Halloween 2025: Fright bites and spooky sips rule the night
The chill of late October brings more than just pumpkins and costumes. Across the country, kitchens are brewing up their own kind of magic, turning Halloween into a full-blown food celebration. Once seen as a festival of candy and trick-or-treating, it has now slipped into dining rooms, bars and cafes, inspiring chefs and bartenders to think beyond the usual. The result is a wave of dishes and drinks that are playful, dramatic and delightfully eerie.
The drama of dining
At Dramique in Delhi, food turns theatrical with The Phantom Masquerade, inspired by The Phantom of the Opera. The restaurant transforms into a candle-lit stage draped in velvet and brass, with live opera and a midnight unmasking under a glittering chandelier. The menu plays its part — from Roasted Beetroot Crudo and Butternut Squash Pizza to a truffle-laced Midori Chikara Sushi Roll. Cocktails like Blush Dictator (guava-jalapeño) and Stand for Passion (tequila-passionfruit) add to the performance.
At Beanly in Delhi, The Haunting of Beanly: Trick or Treat Night gives the tradition a grown-up twist. Guests choose between a ‘trick’ zone with fortune-telling and a ‘treat’ corner packed with desserts and drinks. The highlight? An iced latte with salted caramel foam that looks like a tiny ghost. “This menu is our way of celebrating the cosy season and our love for keeping it crazy, and caffeinated,” says Rahul Jain, co-founder.
The St. Regis Mumbai has joined the revelry too, turning Seven Kitchens into a dimly lit escape with live music and global fare, rosemary pumpkin risotto, herb-crusted fish, sourdough pizzas and Korean grills, served in an atmosphere of elegant eeriness.
Sips with a sinister twist
Halloween has given bartenders licence to play with smoke, shimmer and spice. At Fairmont Mumbai, Sins & Spirits invites guests to “taste the seven deadly sins”. Highlights include Crimson Kiss (gin, pomegranate, rose dust), Inferno (tequila, chilli, passionfruit) and Gold Rush (whisky, saffron honey, gold-leaf foam).
At Rick’s, Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi, Spirits of the Night feels like stepping into a gothic dream. “Our soirée celebrates the flavour of the festival through smoky undertones, bold pairings and a touch of theatric,” says chef Keshav Rajesh. In Mumbai, HyLo x The Dimsum Room keeps things cheeky with its Haunted Collection, from Witch’s Orchard (gin and lychee) to Bloody Bawa (vodka and raspberry).
When food puts on a costume
Chefs are dressing up dishes with ghoulish flair. At ITC Maurya’s Ottimo, Parmesan breadsticks become Witch Fingers with Bloody Marinara dip, while Eyeball Cake Pops promise creepy fun. JW Marriott Juhu’s Lotus Café serves Mummy Dogs, Stuffed Jack-o’-Lantern Peppers and pumpkin-themed desserts. “Halloween lets us turn ideas into edible art,” says chef Gaurav Malhotra. Royal China, Delhi, offers a Halloween Buns Basket of pumpkin- and ghost-shaped steamed buns hiding chocolate or custard inside. Its cocktail trio sets the tone, Zombie’s Lantern Sparkle (gin and elderflower), Devil’s Eye Sip (tequila and jalapeño) and Black Magic (whisky, Amaro and edible charcoal).
