Indiranagar, the new hangout place for Bangaloreans?
Eat, shop and party here, in Indiranagar
By : namita gupta
Update: 2014-07-08 16:34 GMT
Bangalore: Indiranagar can now safely be called the hub of the city. With quaint boutiques, cafes, big branded stores, eateries, lounge bars, and fitness centres, 100 ft road and 12th main have become one of the busiest restaurant and retail streets in the country. With places popping up in the bustling locality, we explore some of the newest hotspots in town.
It’s a testimony to the fact that although strong players survive and flourish, there is always room for everyone.
From boutiques like Yellow Button and Levitate to high-street brands like Kazo, UCB, Guess, Body Shop, Chemistry, Forever New, Steve Madden, Clarks, W, Avirate, Chemistry, you can find it all in this neighbourhood.
Indiranagar has also emerged as a premier F&B destination with Escape Hotel, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ginger Tiger, Red Fork, I & Monkey, Cirrus, California Pizza Kitchen, Monkey Bar, Harry’s, TOIT, Blistering Barnacles, Loft 38, Claytopia, Habanero, The Only Place, Phobidden Fruit, Humming Tree, Highnote, Rajdhani and the high end Mamagoto coming up soon. Manu Chandra of Olive Beach, who decided to get a foothold in this tony part of the city, explains, “Indiranagar was always in our sight for a restaurant, so when we planned the second Monkey Bar, we felt 12th Main had the type of feel for a neighbourhood gastropub. When we decided to open The Fatty Bao, we chose Indiranagar, as it has a large residential population, massive retail base and easy connectivity.”
Avani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks Ltd. feels, “Indiranagar is amongst India’s top F&B hubs frequented by the affluent population from IT parks. It reflects the diverse culture and the coffee heritage most exquisitely and that’s why we opened here.”
For those who want a taste of their local culture, you don’t have to drive down to Mysore to pick up the state’s famous 200-year old craft Channapatna handicrafts. Karthik Vaidyanathan who opened the first Varnam Store in Indiranagar, says, “After a trip to Berlin, I realised we also need a store that is intrinsically Karnataka. Indiranagar is the next talking point and that’s why we decided to showcase the state craft here.”