Delhi’s newest watering hole is not monkeying around

Top Banana trades high-concept gimmicks for a “zero-concept” approach that prioritises great drinks over grand scripts

From “botanical-forward” speakeasies in Vasant Vihar to high-concept “cocktail laboratories” in Greater Kailash, the cocktail landscape in Delhi has evolved into a sophisticated theatre of consumption, where menus often read more like literary anthologies. It is not uncommon to find your beverage accompanied by a multi-paragraph backstory or your meal described as a “sensory journey” through lands far away. While this may have pushed the boundaries of mixology, there is an undeniable fatigue setting in for the average diner. Honestly, sometimes all one wants is a reliable drink that hits the spot, a good meal that doesn’t require lengthy explanations, and a corner of a room where the atmosphere is defined by your friends’ laughter rather than the bartender’s script.

Along comes Top Banana. It could easily pass off as the name of a fancy detective agency, but it is, in fact, the newest watering hole in the capital, by Rajan Sethi, created along with Chef Tarannum Sehgal and beverage specialists CounterTop. Inspired by a popular American slang for ‘top boss’, the name certainly is a conversation-starter, and as the evening progresses, we discover that much of the space and F&B programme too, heads in that direction.

Top Banana interiors | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Located on the third and fourth floors of a building that also houses Rajan’s Ikk Panjab, one feels instantly at ease with the green-grey micro concrete, the bar elevated by softly glowing green glass bricks, the close tables with comfortable seating and the wall light illustrations with witty one-liners such as ‘Babe, he’s only as deep as a kiddie pool’ and a relatable favourite – ‘Too many tabs, too little time’. On the fourth floor which is also a rooftop terrace, there are more tables, a cocktail lab, a washroom that doubles up as a quirky selfie point and an outdoor smoking area with the most gorgeous view of a silk cotton tree.

The cocktail bar’s been two years in the making owing to various factors, and Rajan acknowledges that the initial vision was scrapped to make way for Top Banana – a place which is “neither too simple, nor too nerdy”.

Chef Tarannum Sehgal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement