Squid cocktails and bone marrow shots at this new bar in Mumbai

Like every college student, Aditya Dugar had a dream. In his notes, he wrote down a plan for a bar in New York’s Tribeca area while he was studying at Stern School of Business in the US in 2002.

His dream is now a reality in the form of Bar Paradox in Mumbai, co-owned with his wife Aditi Dugar. They also run the bakery TwentySeven Bakehouse and Masque, which is No.19 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. 

The bar, which opened on Tuesday, is a two-level space. A hostess greets you but your eyes are immediately drawn to the wine cellar behind her, setting the mood for the evening’s experience.

At the bar on the first floor, head mixologist Ankush Gamre steps up the game with cocktails that are layered and technique-forward, and presents two cocktail menus—one with signature drinks and another with experimental libations that are designed in the form of a zine.

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“You’re okay with non-veg, right?” Gamre checks and mixes Cthulhu, an agave cocktail with fermented squid balanced with pandan syrup and citrus. It’s a delicious two-punch cocktail with different flavour profiles and sets the tone for the rest of the drinks to follow. Ductape, made with whisky and banana pandan caramel tea, teases the palate with its delicate balance of sweetness and Godawan No.2’s fruit and spiced notes. There are four cocktails with tequila, vodka, gin and mezcal as the base spirit available on tap to reduce the time taken to serve.

The drinks have been crafted with thought and most would need a slightly advanced palate to appreciate them.

At the basement level, the dining section has an old English pub vibe with the open kitchen running parallel. The food menu by Varun Totlani is a succinct collection of dishes reflecting his journeys across the world. “It’s a mix of izakayas, tapas, chakhna, pub food and touchings,” Totlani says.

Dishes that catch the eye include a Pao de Queijo, cheese balls rolled in dough and served with chilli oil and chive sour cream; a Lamb Neck Pastrami and the ultimate indulgence in the form of Kaviari Oscietre Prestige, a dish that elevates the Pao de Queijo with the addition of 30 grams of caviar to the chive sour cream. Every table will also be served complimentary chips called Chippy Cans. These have been inspired by Totlani’s time in the Masque kitchen when he first joined in 2016, and was in charge of making chips which earned him the nickname Chippy. 

Drinking shots gets a whole new meaning for those who order the Bone Marrow and wipe it clean as the marrow turns into a vessel for the shot to be poured into your mouth.

Sid Mewara, one half of the food-based The Big Forkers YouTube channel, says the bar is a paradox to the fine-dine restaurant Masque. “Although it’s the same team, they don’t seem to be taking themselves too seriously at Bar Paradox with fun dishes like Corn Fries and Bone Marrow with chips.”

Given that the bar is by the team behind Masque—which has been ranked as India’s Best Restaurant for four years consecutively on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list—expectations for it are high.

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Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry.