Disco isn't dead -- at least not in Mumbai. At night, dozens of nightspots become packed with dancers moving to the beat of Western music. Mumbai's glitterati prefer theme clubs. These places are best visited for the experience they offer rather than the food and drink. They come and go very quickly, but a few (Olive, Suzy Wong) seem to have some staying power. Generally speaking, however, a casual attitude dominates in most bars and clubs. The best neighborhoods for nightlife are Colaba and Bandra. Hotel concierges and the city's newspapers can help visitors find the appropriate place to unwind. Most pubs and discos close by 1 am, but a few stay open all night

Mumbai Bars, Taverns and Pubs

Copa Cabana
This tiny, two-tiered Latin-style pub has a Spanish tapas bar and a special menu of tequila-based drinks. Decent Mexican finger food and a friendly crowd combine to make this one of Mumbai's most happening clubs.

Geoffrey's
Designed along the lines of a English pub, the only thing missing is the cider. Try the lunch buffet along with your beer.

Not Just Jazz By the Bay
This classy club filled with jazz memorabilia has live music Wednesday-Saturday nights. The former haunt of legendary jazz pianist Louis Banks, the club's current acts run the gamut from jazz to reggae to nostalgic pop and karaoke. The lunchtime salad bar and dinner menu ensure that the place is busy even when music's not on the schedule

The Bayview Bar
If it's cocktails and ocean views you seek, the Bayview Bar is just the place. Its seven-piece jazz band and occasional touring acts might even entice you to try a few steps on the dance floor. Popular with travelers -- especially cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking men -- largely because of its location near several hotels.

The Ghetto
The place to witness Mumbai's young and restless at their exuberant best. With neon-painted, graffiti covered walls and music blasting full volume, there's nothing low-key or subdued about the Ghetto.

The Library
This chic, upscale hotel lounge has a colonial ambience and book-lined shelves that give it an elegance hard to find elsewhere in Mumbai.

Toto's Garage
This small pub has a car theme, as evidenced by the classic Volkswagen Beetle suspended above the bar. Car parts double as ashtrays, and the bartenders wear mechanics uniforms

Mumbai Dance Clubs/ Nightclubs

Club IX
Club IX's popular music draws a crowd of young people on weekends.

Cyclone
This popular watering hole is more of a nightclub than a hotel lounge, with its live Filipino band and private karaoke rooms. Soundproofed alcoves provide a hideout for those looking to escape for a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Fire and Ice
With its mezzanine dance floor, youthful crowd and dazzling array of lights, this relatively new club is probably the most popular disco in Mumbai.

Fluid
A disco with water flowing down glass walls, this newly opened place plays good music and has a spacious dance floor.

Mikano's
A quaint disco in a mill. Its wide-open space, wooden floor and purple strobe lights make it look like a set from a Gene Kelly film

Olive
A Mediterranean style bar and restaurant with a sparse, white minimalistic decor, urns and tents. A celebrity hangout that doubles up as restaurant and nightspot.

Suzy Wong
A bar and restaurant in the middle of the sea. A half-hour ride by speedboat from Chowpatty, this bright-pink bar on a boat is a tribute to its legendary namesake. All in all, an unforgettable experience.

Voodoo Pub
Mumbai's best-known gay club