Reggae-inspired venue, Raasta, is the city’s go-to spot for a Caribbean experience in Delhi. The casual-dining restaurant and bar can be found in Delhi’s Green Park locality, and operates through the week with a wide offering of events and an extensive and impressive menu!
Raasta, Delhi, is a Caribbean-themed lounge in South Delhi’s upscale Green Park neighborhood. Having first launched in Hauz Khas, another well-known location for some of Delhi’s top venues, Raasta moved to Green Park in 2017 and has since become a well-frequented gem amongst the city’s various entertainment avenues.
Paying tribute to revered legends in the music scene, from Bob Marley to Jimmy Cliff, and many more, Raasta provides the city with a place to party, kick back, and experience night-after-night of Caribbean-inspired cuisine and ambience. The venue was first brought to the drafting board by friends and co-owners Joy Singh and Rahul Kundan during 2011, with the then-Hauz Khas-based venue being the very first to launch. As of 2022, Raasta has opened in five locations across India, namely Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata and Gurgaon.
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The venue has been designed to appeal to every mood, with both indoor and outdoor dining spaces that flow seamlessly into each other. The outdoor space is a careful balance of white wood and patterned tiling, accentuated by mood lighting that brims up as the sun sets. Patrons can choose between a quick wine & dine in wicker seating or kick back with a group of friends on the lounge sets. A highlight of the outdoor area that will instantly catch your eye is its white wood gazebo, which covers a central section of the space.
Both the indoor and outdoor areas provide their own experiences, with events at Raasta ranging from live performances to dance workshops and exclusive parties. The indoor space offers a warmer mood, with darker, moody furnishing and exposed ceilings to accent carefully utilized metals and upholstery. While on slow-traffic days, you can expect to find a spot that fits you across the variety of accommodations on the venue, however, be sure to phone in and check in advance on busier nights!
Since opening its doors to the public, Raasta has featured a myriad of unique artists across the board. The venue champions no one particular genre, having housed everything from dance music, electronica, singer/songwriters and DJs to hip hop, rap, drum & bass, and underground, with their stand-out being reggae, of course. This includes artists both local and international, even including the venue in their tour circuits and prelaunch celebrations.
You can expect to catch some of your favorite artists at Raasta, or you could find one you admire anew! Some notable artists that have performed at the venue are Jamaican DJ Anthony B, Netherlands-based Interstellar Funk, Canadian electronic music producer Marc Houle, Indian musicians BLOT! and Dualist Inquiry, Indian producer and beatboxer Yung.Raj and Tilburg-based music producer and DJ Budakid.
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Raasta has also worked alongside renowned labels and other entities from both within and outside the country to bring these events to life! Namely London-based indie record label Anjunadeep, Indian indie record label AZADI Records, Indian event organizer Nightvibe, and various liquor brands and event programmers. Along with live music, the venue also hosts frequent sports screenings and takeovers, as well as dance workshops and karaoke nights. Every event is its own unique experience!
Every Sunday, Raasta hosts Ladies Night, with drinks on the house for women attending. Wednesdays are always eventful with Raasta and Delhi Salsa Club’s Streets of Salsa dance workshops, with Tuesdays reserved for ‘Boombastic Karaoke’ for those that love themselves a good open mic singing experience!
The venue is open through the week from 12 PM to 1 AM, with Happy Hours until 8 PM.
Your dining experience at Raasta will consist of a variety of Indian and Caribbean dishes and blends. The menu prides itself on a spread of appetizers, main courses, desserts and drinks that are uniquely Raasta’s very own. While you can order up for any mood you’re in – whether that is a soup or salad, pizzas and pasta, or wraps, buns, and bowls – frequenters swear by a number of dishes that truly bring out Raasta’s specialty of fusion.
If you want to experience the menu’s starred dishes, try the vegetarian or non-vegetarian jambalaya, an American Creole and Cajun rice dish consisting mainly of meat and vegetables with rice; the various region-inspired platters have been favorited by past patrons and frequenters alike, namely the Barbados Platter and the Saint Lucia Platter. Regular praise is also rewarded not only to Raasta’s pizza selection, but also to their kebabs, tikkas, fish preparations, and bruschetta. Even the garlic bread comes highly recommended!
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In conversation with India Food Network, co-owners Singh and Kundal state that the Indian and Caribbean palates are quite similar. “Our simple dal chawal is called dal bhaat there. This happened because of a lot of Indian, Asian and African settlements, shifted to the Caribbean islands. So their cuisine is more like world cuisine. As far as alcohol is concerned, they are very heavy on rum, so our cocktails also have a healthy splash in them. Launching the Bongtails was our way of making sure we could incorporate that element somewhere.”
Raasta’s Bongtails are a fan favorite! These handcrafted cocktails are served in bongs that hold 500 ML servings of some seriously good cocktails. The ‘Purple Haze’ consists of vodka, gin, tequila, white rum, and cranberry and guava juice; the ‘Pinx Panther’ is a red and white wine and brandy blend with Raasta bar men’s secret herbs, making for a surprising exquisite drink!
The bar menu is otherwise complete with a whopping selection of wines, liqueurs, classic crafted shots, and spirits, including whiskies of Irish, American, Canadian and Japanese origin. Help yourself to the Yamazaki 18 YO or spoil your circle with a bottle of the finest G H Munn Champagne! If you are the designated driver, you get to spoil yourself as well, courtesy of Raasta’s extensive mocktails, milkshakes and coffee options. Order up a ‘Raasta Special’ and prepare yourself for a delightful non-alcoholic beverage that will quickly become a favorite!
Whether you’re in the throes of a very long week or in need of a power-packed weekend party, Raasta has your back. A night of top-notch music, food and drinks, and a crowd of music and experience enthusiasts of all ages, while the rest of Delhi descends into the night, this is an experience that begs to be repeated!
