Six months is a lifetime in the hospitality business. And usually long enough for a venue to become a predictable pin on Google Maps. New Delhi’s The Bar Behind the Sandwich Shop (TBBTSS), however, has managed to remain a well-kept secret – the mark of a true speakeasy in an era of faux-hidden bars. With no signboards to guide you and no digital breadcrumbs to follow, finding it still relies on good ‘ol word of mouth. To get in, you still need to know someone who has successfully navigated the threshold and can guide you to the exact spot.

The answer resides in their name. The spot indeed, lies behind a sandwich shop in Basant Lok Market, popularly known as Priya Market, in Vasant Vihar. If you find it, you will emerge in a space dimly lit with flickering candles. A bar in front, a community table in the middle and scattered seating in one corner completes the set up. Mellow music and muted conversations are the order of the night

Strangely enough, says co-founder Rishi Pratim Mukherjee, they never called TBBTSS a speakeasy, not even in the strategy and ideation phase when all of this was just on paper. “We wanted to create a hidden, intimate bar which once discovered would foster a sense of community among its patrons. Speakeasy is a name which the market and media have bestowed upon us,” he says. What makes it stand out amidst the clutter of other cocktail bars in the city, he believes, is the sense of discovery. “The next thing is the vibe and experience of our bar: cosy, intimate, friendly, conversation friendly, not too loud and casually chic. The cocktail and food programme is finally the fulcrum which makes this whole experience worth it,” he says.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding, or in this case, the cocktails. The menu, designed like a bartender’s personal diary with notes on cocktail equations and flavour profiles, is an invitation to experiment. TBBTSS has recently introduced a new set of drinks, while retaining a few of their bestsellers, including the tequila-based Mango No.5 with jalapeno and filter mango puree and Hazelnut Highball with hazelnut infused bourbon, cold brew coffee and vanilla clarified with condensed milk. The brief for the bar programme, says Mukherjee, was to have “cocktails that are clean, crisp, deliciously designed; harking back to the classics with modern craftsmanship.”

We begin with The Katsu, a bold concoction of chicken fat-washed scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, kimchi jam, and hot sauce. Sipping it literally feels like eating a rich katsu sandwich: savoury and texture-driven. Next up, the tequila-based Jalisco Fizz offers a pleasant, mild saltiness, though the Tequila Blonde (featuring beer, cape gooseberry, and balsamic vinegar) misses the mark, feeling overly muddled.

A standout is Sakaya, a balanced sake-based creation with shiso leaf, apple cider vinegar, and oolong tea. Enhanced with malic acid and olive brine, it emerges as the absolute favourite of the night. We also enjoy Plum Fiction which has a brighter profile, pairing plum-infused gin and plum saccharum with sake, limoncello, and earl grey – again, full marks for the delicate balance. And if you are in the mood for a grown up dessert, try Old Boy, an intriguing blend of bourbon clarified with pistachio ice cream.

The culinary storytelling transitions seamlessly to the plate. We pair our drinks with plump, spiced prawns wrapped in crunchy kataifi. The TBB Fried Chicken is a crowd favourite, as are the Sticky Belly Bites — Belgian pork belly glazed with gochujang and tonkatsu. We also order a satisfyingly filling Chicken Katsu sandwich from the sandwich shop next door – yes, you can them get delivered from there to your table. Need something sweet to finish off the meal? Try the Shibuya Honey Toast which comes topped with whipped cream and mixed fruit compote.

The Bar Behind the Sandwich Shop succeeds because it does not hide behind the gimmick of its entrance. While it still requires word-of-mouth to find, once you are past the curtain, the cocktails speak for themselves.

The Bar Behind the Sandwich Shop is at Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. A meal for two costs ₹3,000. For reservations contact 8130664202.