Bar Food-Meets-Indian Food-Meets Craft Cocktails at Rishtedar 305
Tikka masala on a bun? Yes please.
Your after-work Wynwood Happy Hour turned into a four-hour crawl. And after that many drinks, you need some food. You’ve passed 19 taco shops, but you want something more interesting. Bar food would work, but who has time to walk all the way to Grails? And then you see it: A bright beacon of Bollywood beauty serving tikka masala fried chicken sandwiches and Mumbai hot dogs, with drinks unlike any you’ve seen all night.
It’s Rishtedar 305, the cocktail bar offshoot from one of Miami’s best Indian restaurants blending bar food, Indian food, and fancy craft cocktails. And in a city where nearly every new restaurant seems to be a new version of the same thing, it’s a fresh concept I’m absolutely in love with.
The space: Kudos for Rishtedar for not calling this brightly-lit bar with windows to the street a “speakeasy.” It’s a gourmet cocktail bar that announces itself with the same hanging lights and bright colors as the restaurant next door. Rishtedar 305 adds a pinch of over-the-top elegance, with chrome fixtures and glass shelves, giving just enough opulence to make the bar feel theatrically Indian. Seats are all at tables, so it’s not a place to post up for an after-work drink. But the space lends itself perfectly to a date or business cocktail, with music quiet enough you can actually talk.
What to eat and drink: Drinks skew towards classics with Indian adaptations. There’s a Mango Margarita; a Masala Mule – essentially a Moscow mule with spices; and a spicy, smoking Old Fashioned that comes with a timer on top so you know when to let the smoke out. They’re not overly strong, but two is probably enough.
The food is the coolest part about Rishtedar 305, though, because it turns Indian cuisine into American bar food. No, there’s no fried paneer sticks, though you can get a fried paneer sandwich. There’s also a tandoori sausage on a bun with onions and chutney called a Mumbai Hot Dog. And for those who absolutely refuse to branch out, the fried chicken sandwich in butter sauce scratches your tikka masala itch. For vegetarians, the Vada Pav spiced potato patty is the move, deep-fried and served on a bun. All include masala fries, and on weekends you can get it until 1 am.
Perfect for: Dates; Business cocktails; Pre-and-post dinner drinks
Pro tip: Hit it during the week for happy hour. Drinks are half-off from 5-7 pm.
Expect to pay: Drinks hover around $20-25 with tax and tip. Bar bites are around the same. Do with that information what you will.
How’s the parking: It’s Wynwood, so pretty miserable. If you’re not taking a rideshare, you’ll be parking several blocks away.
@rishtedar_miami // 232 NW 24th St., Wynwood