1911 Bar at The Imperial

About this place 1911 Bar at The Imperial

The 1911 Bar at The Imperial is named for the year the hotel was founded ? the year the capital of British India shifted from Calcutta to Delhi ? and the room carries that heritage with extraordinary poise. The Imperial is consistently rated among the finest hotels in India, and 1911 is its showpiece bar: a long, chandelier-lit room of dark wood, leather seating, and framed prints of India's royal history, staffed by barmen who have been doing this long enough to know exactly what a properly made Old Fashioned should taste like and who do not need to be told twice. The bar's atmosphere is the kind that does not announce itself loudly but rewards those who pay attention to quality. The colonial interiors are impeccable, the drinks are among the best in Delhi ? the cocktail list is refined without being precious, and the selection of single malts and cognac is exceptional ? and the service operates at a level of unhurried professionalism that has become rare in an industry that too often confuses performance with genuine hospitality. For LGBTQ+ travelers, 1911 represents something important: a venue where the welcome is implicit and complete, where a same-sex couple occupying a leather booth for two hours over cocktails will be treated with the same gracious attention as any other guests, and where the quality of the experience justifies the premium. It is the kind of bar to come to before the Delhi Queer Pride rally when you want a moment of calm elegance before the crowd, or on a final evening in the city when the quality of the last drink matters. The Imperial's location on Janpath, a few minutes' walk from Connaught Place, makes it accessible from the center of the city. The hotel's galleries of colonial-era art and photographs are worth an hour of exploration before or after drinks ? the building is a museum as much as a hotel, and the 1911 Bar is its most atmospheric room.