Goonj Opens in Bengaluru With Indian Cuisine and Contemporary Cocktail Programme

Goonj, a new Indian bar and restaurant, has opened on 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The 75-seater occupies 2,500 sq. ft. on the fourth floor and focuses on lesser-seen Indian recipes, traditional cooking techniques and contemporary cocktails.

The concept has been developed by Chef Pratik Sharma, Research and Development Chef at Kompany Hospitality, and Manjunath U Gouda, Beverage Head at Kompany Hospitality. The food menu draws from regional Indian cooking and includes dishes such as overnight-cooked Dal Bukhara, Indore’s Bhutte Ka Kees Chaat, Kashmiri Nadru Yakhni and Paneer Jalebi served with fried ice cream.

The restaurant has placed emphasis on traditional cooking processes, particularly slow cooking and techniques associated with grand Indian kitchens and dum pukht preparations. The menu retains the core flavours and processes of the dishes while adapting their presentation for contemporary dining.

“The soul of the dish has to remain intact. The presentation can evolve, but the flavour and the process must stay honest,” says Chef Pratheek.

The beverage programme, led by Manjunath, uses Indian ingredients including raw mango, jasmine, sandalwood, banana, tulsi and Indian spices. The cocktails are divided into two sections, Nostalgia and Colour, alongside classic cocktails and a zero-proof selection.

The restaurant also incorporates service elements linked to Indian dining, including a welcome, amuse-bouche and mukhwas served at the end of the meal.

The interiors combine contemporary design with Indian colours, motifs and materials, using repeated patterns, curves and ripple-like forms as part of the restaurant’s design approach.

“Goonj is about the India we remember. We wanted to take familiar flavours, aromas and memories and interpret them in a way that feels relevant to how people dine and drink today. The idea was never to recreate tradition literally, but to create an experience where people can recognise a part of India while discovering something new,” says Shashaank Shekhar and Siddharth Kumar Gupta, Founders, Goonj.