Kolkata’s bar culture has been steadily reshaping itself over the past decade. The city that once defined conviviality through its beloved adda—long, unhurried conversations over tea and cigarettes, has more recently filled up with high-decibel lounges and glossy clubs. Against that backdrop, Conversation Room is a quieter, more deliberate entry in the city’s nightlife, and one that feels anchored in Kolkata’s own rhythms rather than global templates.
I found it behind an archaic elevator at Edward Court on Chowringhee Road, a building that wears its early 20th-century architecture with quiet grace. High ceilings, wooden balustrades and arched windows give the 3,000 square foot space a natural elegance. Inside, the bar fits so well it feels as if it has always been there. Nothing about the design is showy or overworked; it’s more a careful retrofit than a concept fighting to be noticed.
The mood is set the moment you step in. A retro soundtrack of soft rock and vintage pop plays at the perfect volume—enough to give the room a pulse but low enough to allow conversation to flow. Even on a lively evening it never tips into noise.
Over a drink, founder Abhimanyu Maheshwari explained his vision. “Conversation Room was meant to literally be a room for conversation, where human-to-human interaction is put front and centre and everything else is incidental,” he said. “C-Room is a space that can shape-shift, from hosting lectures by leading professors and public intellectuals under our ‘Class-Room’ series, to once a month nights of ‘Not-A-Conversation-Room’, where we break our own rules and end the night with people dancing atop tables. The cocktails and food are approachable and unpretentious, and the design is not dramatic, and never meant to distract, so the focus stays on people and connections.”
The drinks list reflects that ethos. Designed by Pankaj Balachandran of Countertop India, it is inventive without being self-conscious. “When we designed the bar program for Conversation Room, the idea was to take a few steps back,” he told me. “Kolkata had moved from serving simple classics just a few years ago to suddenly embracing rotovaps and centrifuges in 2024—essentially skipping some of the natural stages in the evolution of a city’s drinking culture. Conversation Room with their new cocktail menu, they aim to lead the program, and by extension the city, from the front.”
I tried That’s What She Said, where tequila, coriander, muskmelon and jalapeño created something bright with just enough heat, and Smooth Talker, a blend of scotch, vanilla caramel and a hint of cacao smoke, which was richer but still easy to drink. Highballs with house-flavoured sodas make second rounds effortless, while a compact wine wall curated by Prithvi Nagpal of Spill It Wine Consultancy, keeps the wine list approachable.
I was also given a sneak peek of upcoming cocktails. Share Market Tea mixes vodka, whisky and actual share market tea (strong, milky, sweet chai typically sold by tea stalls around the historic Kolkata Stock Exchange) with a layer of malai foam, a sliver of toast, crystallised sugar and saffron. Pina Colada, on the other hand, is reimagined with smoky whisky, Campari, fresh pineapple, cold brew and saline, clarified to a crystal finish. “Share Market Tea is an ode to the present, and Pina Colada an ode to the classics, which can belong to any bar in the world. With this drink our intention is to transcend Calcutta, as a drink that fits fine on the menu of any bar in the world,” Pankaj explained.
Chef Saurabh Udinia’s (of Masala Library and Revolver in Singapore) food complements the drinks without stealing the show. The mushroom truffle pâté with house crisps was earthy and rich, Bhutanese ema datshi with tingmo carried gentle heat, and goat pepper fry with Kerala parotha had a slow-building spice that paired beautifully with my cocktail. The dessert, a caramelised honey butter toast with vanilla bean ice cream gave the evening a smooth finish.
Conversation Room doesn’t need theatrics to make its point. It is a place where design, food and drinks quietly support what really matters: the people around the table and the conversations that unfold between them. In a city that sometimes forgets its love for unhurried talk, that feels like a night well spent.
Address: Ground Floor, Edward Court, Unit No 11, 1, 55, Chowringee Rd, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071
Timings: 12pm – 12am
Price for two: Rs. 2200 ++
Reservations: +91 91471 11609
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