Restaurant India News: The Hood Opens in Wood Street, Bringing Global Neighbourhood Flavours to Bengaluru

The Hood has opened at the end of Wood Street in Bengaluru, in the former space of Toast & Tonic. Founded by AD Singh, MD & Founder of the Olive Group of Restaurants, the new dining destination brings together flavours and rituals from iconic global neighbourhoods under one roof.

Led by Chef Dhruv Oberoi, Culinary Director at The Olive Group, the menu features Japanese small plates such as enoki mushroom karaage, toro temaki, and pork gyoza; Middle Eastern dishes including black lime hummus, bone marrow, and slow-cooked goat in laban immo; and Italian classics like burrata with mango mostarda, plancha squid, ricotta gnocchi, and pappardelle with beef bolognese.

Designed by Sabina Singh, Design Director at the Olive Group of Restaurants, the space reflects the comfort of neighbourhood bars worldwide rather than any single city. A central bar anchors the layout, supported by curtained seating areas, a book-lined corner, scattered records, and a piano integrated into the counter. An indoor courtyard with step seating, plants, and floor cushions adds to the informal, lived-in feel.

“The design itself holds the story,” says Dhruv Oberoi, Culinary Director at The Olive Group. “It should feel lived-in, not performed.”

The menu includes an Italian-style espresso service with dark chocolate or cantuccini, Kyoto-inspired matcha and hojicha paired with light accompaniments, Lebanese qahwa served in finjan cups, Parisian café au lait with madeleine, Fort Kochi-style filter coffee with banana chips or jaggery, and Mexican cacao finished with chilli-spiced chocolate. The beverage programme is structured around two distinct moods like bright, daytime serves and slower, more reflective evening cocktails mirroring how neighbourhood bars transition through the day across the world.

With The Hood, the Olive Group brings together global neighbourhood influences while staying rooted in the craft-led, community-driven approach that has defined its work for over two decades.