As BYOB set to leave its footprints in Tricity, party revellers find an answer for pricy booze

Naksh, the man behind Darling BYOB, is a busy man these days, overseeing the renovation of the cafe. “I plan to throw it open by December 1,” says Naksh while monitoring the renovations of the cafe in Sector 87.

Till some months ago, it was Pablo Patio cafe before the man who ran it moved to Canada. “I have decided to rename it as Darling BYOB. It will be a budget-friendly facility. In any bar, liquor or beer constitutes the main chunk of spending of any consumer. On an average, in a bar, people end up spending Rs 3,000 per person on drinks. Here, people can bring their own drinks and enjoy food and snacks,” says Naksh, who studied 3-D animation, arts, design and visual effects.

“It will be a youth-friendly cafe, with music, food and snacks,” adds Naksh. Another such BYOB is Gitano, located in Ballomajra on Airport road. “We serve good food with good vibes” reads the Instagram page of Gitano, a garden cafe. With gazebos in open area, it opens right next to the tavern (ahata) alongside the liquor vend, making it as a sort of extension of ahata, but in an open area.

While the BYOB cafes in Mohali cater to the Tricity, the liquor which can be brought here has to be purchased from Punjab only, apparently to ensure that the state government gets the excise duty from liquor consumed in area under its jurisdiction.

“Only Punjab liquor is allowed,” read flexes put out outside and inside Gitano. “Liquor from outside is not allowed. There are inspections and if anyone is found consuming liquor bought from outside Punjab, we are fined,” said an employee of Gitano.