The Bathroom Selfie is a non-negotiable, customary, almost ritualistic part of any meal out. Our phones have now become a third arm, permanently attached to our bodies, and, consequently, the rules of dining out have also changed. Today, it might just be criminal not to photograph your VERY photogenic set of small plates, main course, desserts, and drinks, because if you didn’t document it, did it actually even happen?
On a girls’ night out, especially, the infamous restroom mirror picture almost always makes it out of the group chat. Case in point: the annual Met Gala Mirror Selfie. Even the girls down at the Met know how indispensable said photo is. This year’s icon was, of course, Indian model Bhavitha Mandava, featuring everyone from your favourite Katseye girls to some Korean stars.
On most night outs, you know the routine: that one friend responsible for all the pictures convinces (sometimes with force) the entire group to make a journey to the bar (or restaurant, or cafe)’s loo, and take a couple hundred fit-checks in the fancy full-length mirror. After everyone’s done complaining about it, it is this same picture that gets reposted on everyone’s Instagram stories, with a less-than-polite “Pleaseeee tag meeee!!” If you are that friend who forces, hello, me too, and if you’re not, then please thank the ones doing all the labour. You’re welcome.
What makes these pictures even better is that in the restroom, there’s no staff, no diners, and no judgmental stares and eyerolls. It’s easy, allows you to take 100+ takes, and also makes for a comfortable setting to do all the modelling you think you know how to do. The natural next step had to be washrooms that offer an Anywhere Door (any Doraemon fans reading this?) into a whole different world. Yes, your favourite dining and drinking destinations are turning restrooms into parties, disco rooms, dressing rooms, art exhibits, and more. Basically, whatever you could imagine—and then some more.
At these spaces across India, there’s an after-party within the party. And you must not miss out.
Mokai 2.0, Mumbai
At Mumbai’s ever-viral Mokai 2.0, the restroom is definitely not a place for rest. On your visit to the cafe, it’s a definite stop and not a short one at that. On your first step inside, you’re greeted by rows of vintage video cameras that are, of course, not functional and only serve as props, but set the mood of the space instantly. Here is a washroom that will be everything a usual washroom is most definitely not.
The restroom throws you into a vibrant retro-futuristic world, covered, roof-to-floor, with bumper stickers, graphic posters, and inscriptions inspired by the bustling streets of Tokyo and neon-soaked cityscapes. So basically, the opposite of the main cafe space. It’s cinematic, chaotic, and intentionally designed to stop you in your tracks (and, naturally, in front of your camera).
But the star of the show is a mysterious button labelled “Do Not Touch”—which, of course, means that everyone will be sure to touch it. Press it, and the washroom transforms into a Japanese nightclub at best. Neon lights flood the room, music blares, and suddenly you’re standing in what feels less like a bathroom and more like a tiny hidden dance floor. Call it a prank, a party trick, or a secret dopamine hit, the button makes for an amazing experience (and Instagram story), all in the four walls of a washroom. The bonus: a Japanese pop playlist you’ll quickly rush to Shazam.
All the elements in this fun-filled restroom are inspired by what the haphazard, almost absurd things one might spot on the streets of Japan, brought to life right here, in Mumbai. And yes, at Mokai, your mirror selfie is about to get a whole lot better.
Address: Building, Ground Floor, 600,601,602, Hill Crest, Dr Ambedkar Rd, next to Arvind Store, Pali Naka, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
Top Banana, Delhi
At Top Banana in New Delhi, even the trip to the restroom feels like part of the bar’s carefully orchestrated theatre. The playful cocktail spot is in itself full of cheeky little details waiting to be discovered, but in its bathroom, let’s just prepare to expect the unexpected.
Inside, you’ll find an installation that almost demands you to stare at it for a couple of minutes: vintage-style phone handsets suspended mid-air by their tangled cords, hanging in front of a distorted mirror. Equal parts art exhibit, surreal photo-op, and fever dream, it turns what could’ve been an ordinary mirror selfie into something far more cinematic (and absurd). Pick up one of the receivers, and you might be rewarded with a voice note or even a trending song on the other end—because apparently, at Top Banana, even the bathroom has its own hotline. For me, it’s magical realism at its very finest.
It’s playful, bizarre, and just makes you want to spend far too long clicking pictures in the restroom (not like you really needed an excuse to do that anyway!). Remember—sometimes, the best conversation starter isn’t at your table, but behind the bathroom door!
Address: Third and Fourth Floor, M block market, M-5, Block M, Greater Kailash II, Greater Kailash, New Delhi, Delhi, 110048
Mini Bar, Bengaluru
At Mini Bar in Bengaluru, the party doesn’t pause when you head to the washroom—it simply relocates. If the bar itself is designed to replicate the playful, high-energy vibe most such spaces have, the restroom takes that brief and turns it up several notches. At Mini Bar, the restroom is exactly what comes to your mind when you read these two words: disco toilet.
Step inside, and what would’ve otherwise been a routine photo break becomes a private dance floor of your own. Everything from colourful flashing lights, mood-shifting interiors, and a kind of electric atmosphere—think it and you have it. And of course, here, a simple bathroom break becomes suspiciously longer than it needs to be. It’s very immersive, fun, and exactly the sort of unexpected design flourish that transforms a functional space into a destination of its own.
In a city that already takes its nightlife seriously, Mini Bar seems to understand that today’s diners and drinkers want more than just a good cocktail—they want moments worth capturing. Preferably, the kind you can film, post, and caption with something like: “Sorry, but why is the washroom more fun than most clubs?” At Mini Bar, even the loo gets its own dance floor moment.
Address: Ground floor, 1080, 12th Main Rd, HAL 2nd Stage, Appareddipalya, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008
Cosybox, Delhi
At Cosy Box in Delhi, the restroom feels like an extension of the venue’s maximalist concept. If the restaurant itself is all glamorous, excessive (in a good way), and theatrically designed, the powder room follows suit—except here, the drama is dialled up for your camera.
The standout feature? A striking “Sin Apple” art installation by Pantone Collective that has turned the women’s it into one of the restaurant’s most talked-about photo spots. Equal parts whimsical, decadent, and almost magical, it transforms the space into something between an art exhibit and a dressing room. Featuring unending teal spheres cascading like a waterfall frozen in time. On entering, you might just feel like you’ve made your way into an art museum, and we are not complaining. Complete with blush-pink sinks, chess-like flooring, and nature-inspired accents, it’s whimsy meets mystical art at its best.
There’s something particularly fitting about finding this tucked away inside Cosy Box, a restaurant built around the idea of unboxing unexpected textures, colours, and experiences. Here, even the restroom feels curated.
Address: neta jee nagar musical fountain and nature park, opposite bhikaje cama place, Block B 3, New Delhi, Delhi 110066
Ophelia, Delhi
Enter the washroom at Ophelia, and you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported into a hallucinatory episode of The Jungle Book, where giraffes emerge from the wall, animal motifs cover the space as far as the eye goes, and wildflowers interrupt your vision from all corners.
To elaborate on that, the restroom lobby is wrapped in sepia-toned wildlife murals—think lions, elephants, rhinos, and soaring birds—creating the feeling of wandering into an actual African safari. Look up, and the smoky, mirrored ceiling stretches the space into what feels like infinity, creating just the right amount of illusion. Below, black granite sinks perched on cylindrical aluminium bases read more like sculptural installations than something you’d simply wash your hands at, while delicate light fixtures made from cascading cowrie shells just add to the drama of it all.
And mind you, every single one of these details feels especially intentional. The washroom isn’t separate from the experience of the rest of the space—it’s an extension of it. Designed to mirror Ophelia’s immersive theme and built around a safari experience, every detail feels carefully considered.
So yes, it’s precisely the kind of restroom where a “quick touch-up” easily turns into a mini photoshoot, and frankly, with a backdrop like this, who could blame you?
Address: Hotel Ashok, 50-B, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110021
GIGI, Mumbai
At GIGI Bombay, the journey to the restroom feels just as considered as the journey to your table. You begin by climbing the restaurant’s sweeping wooden staircase—dramatically lit with hundreds of flickering candles (fake, of course)—which already feels like stepping into another world. By the time you make it to the washroom, you’re fully immersed in GIGI’s signature old-Hollywood glamour.
True to the restaurant’s vintage-meets-luxury aesthetic, the restroom mirrors the same refined maximalism: ornate details, warm ambient lighting, and polished interiors that make even a quick lipstick check feel cinematic. When we say the words ‘powder room’, it’s here, at GIGI, that they literally come to life. It’s less of a functional washroom, and more elegant powder room—the kind that gently urges you to take just one mirror selfie (which, of course, becomes five or ten).
In a space built around romantic nostalgia, glamour, the retro ambience of Audrey Hepburn’s Hollywood, and beautifully plush corners, the restroom feels just like yet another well-designed room in the house. Enter, and you’ll inevitably want to do your entire GRWMs right here.
Address: 14th Rd, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
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