Cheers for IPL deals!
Ayeshea Perera -
Sunday, April 26, 2009 12:52 PM
Pubs in Delhi are good places to be these days. Now that the IPL has been moved to South Africa (as a friend so aptly put it) "Only a really suicidal pub won't have some IPL deal going on".
So what this means apart from the fact that you can watch the matches on big screen, is that you get some great offers on food and beer (yay!) and free carnival atmosphere. So pick a team to support (if you want to play it safe go with the Delhi Daredevils), head down to a pub, avail yourself of the 'IPL' deals and hoot, cheer, heckle and make merry with the rest. Even if you don't like cricket or have no clue as to what the HECK is happening on the screen, just being there is an experience you simply should NOT miss.
The question of course is where to go. I would say try as many places as possible - the matches are going to be on everyday for at least another month. (You never know what deals you might be missing out on if you single mindedly go to the same place over and over again)
To start you off, I've compiled a quick list of the IPL deals that are being offered at some of the pubs around the city. The caveat of course is that this is a very rudimentary list - I'm still in the middle of my "research" myself. So additions and other suggestions are more than welcome. Here goes:
* Blues Cafe - Connaught Place
If you want to come here, you're going to have to get in a little early because there is one big screen in front of the bar and prime seats get taken very fast. There are two smaller screen televisions for the unlucky latecomers who have to sit to the side of and behind the big screen - if you don't like cricket, be nice and sit here and allow the fans their watching space. There is an "IPL menu" which features for (some strange reason) tandoori chicken, but the true deal is on the beer - you get "5 pint" deals - where 5 pints of any local beer goes for Rs 400. Carlsberg is slightly more expensive.
*All Sports Bar - Connaught Place
Now this alas, is a bit of a rip off. Undoubtedly banking on the fact that their apt name will bring all the sports fans running, this pub has upped its premium. First a cover charge of 500 per head, which is redeemable through coupons. So far so good. The coupons are in blocks of Rs 25 each and one sheet of coupons is worth 250. The catch is however that everything has to be bought via coupon, you have to buy a minimum of one sheet of coupons at a time (nothing less) and if you have coupons left at the end of the match they aren't redeemable. These guys have deals on pints as well. A cooler of 10 pints goes for a 1200 - which can be hard to work out with coupons and the complex way in which you ust purchase them. Plus the food is not that great. Coverage wise however this can be a pretty good bet.
If you're early enough to grab a booth, you have the luxury watching the matches on your own personal tv. If not, there are still plenty of televisions on which you can watch the matches.
*Bennigans Pub - Saket and GK
Bennigans is showing the matches on big screen and dont't charge an entrance fee. Nothing special on the menu for IPL just yet, but their awesome "recession time drinking" offer conveniently falls into the same time slots that the match is aired. Buy two get three free on any local spirits.
*Turquoise Cottage - Gurgaon and Vasant Vihar
Turquise Cottage is offering "Happy Hours for the duration of the match. So one plus one for as long as they're playing. The good news is that the deal is applicable on both domestic and foreign liquor. The matches themselves are being shown on two plasma screen televisions and one big screen. So running to get good seats is like at Blues, highly advisable.