Athena Pub & Bar

Athena Bar - The queues on weekend evenings at the Leela Palace elevator lobby are testimony to the popularity of the newest brat on the Bangaluru nightspot block. It's still early days, and it is yet to be seen if the 'let's-check-it-out' crowd will turn into 'where-else-but-Athene' regulars, especially because the Athena concept, which involves distributing guests into non-exclusive or exclusive areas depending on whether or not they are members is not only new but also slightly distasteful to the Bangaluruan mindset. The ambience, two floors below ground level, is very futuristic (cubical furniture, hundreds of circular niches in the bar wall to hold the extensive wine collection), if a little claustrophobic, (this despite the 10,000 sq.ft area). White, the signature colour of Athena in Mumbai and Delhi, is very much in evidence here as well, whether it is in the fat white candles that are everywhere or in the quilted white leather booth in the Platinum Club members-only area sadly missed, however, are the sher white curtains billowing in the Colaba sea breaze.

Athena Bar
The Leela Palace
Address: 23, Leela Galleria,
Airport Road, Bangalore
Contact: 51265411, 41265411

Hours: 8 pm-midnight.
Moneywise: Cover charge of Rs. 700.
Redeemable against food and drinks.
Bottle of beer: Rs. 200: Johnnie Walker Red Label (60 ml): Rs. 200: Cocktails: Rs. 300 upwards. Platinum Club Annual Membership: Rs. 65,000.