From Courts to Candy Shops: Fort’s New After-Work Culture
From nostalgic vegetarian comfort at The 90’s Project to wine at Pique and specialty coffee at San’s in the Bay, South Mumbai’s old business district is now an evening destination.
An Old Business District Learns New Social Habits
For decades, Fort and Kala Ghoda revolved around office towers, banks, courts and galleries that emptied out after dark. A clutch of new destinations — The 90’s Project, Pique, San’s in the Bay and SpiceKlub’s Babulnath outlet — is recasting the area as an evening-and-weekend playground. Where workers once dashed for trains at 6 pm, they now linger over nostalgic vegetarian plates, wine flights, specialty coffee and modern molecular vegetarian menus. The shift runs from Horniman Circle past Kala Ghoda’s art lanes and up toward Babulnath, stitching heritage architecture to new-age hospitality.
The 90’s Project: Nostalgia and Vegetarian Comfort
Inside Rustico at Khattau Building, The 90’s Project makes the 1990s the main course. A candy shop, PCO phone booth and retro palette turn dinner into a memory capsule for office-goers and cultural tourists. The pure-vegetarian menu leans North Indian and chaat-style street food, with a spend of about ₹1,200 for two and service from noon to 11:30 pm. That pricing and timing make it an easy after-work group stop, while the décor gives younger professionals and old-town families a shared language of childhood references.
The 90’s Project turns dinner into a memory capsule with candy-shop and PCO booth décor.
Pique: Wine Takes Centre Stage Off Horniman Circle
Pique, in Rajabahadur Mansion on Mumbai Samachar Marg, puts wine front and centre rather than treating it as an afterthought. The bar’s by-the-glass list and food are built around pairing, encouraging seated tastings and long conversation. Open noon to midnight and averaging about ₹4,000 for two, Pique attracts the white-collar crowd around Horniman Circle who might otherwise head to Bandra or Lower Parel for a serious glass. Its presence signals that Fort can support modern, wine-led social clubs, not just legacy bars and hotel lounges.
Pique puts wine front and centre in a heritage mansion off Horniman Circle.
San’s in the Bay: Specialty Coffee for the Slow Evening
San’s in the Bay brings third-wave coffee to the corridor, foregrounding carefully sourced beans, manual brewing and barista craft. In a district historically served by functional office canteens and quick tea stalls, this bay-facing destination is designed for lingering, laptop work and small-group catch-ups. For non-drinkers, gallery staff, lawyers and freelancers, it offers a premium, taste-driven ritual that turns coffee into an after-work experience rather than a caffeine stop.
SpiceKlub Babulnath: A 12-Year Vegetarian Arc Reaches the Hill
After twelve years as a single Lower Parel destination, SpiceKlub opened its second outlet in Babulnath in August 2026, housed at the Indian National Theatre Aditya Birla Centre on Dadi Seth Road. The pure-vegetarian restaurant brings molecular plating, table-side theatre and degustation-style tasting menus to an enclave already defined by long-time vegetarian households and temple footfall. Tasting menus from around ₹899 per person make it a weekend anchor for Malabar Hill, Walkeshwar and Grant Road families, while remaining an easy detour for Fort office crowds.
SpiceKlub’s Babulnath outlet brings degustation-style vegetarian theatre to the old town.
The Corridor as a Curated After-Work Map
These venues work as a walkable, multi-stop route. A group could start with coffee at San’s in the Bay, move to wine at Pique, then dinner at The 90’s Project — or reverse it and end with dessert. Families can make a separate ascent to SpiceKlub Babulnath on weekends. For cultural tourists, the route loops naturally: galleries and heritage walks in Kala Ghoda, a pause at one of the new spots, and a slow evening that no longer requires leaving the precinct. This marks a broader 2024–2026 pattern, as Kala Ghoda and Fort keep appearing in round-ups of Mumbai’s buzziest openings.
Who This Is For, and the Tensions Beneath the Buzz
The primary audiences are office-goers turning the post-5 pm window into a social corridor, cultural tourists seeking food that matches the district’s depth, and residents of Malabar Hill, Walkeshwar and Gamdevi who want modern options without crossing town. Yet the shift raises real questions. Heritage conservationists worry about gentrification and rising rents pushing out older Irani cafés and lunch homes. The mix of ₹1,200 vegetarian comfort, ₹899 tasting menus, specialty coffee and ₹4,000 wine evenings creates a tiered map — accessible for many, but not all. The health of this new culture will depend on whether it remains shared across office hierarchies and the old town’s longer-standing residents.
Why Staying Back Matters
The old business district’s future may no longer be decided solely by banks and courts. By giving people reasons to stay past 6 pm — a themed dinner, a wine tasting, a slow coffee, a theatrical vegetarian meal — Fort, Kala Ghoda and Babulnath are becoming a place where the city’s social life and its heritage overlap. The 90’s Project, Pique, San’s in the Bay and SpiceKlub are early markers of this transition, but the broader story is about the return of lingering to South Mumbai’s most storied streets.
Sources
SpiceKlub by Gupta Brands opens its new outlet in Babulnath, Mumbai
Step Into The '90s At This Mumbai Restaurant Featuring A Candy ...
The 90s Project By Rustico In Khattau Building, Fort, Mumbai - Swiggy
How to pique our interest? Put wine front and centre - The Nod
Bombay Cartel Launches Their New Outlet in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I go after work in Fort or Kala Ghoda for a quick, affordable dinner?
The 90’s Project at Khattau Building is a pure-vegetarian spot with North Indian and chaat-style food, around ₹1,200 for two and open until 11:30 pm, ideal for casual post-work meet-ups.
Which new venue in South Mumbai is best for wine lovers?
Pique, off Horniman Circle in Rajabahadur Mansion, is a wine-led social club with by-the-glass options, food built for pairing, and noon-to-midnight timings. Expect around ₹4,000 for two with drinks.
Is there a specialty coffee destination near Fort or Kala Ghoda?
San’s in the Bay is positioned as a bay-facing specialty coffee bar, designed for manual brewing, barista craft, laptop work and slow evening catch-ups rather than hurried takeaways.
What does SpiceKlub’s Babulnath outlet offer for vegetarians?
SpiceKlub Babulnath, opened in August 2026 after 12 years of the original Lower Parel outlet, serves molecular vegetarian Indian cuisine with tasting menus from about ₹899 per person at the INTA Centre on Dadi Seth Road.
Can cultural tourists combine these new spots into one evening?
Yes. You can start with coffee at San’s in the Bay, move to Pique for wine, then dine at The 90’s Project; on weekends, add a short ride up to SpiceKlub Babulnath for a modern vegetarian tasting.
