A Goa bartender bets big on Chennai with Roc-A-Coe, a 1930s-style cocktail bar

Discover Roc-A-Coe, Chennai's 1930s-inspired cocktail bar by Goa bartender Karl Fernandes, blending Art Deco charm with innovative drinks.

A man from Goa sets up a bar in Chennai. This may sound like a plot twist. But for Karl Fernandes — an experienced bartender-turned consultant — who just opened the doors of Roc-A-Coe to Chennai, this seemed like a natural progression.

“I’m an opportunist who looks at markets that are new. There’s a huge audience here that appreciates this whole art of mixology and cocktails. It’s nicer to step out into a less populated world because what you reap is much better,” says Karl.

menu spread | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Roc-A-Coe is a modern interpretation of a 1930s cocktail bar. The interiors are dictated by Art Deco influences, symmetry in lines, partitions with quirky posters of cocktails from the late 1920s and ‘30s, and a palette rich in brown, burgundy, grey and pops of teal. The bar, bathed in lights brighter than the rest of the space, commands attention first.

Karl who has been part of the F&B industry for 16 years, says he had been studying the Chennai market for two years before setting up shop here. What surprised him is the spending capacity and the appreciation people have for experiences. “That pushed me to open here,” smiles Karl, who has also been associated with Bar Tesouro in Goa, Bar Kin Ru in Hyderabad, and Permit & Co, in Mumbai. The market evolves very fast, so the bar menu was only finalised a month-and-a-half before it opened, he adds. The menu will keep evolving based on favourites and availability of ingredients.

While Roc-A-Coe was ready earlier this year, the team wanted to launch it at the same time the overhauled Khader Nawaz Khan Road opened. There is even a whisky-based drink — Cobbles & Hooch with lime juice and mango ginger cordial — dedicated to the new cobblestone path that KNK now flaunts.