No one can keep a secret spot secret any longer. Most have been completely overrun by the marauding packs of clout-hungry influencers in the wild.
And yet, Zia’s Lounge Bar, aka ZLB 23, tucked deep within the ornate, dusty-rose walls of The Leela Palace Bengaluru, has, for more than a year, managed to maintain a modicum of mystery. But the word is out, for this 50-seater, Kyoto-style speakeasy has gained recent fame by being recognised as the best bar in India and sits at no. 40 in this year’s rankings of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
Delhi-based sommelier Magandeep Singh was the first to blow the lid off this sexy speakeasy with his review in April 2023. Singh says he immediately knew that ZLB 23 had the makings of a top bar. “It’s a bold step for a five-star. Luxury hotels don’t do deeply researched, concept-driven properties—there are many risks, like cannibalising one’s own business,” he points out. But he has known Madhav Sehgal, the area vice president South India of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, for years, and credits his “flair and flamboyance” for “the uncompromising details [that make] ZLB 23 a world-class bar”.
When Sehgal first thought of transforming a storage space on the palace property into this plush secret bar, he saw it as a way of “exposing the heart of the hotel” to the younger generation. The property has been a city landmark for more than two decades, and “we want to build bridges with a new clientele,” he says.
To arrive at this luxe cocoon, we snake through corridors, gardens, and even the kitchens of the hotel. Entering ZLB 23 feels dramatic—like walking into a century-old theatre’s backroom that’s crossed with a glamorous opium-mahjong den (sans smoke) with its reds, golds, and deep oranges. There are comfy chintz-covered chairs, loveseats, and pouffes with throw pillows and tassels. But like moths to a flame, we’re drawn to the light glowing through the striated sheets of marble at the bar and the glimmer of bottles stacked on the shelves behind it.
On the recommendation of ZLB 23 regular Priyanka Blah, the founder of The Dram Attic, a lifestyle platform centred on drinks and cocktails, we order a Kyoto Autumn (pink guava, passion fruit, and peach over smoky mezcal) and a Shoyu Ramen (shiro miso, light shoyu, tequila, and sake) to accompany the soothing tunes of the jazz pianist. Blah loves hotel bars; she finds them to be safe havens for single, travelling women. “And this place is consistent, which is quite rare. Here, 80 per cent of the staff is women—all smart, savvy, and well-informed,” she adds.
