The Elephant Bar

The Verdict

The Elephant Bar is the signature bar-and-dining room of the Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden Resort, a 1940s-era property built as the summer residence of the Mysore royal family and converted to a hotel in the 1990s. The room is named for the stuffed-elephant-foot side tables that were removed in the 2000s, and the bar itself is the original teak counter imported from Burma in the 1940s, a 15-metre-long piece of joinery that remains the room's dominant feature.

The menu is multi-cuisine with a focus on the Indian and Continental registers that the Royal Orchid group runs at its heritage hotels. The North Indian section, particularly the kebabs from the tandoor and the butter chicken, is the reliable choice; the Continental section is modest but the grilled lamb and the fish preparations have their partisans. The bar programme is the restaurant's strength, a competent cocktail list, a serious single-malt whisky selection, and a small wine list that is adequate for the occasion.

The dining room seats approximately 80, split between the bar area and a quieter section along the windows that overlook the Brindavan Gardens. The room is open-air on the terrace side during the October-March cool months. Service is in the Royal Orchid style, professional, slightly formal, and anchored in long-tenure staff who know the menu in detail.

The Elephant Bar is not the most ambitious kitchen in Mysore but it is the most evocative room, a piece of preserved colonial and royal-era architecture that functions as a working restaurant and bar. For diners who value a sense of historical occasion and slower-paced evenings, it is the Mysore answer; for diners who want the cutting edge of modern Indian cuisine, the Bangalore restaurants 145 kilometres north are the better choice.

Why It Works for Close a Deal

The Elephant Bar is the Mysore business-dinner room for a counterparty who values context over menu ambition. A 1940s-era royal summer residence, converted into a hotel bar and dining room, with the original teak-wood bar imported from Burma, a drinks programme anchored in classic cocktails, and a dinner menu designed to support two-hour business conversations. The pace is slow, the service is formal, and the architecture is the argument.

Also in Mysore

For diners planning a broader Mysore itinerary: Sapphire offers indian and continental at a different register; Shikari is the alternative for a second-night booking; and Tiger Trail anchors the city's close a deal map. The full grid is on the Mysore index, and the broader Close a Deal occasion page collects the most relevant peers globally.