Bengaluru’s 33&Brew gives 9-to-5 folk a delicious vinyl break 

At the fag end of 2025, a vinyl bar is no longer a flex. Mumbai’s Baroke, Delhi’s Genre, Goa’s For The Record, Bengaluru’s Middle Room and countless other listening rooms peppered around the country are proof that old-school, analogue music is back in full swing. Amidst this crackle, Bengaluru’s newly opened 33&Brew, named after vinyl records that run at 33 RPM, does not stand as a tale of novelty. Sure, the concept of a record bar plus microbrewery is not too common in India (though Goa’s recently-opened Lizard King comes to mind), but there’s nothing flash-in-the-pan about the expansive 250-seater joint. Quite the contrary.

This slow, studied love for blending LPs with food and tipples goes back to 2022, when Optimistic Capital, the founders of 33&Brew, started their first venture, Record Room. Located in the heart of the city, the rooftop space brought vinyl back in conversation long before wired earphones, Walkmans and ’80s nostalgia were signifiers of cool. Now, Record Room has gotten a glow-up and moved east to Whitefield’s Prestige Technostar, a tech park where 15,000 employees chug in and out of the office everyday. 

“Bengaluru has always been defined by its pub culture, where great music and fresh beer go hand in hand,” Karthik Chandrashekhar, the co-founder explains. “Today, with our new space we’re adding a touch of nostalgia to that timeless pairing.” Not to forget, in recent times vinyl bars have become synonymous with mini cocktails in posh coupes. In contrast, tuning into the warm crackle of a record while licking sticky ale froth off your lip is a welcome reprise. 

Walking into the brewery, I see this mix of high and low spill into the edgy interiors as well. Oversized retro signage spelling out 33&Brew flanks the door, while poppy-red shelves stocked to the brim with vintage vinyl records await tipplers at the entrance. In them, an array of English, Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu records across decades and genres sit together. Chandrashekhar tells me this mixed bag is intentional, “Vinyl is about discovery. We want people to find what’s familiar but also stumble into something new.” 

Other shelves also spill with analogue music paraphernalia, such as gramophones, CD players, and framed records, breaking the monotony of cushioned booths and high tables at the brewery. The ultimate highlight, though, is the central vinyl listening station and accompanying loveseat. A series of record players with dual headphones invites you to pick an album, plug in, and get cosy on the neighbouring sofa. And we do as it says. My plus-one for the evening is my father, who picks The Doors’ eponymous record and grins from ear to ear as the plastic crackles from the rotation. 

This experience evokes peak “Back in my day we used to….” strand of stories. So, I buckle in for a dose of nostalgia while sipping on the Brine & Bass, a delicious gin and olive cocktail made spicy with pepper skewers. My dad picks Mint Condition, a tequila, cucumber, and mint foam drink that he declares the “best cocktail” of the year, before going in for seconds and thirds. Feeling adventurous, I try The 4am Cut, a slick mix of tequila, whisky, and lager topped with hops honey and red chillies (I’m happy to report the bev lives up to the expectation).  

In all honesty, I was sus about the food at the vinyl brewery because my theory stands that a place usually offers either experience or taste. But I’m pleasantly surprised when the sharing plates arrive. The shredded jackfruit tacos with pickled cabbage, and the caramelised zucchini puff pastry take simple ingredients to build delectable bite-sized bar snacks, perfect as elite chakna. The menu also teases innovative pairings. Take the miso kofta gnocchi, which ties a sweet and hot peanut sauce with soft paneer dumplings, probably my favourite thing on the table. The biryani parcel—chicken rice marinated in aromatic banana leaves—and the Goan prawn arancini are other crowd stirrers.

“Curating a menu for a vinyl brewery meant balancing two experiences, sound and taste. We wanted dishes that feel timeless yet fresh, much like vinyl itself,” shares head chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who has also worked on menus at One8 Commune in Delhi, Bob’s Bar and BYG Brewski in Bengaluru and Red Rhino in Hyderabad. The food undoubtedly enhances the experience; on request, a section of steaks and flame grills from the mains can be downsized as community appetisers to complement the shared listening. 

We dig into a serving of the soft, melt-in-your-mouth Malaysian Mamak chicken kebab and devour the harissa cauliflower steak as my dad waxes poetic about the extensive record collection he once had. I realise this could be my chance to make memories with analogue listening too. 

Excited by the idea of hearing Sabrina Carpenter on a record player, I pick up the glossy Short n’ Sweet album and that’s when it hits me: I can’t just skip ahead to ‘Juno’ or ‘Please Please Please’. The vinyl player only has two action buttons—play and stop. My Spotify-trained brain struggles to accept that you have to listen to an entire album to reach the final song. Sitting there, first impatiently, then leaning into the slow craft, I see how calming this experience can be.

Starting December, the space will also host themed vinyl DJ programmes six days a week to give old-school mixing a social bent. Imagine surviving a string of Monday morning meetings only to walk into 33&Brew at lunch. You pick the album of your choice, put on your headphones, bite into tacos, and zone out for the rest of your break. For a hot minute, there are no Slack notifications and Trello boards; just you, yum food, and a little analogue world. 

Meal for two: ₹3,000 with drinks

Address: Prestige Technostar, Doddanakundi Industrial Area 2, Phase 1, Brookefield, Bengaluru - 560048

Timings: 12 pm to 1am, Monday to Sunday

Reservations: Call +919902058833 or click here