Bengaluru’s newest bar might bring serious traffic to Hennur

Just when Bangaloreans were getting the hang of large microbreweries (is that an oxymoron), along comes Oia, pronounced Eyah, to redefine size. Sounds Greek to you? It should. Named after a Santorini island that it’s modeled on, the sprawling 87,000sqft Oia claims to be the largest bar in Asia. Not too long ago, the adjoining 65,000sqft Byg Brewski was touted as India’s largest brewpub. In 2021, Ironhill eclipsed it to become the world’s largest microbrewery at 1.3 lakh sqft.

What does it tell you? A) That Bengaluru has lots of space. B) The need for new F&B ventures to stand out from the clutter by claiming some record unique to them. High is the highest lounge bar in South India while Candles Brewhouse on the 12^th floor of Azure literally screams from the rooftop for being the highest microbrewery in town. In a dynamic world where such records are broken frequently in Sergei Bubka-esque fashion, does size or statistic really matter? We decided to drop in at the Oia launch over the weekend to find out.

Inside Oia, Bengaluru

Forget a stone’s throw, if you spit an olive pit from Byg Brewski on Hennur Road you’ll hit Oia. It takes something to pack a place like this. On launch day 29 April, it was packed to the rafters. Saturday night witnessed nearly 3,500 people throng Oia’s cabanas, amphitheater, galleries and poolside tables, way beyond its official seating capacity of 1800. There were Russian dancers, pyromancers, a fashion show, music, fireworks and finger food flying off buffet trays—Rayalseema pepper chicken, seekh kebab, fish fingers, assorted dumplings.

“Goa with a Greece vibe”, exclaimed a giddy teen, alluding to the all-white interiors similar to Thalassa in Vagator. Every nook, step and arch is Insta-worthy and was promptly captured by the eager millennials and social media influencers. With an hour-and-a-half wait at the valet, people were spending as much time getting out as those waiting to get in. Bewildered cabbies assumed it was some Karnataka election dole they were missing out on. On Sunday, there were 400 people waiting.

After the dust from the launch settled, we decided to hop over again on a relatively quiet Monday evening to enjoy Oia’s Greek-inspired architecture and global cuisine. A brainchild of seasoned restaurateur Lokesh Sukhija, the man behind F&B brands like Miso Sexy, Daddy, Diablo and Bougie, Oia is a design masterpiece. “We had several sessions to thrash out the design. I was very particular about the flooring. It was quite a task to achieve this stone-chip and irregular-cut Kota stone…I’m very happy with how it has turned out. And the response has been as expected,” Lokesh smiles with quiet confidence.

A vision in white, it stretches around a green wraparound pool with a bridge, cabanas, beautiful columns and lofty arches. Inspired by the Greek city of Santorini and designed by architect Abhigyan Neogi with gorgeous Picasso-style line drawings in black as wall and niche accents, it is spread across multiple levels with a stunning elevation, amphitheater style seating, and a signature blue-domed lighthouse to complete the vantage seaside look. The whole architecture echoes the landscape of the scenic village isle on Santorini, with its whitewashed cubiform houses clinging to the cliffs.

Surprisingly, despite a dozen trips to Europe, Lokesh has never been to Greece. When he picked up this two-acre patch a few years ago, it was a barren piece of land without a single tree. “Most of our ventures have been city-centric properties. We can’t dream of doing such things in Mumbai or Delhi, but Bengaluru has a big place format. It became my dream to do a larger-than-life space…something unique, yet casual where you can chill with friends and talk to each other. Since the city will expand towards the north, Hennur Road was the best choice.”

The décor is minimalist all-white with beautiful cane lamps. Despite the size, the key is simplicity, with nothing too bold or colourful like Miso Sexy or Daddy. The ground floor has the Picasso Bar while Snowman, the first floor bar, is dedicated to a famous prize-winning horse. Built to highlight Bengaluru’s breezy open-air vibe pouring sunshine or rain, Oia is clearly set to capture the imagination of those looking for a stylish dine-in, date out or drink with buddies.

Food with a Bengaluru twist

Being a Delhiite with several restaurants under his belt starting from Lazeez Affaire in 1999, Lokesh with current partner Saurabh and head chef Pankaj decided to showcase the best food from all their outlets, with some new offerings. The food is inventive multi-cuisine—boozy vodka pani puri, blue pea sushi, Greek cheese samosas, edamame tokri tart, creamy chicken cornetto served in a wooden box, and Namma Bengaluru tacos with local fillings like chicken Karavalli, Andhra bheja fry and ghee roast paneer.

We sip a slew of signature cocktails—the lovely purple-hued People’s Obsession with blue pea tea, the Jim Beam-based Picasso, gin-based Geisha and Sonorous with lemongrass and grapefruit, Nector and Date Me Please. For a place this size, the food arrives with surprising speed. The delicious beef baos are soft pillowy cushions with a spicy beef filling. The whiskey garlic prawn is another standout, as is the South Indian-style magic prawn. Oia takes pride in its North Indian roots, serving great Tandoori Chicken and a must-try Paneer Tikka Sampler—plump hunks of the softest paneer, in a trio of spicy masalas in green, white and red, barbecued to perfection.

Lamenting the lack of good paneer in Bengaluru, they source their cottage cheese from Delhi. A guy comes every day by train to deliver it. The masalas are procured from Lucknow. A lot of the ingredients for their Pan Asian dishes are sourced from different places. Meanwhile, the crowds keep pouring in as the 300-strong staff copes with the newfound attention. In a month’s time, they intend to launch their twin luxe villas for private parties and weekend breaks. With double-height ceilings, four rooms each, separate living and dining spaces and a pool with a wraparound lawn, the villas have the convenience of Oia-catered food and drinks. A cool club is on the anvil in six months. Quite like Santorini, Oia seems set to be a destination in its own right.

Oia, 162/2, Main Road, Hennur.