nightlife, Outdoor Seating, Live Music, Romantic Dining, Available for Functions, Live Entertainment, Live Sports Screening, Indoor Seating, Table booking recommended, Smoking Area

The moment you walk into Baraza in the evening, you will get the inspiration for its name. Baraza which means a public meeting place in Swahili lives up to its name in every sense. Even on a weekday, the place was bustling with patrons and buzzing with activity.

Baraza Bars & Bites, Yerawada, Pune: Decor

Baraza Bars & Bites is located in Pubtown, a space exclusively created for restaurants and bars in the Creaticity (previously Ishanya) mall in Yerawada. With exposed brick walls, wooden furniture, chandeliers made from wine bottles, antique artefacts, and a bar with counter stools and beer on tap, Baraza is reminiscent of pubs and taverns in the UK. The indoor section has a cosier ambience than the outdoor section. The alfresco section is where the action is. This sprawling space overlooks the cobbled walking street of Pubtown. Palm and other tall plants line the perimeter of the section. A retro VW camper van bar makes an appearance here too like The Sassy Spoon. Both these restaurants are conceptualized and owned by Rachel Goenka. The outdoor space has a wide variety of seating that includes high tables and chairs, wooden tables and a long wooden counter with individual chairs. It is surprising to see a cosy, relaxed space during the day transform into a buzzing party place in the evening. The music can get loud for some, but the vibe is undeniably infectious.

Baraza Bars & Bites, Yerawada, Pune: Food

The elaborate bar menu, particularly the cocktails options is impressive. We tried a variety of cocktails ranging from the comforting sangria to the most potent big daddy LIIT, a 500 ml cocktail with around 150 ml of mixed spirits. The food menu at Baraza features a long list of bar bites, kebabs, flatbreads, pizzas and burgers. With our drinks, we got the Baraza nachos loaded with cheddar queso, salsa, refried beans and mushy peas. We also got the non-vegetarian version with butter chicken. Both versions were excellent. Cheese and jalapeno poppers are one of the best accompaniments with drinks. Here, the gooey cheese filling had a lovely punch and the accompanying garlic sauce was very tasty. The Kolhapuri chicken tacos got the chicken topping spot on and it was full of flavour. The base tacos were too small to call the dish a taco, which was a bit disappointing. Another downer was the masala mushroom stuffed naan. The mushroom and water chestnut filling was under seasoned and it was a confused fusion of Indian and continental. Thankfully this disappointment was short lived with the kung pao chilli chicken which came next. It was absolutely cracking. The non-vegetarian Baraza platter was one of the best dishes we ordered. The platter consisted of chicken tikka, mashtam chicken, saffron chicken tikka, ajwain fish tikka and Turkish tandoori wings. All the kebabs were cooked beautifully and the flavours were just right. For vegetarians, we got the vegetable shikampuri kebabs which were crunchy and quite delicious. Unlike other bars and pubs, Baraza does have a good variety of mains which include curries, biryanis, pasta and wok options. The vegetable pasta with pink sauce was my personal favourite from the lot. The dish has chunks of vegetables, and the sauce tasted great and was seasoned right. The dessert menu is short with just three options. So we skipped that and picked the caramel ice cream and raspberry sorbet which were great. We wanted to end our evening with some caffeine, and we happily settled for a round of B-52 shots!

Plus & Minus:

The most impressive feature of Baraza is the buzz and vibe they create. The vibe is electrifying, particularly in the evening. The ability to transform from a cosy café and all-day diner to a party central is impressive. The cocktails were excellent, the service was prompt and the staff was attentive and courteous. The food was hit-and-miss. Some dishes missed the mark, but the disappointment was salvaged by some good dishes.