Sushi making, speakeasies & serenity at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore

I’ve always associated Bengaluru with work. It’s been a city of packed itineraries and events. But over the years, India’s Silicon Valley has gone beyond its tech reputation to be one of India’s most exciting hospitality destinations. There’s at least 15 new bars and restaurants opening every month, but who’s complaining!

This time, I traded my work schedule for a weekend of slowing down at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore, one of only two Ritz-Carlton properties in India. 

I took a red-eye flight and reached The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore at around 4:30 a.m., only to find freshly baked croissants and a hot cup of coffee waiting for me in my room. Safe to say, they knew exactly how to win me over. After a glorious six-hour nap that had me sleeping like a baby, I kicked off the weekend with a sushi-making masterclass led by Chef Noel Adrias at IZU, the hotel’s contemporary Japanese restaurant that brings together the vibrant flavours of Japan and Peru through the lens of Nikkei cuisine.

IZU has recently unveiled a new menu that pairs pristine seafood, robata-grilled specialities and handcrafted sushi with bold Peruvian influences, all complemented by a curated sake and cocktail programme. If you’re ordering just a few dishes, make sure the IZU Smoked Chutoro Carpaccio and the Cheesy Omega Roll are on your table – you’ll be thinking about them long after you’ve left.

The afternoon was reserved for slowing down at The Ritz-Carlton Spa, a sprawling 17,000 sq. ft. wellness sanctuary inspired by both Indian and Western healing traditions. After touring its ten treatment rooms (including a beautiful VIP Suite that’s reserved for special occasions) the therapist and I settled on the 60-minute Energizer treatment. I drifted off to sleep multiple times during the massage, and honestly, that’s probably the only spa review you need.

What I appreciated most about the itinerary was that it never felt rushed. Every experience was thoughtfully paced, letting me enjoy the best of everything while keeping me at ease.

The evening belonged to a place I’d heard at least ten different people rave about, and now I know why. After a five-minute walk to an unassuming entrance, I was handed a card and told to give it to a man waiting inside an elevator illuminated only by blinking red lights. Moments later, I stepped into The Cloak Society, the hotel’s hidden speakeasy helmed by Beverage Director Colin Tait. Honestly, that’s how you do a speakeasy — not flashy, not screaming for attention, but somehow everyone’s talking about it. Whisky sits at the heart of the cocktail programme, with familiar classics reimagined through storytelling and craft. The bar has also introduced Bengaluru’s first Lunar Cocktail Ritual, a menu available only on full moon nights that is never repeated. As someone who walked into the bar alone, surrounded by friend groups and first dates, I ended up enjoying myself far more than I expected. Colin happily walked me through the menu, shared stories behind the drinks and made sure I experienced the best of it.

Dinner took me to Zarqash, the hotel’s newest progressive Indian restaurant led by Michelin-starred Chef Rohit Ghai. Rooted in the flavours of the North-West Frontier, the menu has some great signature kebabs, slow-cooked curries and fragrant biryanis, paired with cocktails inspired by the ancient Silk Route and its rich exchange of spices, ingredients and traditions. The open kitchen adds another layer to the experience. While Antara Goswami, Restaurant Manager, enthusiastically explained every course and cocktail, Saif Siddiqui, Hotel Manager, kept me company with stories that made the evening feel more like dinner with old friends than a hosted experience. Honestly, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Just when I thought they couldn’t spoil me any more, I woke up to their grand breakfast-in-bed experience – a lavish spread featuring almost all my favourites arrived at my room, and despite giving it my best shot, I still couldn’t finish it all.

I set out for a little Bengaluru darshan that included a traditional banana leaf meal, an afternoon of strolling through the city’s bustling markets, a little shopping and, of course, making sure I didn’t leave without packing some Mysore Pak. By evening, I was back at the hotel for one of its most unique experiences- the Art High Tea.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore is home to more than 1,200 artworks, and this experience beautifully brings that philosophy to the table. Created in collaboration with culinary artist Eeshaan Kashyap, the high tea lets guests paint their own desserts on edible canvases using edible paints and crayons. The savouries that accompany the experience are simply the cherry on top.

Even though I wanted to polish off every last bite, I saved room for dinner at Yan Yan, the hotel’s contemporary Chinese restaurant led by Dim Sum Master Chef M. J. Choy. From handmade dim sum to refined regional specialities, every dish reflects the precision and elegance at the heart of Cantonese cuisine. As someone who could happily eat dim sum at any hour of the day, I can confidently say they’ve nailed the menu.

To round off the evening, I headed to Tequiro, their lively cocktail lounge, which happened to be hosting a bar takeover that night. It’s wrapped in deep red interiors and inspired by Latin Pacific flavours with some inventive cocktails, while a rotating line-up of DJs makes it the kind of place that instantly switches your brain off.

The team saved the best surprise for the last. Before I checked out, they handed me a personalised souvenir for my cat, Sushi, complete with her name engraved on it. Talk about personalisation. Perhaps the most memorable goodbye I’ve ever received from a hotel. 

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