{"id":1816,"date":"2026-09-18T17:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/india-news\/goonj-bengaluru-cocktail\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T17:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:06:14","slug":"goonj-bengaluru-cocktail","status":"publish","type":"india-news","link":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/en\/india-news\/goonj-bengaluru-cocktail\/","title":{"rendered":"Goonj designs Indian cuisine and house cocktails as one, aiming to lift nighttime spend per customer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nThis article is based on what we could verify As of September 18, 2026<\/strong> in public records and news reports from India. India revises its tax rules and regulations frequently, and the details here may have changed since. When making an actual business decision, please check the latest information with primary sources such as the ministries responsible and local experts.\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In September 2026, a new restaurant called \"Goonj,\" combining Indian cuisine with original cocktails, opened in Indiranagar, a prime location in the South Indian tech hub of Bengaluru. Run by Kompany Hospitality, the food centers on regional recipes and traditional cooking methods from across the country, while the drinks are built around an in-house cocktail program. Designing food and drink as one, and building spend per customer around \"a night\" rather than \"a plate,\" offers a clue for thinking about how Japanese cuisine and Japan-origin food brands might approach India's restaurant market. Here is a summary, within what the coverage confirms, of who did what and where.<\/p>\n\n

Triggering news: Goonj opens in Indiranagar<\/h2>\n

According to Restaurant India (September 18, 2026), Goonj occupies a roughly 2,500 square foot (about 232 square meter), 75-seat space on the fourth floor of a building along 100 Feet Road in Bengaluru's Indiranagar. The co-founders are Shashaank Shekhar and Siddharth Kumar Gupta. On the food side, Kompany Hospitality's R&D chef Pratik Sharma is in charge, while beverage head Manjunath U Gouda oversees drinks. The menu lines up dishes such as dal bhukhara, Indore's famous bhutte ka kees chaat, Kashmir's nadru yakhni, and a paneer jalebi dish served with fried ice cream, drawing broadly across regional cuisines.<\/p>\n\n

Background: dining out in metro cities has entered a stage where \"experience\" is the differentiator<\/h2>\n

Bengaluru is one of India's most fiercely contested dining markets, dense with cafes, bars, and fine dining. It has become harder to draw new customers on food alone, and restaurants are shifting toward differentiating through the whole experience, including space, service, and beverage program. Goonj's decision to design its house cocktails with the same intensity as its food is an extension of this trend. Whether a restaurant can create a high-spend nighttime window that includes alcohol determines whether it can cover the rent at a prime urban location.<\/p>\n\n

A design that treats cocktails as an extension of the food<\/h2>\n

Goonj's cocktails are split into two sections, \"Nostalgia\" and \"Colour,\" plus classic cocktails and zero-proof, non-alcoholic options. The ingredients used \u2014 raw mango, jasmine, sandalwood, banana, tulsi (holy basil), Indian spices \u2014 are local ingredients that connect directly with the food side. The idea of building drinks not as a standalone beverage but as an extension of the food's aromas and memories makes it easier to sell the story behind the ingredients. Also worth noting is that non-alcoholic options are included in the lineup from the start, as a local adaptation that doesn't leave out non-drinkers or those in regions with strict alcohol regulations.<\/p>\n