For a long time, Vasant Vihar was the neighbourhood you drove through on the way to somewhere else. A residential pocket in South Delhi — tree-lined streets, old money, embassies, the kind of area where people live well and go out elsewhere.

That has changed. Quietly, then suddenly, Basant Lok Market has become the most interesting square kilometre in Delhi for going out. Not one or two standout places. An entire strip where the average level has risen so significantly that a full evening — drinks, dinner, more drinks, late night — can be done without moving your car once.

Here's everything that's in there.

PCO — where it all started

PCO, Pass Code Only, is India's first speakeasy bar, located in Vasant Vihar, embodying the allure and mystique of the Prohibition era. The bar's entrance, concealed behind an unassuming facade, requires patrons to dial a secret code on an old-fashioned rotary phone to gain access.

It's been on Asia's 50 Best Bars. It has been running since 2012 and still fills up. It is the bar that made Vasant Vihar's reputation and made every bar that came after it possible.

Lair — the bar that ranked No. 8 in Asia

Lair ranked No. 8 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, making it the best bar in India. A modern speakeasy with dim lighting, earthy interiors, and a menu divided into three levels of flavour complexity. The bartenders are among the best in the country. It's in Basant Lok. It's been here for years and is only getting better.

AaBbCc — the bar the Lair team built next

AaBbCc in Vasant Vihar is what the same team built after Lair — a concept bar that takes all the rules and throws them out, with about 80 ingredients on display on the lower level, India's longest omakase-style cocktail counter above, and a listening lounge that transforms into a high-energy room on certain nights.

The cocktail menu runs across chapters — Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow — and reads like a science project. There is nothing else like it in Delhi. When the people behind the top bar in India open their next project in the same neighbourhood, it tells you something.

Hoots — the secret bar you didn't know existed

Hoots is a hidden speakeasy tucked inside Perch on the first floor — dim lighting, rich leather seating, jazz ambience. People who've been going to Perch for years have walked past the door without knowing it existed.

It has featured on Asia's 50 Best Bars extended list. It's intimate, it's excellent, and the fact that most people still don't know it's there is the whole point.

Call Me Ten — Japanese craft, two floors, one building

Two floors built around opposing energies. Level 0 is lively and social. Level 1 is a refined omakase bar where every drink is designed to be savoured slowly. The food is serious — Hokkaido cheesecake tarts, pork belly skewers with bulgogi glaze. The cocktails have names like Breakfast and Fascination and they earn both. It's in the same Basant Lok strip.

Red — for when you want to actually have fun

RED is a high-energy bar and lounge known for its vibrant nightlife, with a stylish interior, pulsating music, and an extensive drink menu. Regular DJ nights and live performances keep the energy levels high. Medium Red is inspired by the many shades and moods of the colour red — the European-Asian restaurant has been making the rounds and their That's Nuts cocktail, featuring peanut butter-washed tequila with homemade spice syrup, is a standout.

Not every night needs to be a tasting experience. Sometimes you want good music, good cocktails, and a room that doesn't take itself too seriously. Red is that room.

Khi Khi — progressive Indian with a cocktail programme to match

As soon as the elevator doors open you're greeted by an eye-catching mural, setting the tone for Khi Khi, a cocktail bar with innovative infusions and a menu of Progressive Indian food. Named after the Hindi word for giggle, Khi Khi is designed to encourage playfulness, inviting guests to unwind, share, laugh, and enjoy cocktails in a refreshing, non-cookie-cutter setting.

The Clarified Punch — pineapple, peach, guava, three variants of rum — is worth ordering before you've even looked at the food.

Perch — the one that started the coffee-to-cocktail pipeline

Perch has been here long enough to be considered an institution. Vietnamese iced coffee in the morning. Good Pinot Noir in the evening. Cheese and charcuterie whenever you need it. It's the reason people started coming to Basant Lok before the bars arrived and the reason they keep coming back even now that the strip has exploded around it.

TBBTSS — for the serious drinker

Located behind a Japanese sando shop in Basant Lok, The Bartender's Bar That Somehow Still Exists is a proper bar — the menu is in the style of a bartender's notebook, with scribbled recipes, mini polaroids of drinks, and information on how they're made. Grey Area with Palo Santo-infused rum, Earl Grey with homemade amaro and ginger ale fizz, and the Ginake — a portmanteau of gin and sake alongside vetiver — are complex drinks and a joy to sip.

The chicken karaage is exceptional and the pork belly sandwich from the shop next door comes through a small window directly into the bar.

Why this is happening here

Vasant Vihar has always had the right demographic. Educated, travelled, with disposable income and taste. What it didn't have was energy. It felt residential in a way that made going out feel like an afterthought.

That changed when PCO opened in 2012 and made the neighbourhood the address for serious cocktail culture. Everything since has been a consequence of that. One good bar creates the conditions for another. A critical mass of quality raises the floor for everything around it. Hauz Khas got crowded and commoditised. Khan Market can feel like a transaction. Vasant Vihar got good quietly, without the Instagram wave arriving before the quality did.

That window is closing. Go now while it still feels like something you discovered rather than something everyone already knows.