Fancy a drunken sway to Bollywood hits and delectable munchies for company? Sunlight’s the place to be. Great music, great food, and greatly priced booze. All you need on a weekend (or weekday) night. Since the 1930s, the restaurant’s been a hub for college students and budget diners across the city; we’re edging dangerously close to 2030, and none of that’s changed. We’re pretty sure it ain’t changing soon.
The Chicken Crispy and Chicken Lollipop have diners and drinkers by the collar. The former’s spice-soaked and complemented by dry ramen stirred in the same flavours, while the latter’s guaranteed to have you gnawing to the bone. Together, they’re a glorious mess you can only properly embrace three drinks down.
I’m not going to say that the jukebox is Sunlight’s main draw. For lots, it isn’t, but for some, it really is. It’s probably older than most of the restaurant’s diners, and something about it really brings the house down. For ₹20 a song, you can ask the staff to play whatever your heart desires, as long as it’s either classic Bollywood or an English hit. Then the true chaos begins. Kishore Kumar blasting out and suddenly swivelling dangerously to ABBA’s best hits. And the crowd goes wild.
The place draws a wild mix of corporate veterans who can afford bigger bills but love Sunlight all the same, and college kids running on student budgets. People swear by their bimonthly visits, often meticulously planned out, with a commute involving switching over multiple local train lines just to hear good music while they drink. You’ll often find yourself in a squeeze, sharing your bench with total strangers, but hey, it makes for a good drunk memory.