Bangalore then, Bengaluru today, labelled as Pub Capital of India, the city's tryst with beer began much before Independence. United Breweries (UB), which supplied beer to the British cantonment, was sold to Vittal Mallya in 1947. Mallya's United Breweries Ltd produced several brands of lager, including the legendary Kingfisher.
Ramda, nestled in-between MG Road & Church street on the Museum Road, is believed to be the city's first pub, serving draught beer for the first time ever, was launched by Bangalore based company Khoday's. Late Sri Hari Khoday, MD, Khoday India Ltd, a company that produces a range of products named the pub after his elder brother Ramachandra Khoday. It was a super hit with college students flocking in the afternoon, and they opened another branch in the more conservative Chamrajpet in south Bangalore.
In the late 1980s, Bangalore's pub culture emerged, justifying the city's tag of "pub capital" with more pubs like Guzzlers, and Pecos becoming popular attractions. These pubs were so popular that people would travel from neighbouring cities like Mysore, Mangalore, and Chennai just to go pub-hopping.
Bangalore's pubs finally climbed up the ladder to become unofficial tourist attractions, attracting people from various cities, including those drawn by the emerging IT industry. The IT boom brought in people from various parts of India, making Bangalore a melting pot of cultures with a youthful vibe.
The late 80s and early 90s saw the emergence of other pubs which made a mark amongst the partygoers were The Pub (Church Street), Windsor Pub (Vasanth Nagar), Oaken Cask and Black Cadillac (Residency Road), 11 to 11 (Malleshwaram), Take Five and Nightwatchman (Museum Road) and The Underground (MG Road).
Some pubs were known for their rock music & while a few for the ambience and the crowd! A mug of beer at their neighbourhood pub with friends, was the most favored way to destress in good old days.
Bangalore Pubs became a place for boozy camaraderie and a place to destress. This signalled a dramatic shift in pub culture. These places had a vibe, music, and a selection of alcoholic beverages, and they were popular with younger, multicultural patrons.