Sixteen33 Bandra, the New Street Corner Bar for Regulars

There are maybe two joints that I frequent in Bandra; neighbourhood relics, standing unperturbed for the past decade, largely removed from social media trends and sticking firmly to the basics. Compared to the newer ones, that skew a tad shiny if not gimmicky, there’s something endearing about their clumsiness, the way they over-pour liquor and spill half when they place them down on their sticky outdoor tables. But, as I inch into my mid twenties, and my prefrontal cortex takes its  shape, would it be so bad to admit that I might like to have a drink that actually tastes good?

So, the hunt for my bar spot continued through this year. That is, until the end of last month when I walked into Sixteen33 Bandra, and walked out some 4 hours later, a very proud regular. It’s a kind of coming of age, to chance upon what 2000s television promised me as my young-adult right of passage. Chicer than Grey’s Anatomy’s Joe’s, and far swankier than How I Met Your Mother’s McLaren’s, Sixteen33, launched on October 24 this year, just became the pub for Bandra’s aspiring regulars.

With all the concept bars, international Michelin takeovers, and avant garde cocktail menus, it was comforting to enter this two-storied space and find that it offers just the right amount of quality and polish, without compromising on the easy comfort you’d hope to settle into at a neighbourhood haunt. Perched at the crossroad of 16th and 33rd Road, the bar waxes and wanes through the city’s hours. When the sun’s out, it’s a relaxed diner where you can catch up over beers and a deliciously creamy plate of Hummus and Pita, but by night, the bar takes new form as a smoky speakeasy with dim maroons and blacks, sleek and unpretentious.

The Space

Downstairs, the space is generous and opens out into an airy al fresco seating. It’s all homey, the fluted wooden doors, scalloped panels, swivel barstools and a spectacular use of classic materials that imbue a permanent fixture-like durability to the space. When you meander up the staircase, you will find a cocoon of deep burgundy— swanky, moody and rich, the kind of pub to house a steamy 1920s murder mystery, hidden from the outside with wooden Venetian blinds. Despite it all, it deftly escapes feeling themed and trendy. This is true for the design but also for the beverages and the food.

The Drinks

You’ll find drinks with backstories curated by Head Mixologist Denzil Franklin, but nothing that appears concocted, purely to impress. Instead, the menu leans on nostalgia, paying tribute to the locale’s roots. Six signature drinks anchor the bar’s beverage programme, each inspired by one of Bandra’s historic villages—Ranwar, Chimbai, Chuim, Pali, Sherly, and Kantwadi. It is succinct yet innovative and there’s a certain poetry to them all, each capturing a distinctive element of its namesake area.

The Ranwar cocktail, for example, takes its cue from the old rice fields that once filled this East Indian village. It brings together gin with Indrayani rice liqueur, topped off with a spritz of absinthe mist and crispy rice garnish. It’s earthy, sharp, and delicate all at once—like a sensory postcard from Ranwar’s agricultural past.

On the flip side, Chimbai, a tribute to the Koli fishing community, leans into briny, seaside flavours with a mix of Ketel One, oyster sauce, watermelon, and sea salt. The result? A savoury cocktail that tastes like a breeze off the Bandstand coast.

The Food

A laid-back food menu nails the balance between being wonderfully poised and uncomplicated with the feel-good bar bites you can turn to, drink in hand, without second-guessing your order. There’s the East Indian Potatoes tossed in fiery bottle masala spices and, for something heartier, indulgent pork ribs flambéed with dark rum to pair with a more sedate evening.

Like co-owner Shahrom Oshtori had mentioned though, whatever you end up ordering, be it snacky like the crispy Okra, or unexpectedly flavourful like the Miso Poached Tofu— one thing will be true, your dish will be devoid of any unnecessary frills and fuss.

“Yes!” my friend across from me had agreed, “Like no! I do not want to try a Nachos x Rasam fusion when I’m drinking. I just want a regular, normal, disgustingly cheesy plate of nachos and call it a day…” Oshtori had had a good laugh but my friend wasn’t joking at all.