Urban Bar-B-Que in Coimbatore offers buffet-only dining with seasonal and festival themes

Urban Bar-B-Que in Coimbatore serves up a buffet-only feast with monthly festivals and unique themes like Halloween and Christmas

At Urban Bar-B-Que inside Jenney’s Residency, we were greeted by an eerie yet playful spectacle for Halloween. Shadows flickered under dimmed lights as faux cobwebs, plastic skulls, and costumed staff set the stage for a spooky lunch. The entrance — a passage lined in pumpkin orange and black streamers — featured a cheeky “If the broom fits, fly it” sign, inviting diners to indulge in the Halloween spirit. Servers wandered the room in “ghoulish” face paint, their blood-streaked makeup more amusing than scary, adding a dose of whimsy to the afternoon. Even the menu was hauntingly renamed, with dishes like Black Soul and Sea Ghost making their way to the table. The dining experience was as much about ambience as the food.

Urban Bar-B-Que’s core draw lies in its buffet-only format with an ever-changing menu, where grills are a constant, and soups, mains, and desserts rotate daily. On festivals, the buffet and the decor take on a themed twist.

On this occasion, the restaurant’s everyday elegance took on a darker hue, its plush wooden chairs and crisp white cutlery set against a shadowy, theatrically decorated backdrop. Devil’s Delight, a refreshing blend of 7Up and crushed strawberry, served as the welcome drink, a bubbly, slightly tangy concoction that was both festive and unexpectedly addictive.

The Halloween-themed starters kept up the ghostly gimmick. Spooky Creature Chicken, a rosemary-scented chicken grill, was coated in a rich white sauce with cashews and cheese, tempered by a hint of Kashmiri chilli. Black Magic Corn, a simple yet unexpectedly satisfying dish of spiced corn, had a street-food appeal that even upstaged the fancier grills — a fact confirmed by restaurateur Chantel Vincent, who noted that “it’s one of our most popular dishes.”

Other starters included Zombie Prawns, seasoned with coconut and curry leaves, and Goblin Hunting Fish, a soft fish fillet with an Indian-spiced marinade of yoghurt, coriander, and cashews.

The main course leaned on heartier fare, with Black Soul — a subtly spiced mutton biryani — as the standout. Tender mutton pieces were fragrant without overwhelming the palate. The Sathans, a robust chicken curry, paired well with rice. The Bats’ Wings brought a spicy Asian twist, cooked in a sticky dark soy sauce, while Sea Ghost, a mild fish curry, offered a light coconut base and finished off the main course on a gentler note.

Chantel’s concept for the buffet format reflects her aim to make the restaurant accessible and affordable. “I wanted to make Jenney’s Residency more accessible to a broader audience. So, we introduced a budget-friendly buffet system,” she says. Priced between ₹750 and ₹1200, the four-year-old setup has proven successful, according to her.