Whispers, smoke and caviar bumps liven things up at Paradox in Mumbai

Paradoxes are not just for philosophers or moody poets. You will spot them in cocktail bars too, especially those that do not scream for attention. It is usually the quiet bars that have the most to say.

Mumbai’s Paradox leans into this tension rather well. A cocktail-forward bar by Aditi and Aditya Dugar, the duo behind Masque, it is designed to be many things at once: intimate but not insular, theatrical without being loud. Architect Ashiesh Shah draws from Mumbai’s Art Deco vocabulary, but not in a way that feels too polished or overly reverential. You enter through a glass corridor that doubles as a wine cellar, step onto classic black-and-white tiles, and then the room begins to unfold quietly.

The space

Upstairs, the vibe is sharp and moody. Downstairs, the mood softens. The bar shares its space with an open kitchen. The light dips. The food comes closer. Conversations stretch.

There are silk panels hand-embroidered with scenes from an Indian forest at midnight, green leather walls that nod to overgrown gardens, and a private dining tent tucked away like a secret, layered with New York designer Peter D’Ascoli textiles, Chamba Rumal embroidery and beadwork by Bengaluru-based contemporary artist Avinash Veeraraghavan.

Across its two floors and a terrace, Paradox spans roughly 2,800 square feet, but it is the atmosphere, not the scale, that leaves a lasting impression.

The drinks and food

The bar programme is designed to throw out the rulebook. Head mixologist Ankush Gamre describes it as “borderless,” drawing from his years of travel and interactions with bartenders around the world.

A distinctive element is the tap cocktail offering, a practical answer to the age-old gripe of waiting too long for your first drink. “We didn’t want people to wait, especially for that initial round,” says Ankush. The bar currently features four cocktails on tap, each built on a crowd-favourite spirit — vodka, tequila, mezcal, and gin.

Some must-try picks include the Cthulhu, which pairs Don Julio Blanco and Creyente with pandan syrup, citrus, and fermented squid liquid for a flavour profile that is surprising but deliberate; the spirit-heavy Last Call, made with Caol Ila, Metaxa, Toki and Lillet Blanc; and Tap #4, a mezcal-forward twist on the classic picante.

With a zine-style menu of 10 signature cocktails, 10 house specials, and four tap drinks, the offering is tight and playful. Does everything work? Not quite. A few cocktails could use some fine-tuning, but the ambition is clear.

While the food at Paradox follows a small plates format, a few dishes veer into familiar territory. There are moments when it feels like you have tasted something similar at Masque. “It’s small plates, yes, but elevated ones,” Aditya explains. “Some are meant for sharing, others are individual, and downstairs, we’ve got one large-format sharing course you won’t find upstairs.”

Many of the dishes draw from chef Varun Totlani’s travels and personal cravings, with a focus on bold, punchy flavours. “Everything’s either a little acidic, fatty, or spicy, which makes you want to take a sip after every bite,” says Varun. The menu is designed to support the drinks rather than steal the spotlight. One of the sleeper hits is a pasta dish that, at first glance, doesn’t look like pasta at all. “It’s cheesy and comforting. Behind the simplicity is a dish that’s actually quite complex to put together.” The play between familiar flavours and unexpected form is part of what makes it stand out.

Despite the playful vibe, the food at Paradox is no slouch when it comes to technique. “We’re not trying to make you think about every dish, but if you want to, you absolutely can,” says Varun. Many of the plates are quietly complex — built with the same attention to detail as Masque, just without the formality or narrative.

Dishes play with memory: shishito peppers stuffed with paneer and coated in Doritos, pao de queijo served with chai sour cream and chilli oil — or caviar, for those feeling indulgent.

The throughline across the menu is smoke — “about 95% of the dishes touch the grill, hearth, or smoker at some point,” Varun says. “Smoke and char just work with alcohol.” Even the large-format tostada, a sort of “Mexican masala bar snack,” comes off the grill. While the small plates at Paradox are interesting, they run the risk of becoming predictable over time. If you are planning to be a regular, there is a chance the menu could start to feel a bit too familiar. The hope is that the kitchen will reinvent itself every six months or so to keep the food feeling relevant.

“I always wanted to open a bar,” says Aditya. “Even before Masque. But it took its time, and I’m glad it did. Because we didn’t want to follow any template. There’s already too much noise in Mumbai. That’s why people have been retreating to house parties, at least there, you can hear yourself think.”

Paradox, he explains, is meant to be the antidote to that. “The idea was simple: no rules. A space where you don’t have to shout, don’t have to perform. It’s a bit of a playground, really. You imagine something, and then you try and make it happen.”

Meal for two with drinks at Paradox is around ₹4,000 plus taxes.