Where to Take Clients for a Business Dinner in Central Bangalore?
For a client business dinner in central Bangalore, Ebony at Hotel Ivory Tower is the room to book: a Pan Indian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre at 84 MG Road, open since 1993, with an open-air terrace looking across the city on every side. It is a seated dining room rather than a party venue, it seats group tables for up to about 30, and it was named Best North Indian Restaurant in Bangalore at the 2020 Times Food & Nightlife Awards. MG Road Metro Station is 50 metres away, so a client can reach it without a cab. Reservations on +91 80 4178 3344.
TL;DR
Ebony is a Pan Indian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 MG Road, inside Hotel Ivory Tower. It has been at the same address since 1993.
It serves Pan Indian and Parsi classics with a focus on Mughlai and North Indian cooking, which covers a client table without a pre-dinner conversation about dietary preferences.
The open-air terrace looks across central Bengaluru on every side, and the building has lift access to the floor, so it works for guests of any age or mobility.
It is a dining room, not a party space. Group tables run to about 30, which is the right ceiling for a client dinner built on conversation.
Named Best North Indian Restaurant in Bangalore at the 2020 Times Food & Nightlife Awards.
A table at Ebony can order across all three rooftop outlets, including Thai and South East Asian dishes from ASEAN On The Edge and drinks from The 13th Floor.
Open daily 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM. Reservations on +91 80 4178 3344.
Why the Address Is the First Thing a Client Notices
A client dinner is partly a courtesy, and the courtesy starts before anyone reads a menu. Central Bangalore is the city's oldest commercial core, which means a dinner here is usually a short hop from the client's own office rather than a cross-town journey at the end of their day.
The metro reinforces it. MG Road Metro Station is an elevated station on the Purple Line, Namma Metro's east-west corridor, which runs 43.49 km across 37 stations from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta (Purple Line, Namma Metro, Wikipedia). The station sits 50 metres from the building. A client coming from Whitefield or Indiranagar has a direct train rather than an hour in evening traffic.
Choosing a central, metro-connected room signals that you thought about the client's time. That is the quiet first impression a business dinner is built to make, and it is made before the drinks arrive.
Ebony Is a Dining Room, Which Is Exactly the Point
Ebony has been on the 13th floor of Barton Centre since 1993, which makes it one of the longest-running Indian restaurants on MG Road. It sits on an open-air rooftop terrace looking across central Bengaluru on every side, with MG Road running directly below and the city lights stretching to the horizon after dark.
The distinction that matters for a client dinner is what Ebony is not. It is not a party venue and it is not a bar. It is a seated restaurant with group tables running to about 30 guests, and indoors it keeps a classic, warmly lit dining room for quieter meals. Larger private events at Hotel Ivory Tower are hosted atThe 13th Floor, the rooftop lounge bar, which keeps Ebony's room set up for talking.
That is the whole requirement. A client dinner is a conversation, not a celebration. The point is to talk, listen, and build a working relationship over a couple of hours, which needs a room where people can hear each other. The lift runs to the floor, so an older client or anyone with mobility concerns reaches the terrace without a stair.
A Menu That Solves the Ordering Problem
The hardest part of hosting a client you do not know well is ordering. You rarely know in advance whether they are vegetarian, avoid certain meats, or simply prefer familiar food, and asking can feel like an interview. A deep menu solves it quietly.
Ebony's range is Pan Indian and Parsi, built out over three decades from Punjabi, Mughlai, and Tandoori foundations. The current menu badges a set of house signatures that span Lucknowi, Rajasthani, Parsi, Tamil Mudaliar, and Konkan cooking. The Mutton Dhansak, the Parsi lentil and mutton stew, has been on the menu since 1993. The Arcot Mutton Chops are slow-cooked lamb chops in an Arcot Mudaliar spice mix finished on a tawa with ghee. Mrs. Palekar's Saraswat Brahmin Prawn or Fish Curry is a Konkan preparation of fresh ground coconut with kokum and green mango.
The vegetarian side is not an afterthought, which is what makes it usable for a table you have not vetted. The Dahi Ka Kebab is the restaurant's most popular vegetarian starter, a kebab of sweet and sour hung curd, cheese, and herbs. The Malaidar Dal Makhani is cooked overnight over coal for about 11 hours. The Nawabi Tarkari Biryani covers a vegetarian guest who wants the centrepiece dish rather than a side. There is more detail inWhat Should I Order at Ebony and inPan-Indian vs North Indian vs Mughlai.
One Floor, Three Kitchens, One Table
Ebony shares the 13th floor with two other outlets, and all three share a single kitchen operation. That means a table at Ebony can order across the whole floor without moving.
If your client prefers South East Asian food, theASEAN On The Edge menu comes to the Ebony table, including the Burmese Khaoswe the kitchen introduced to the city more than 15 years ago. If the evening should start with a drink, The 13th Floor is on the same floor, and its drinks reach the table too.
Setting | Suits | Character |
Ebony | A seated client dinner, formal or relaxed | Pan Indian and Parsi rooftop dining room, open since 1993, group tables to about 30 |
ASEAN On The Edge | A client who prefers Thai or South East Asian food | Open-air rooftop restaurant, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, seats 30 to 40 |
The 13th Floor | Drinks before dinner, or an informal catch-up | Rooftop lounge bar, cocktails on Indian ingredients, conversation-level music, 21 and over |
The practical value of this is that you do not have to guess correctly when you book. You book Ebony, and the rest of the floor is available from the same seat. There is a fuller selector inWhere to Have a Drink on MG Road by Occasion.
How to Book a Client Dinner at Ebony
Reserve ahead so a table is held and the first ten minutes are not spent waiting near the lift. Mention the group size, so the room is set for conversation rather than a tight squeeze, and say if you want to start with drinks so the evening can move from the bar to the table without a gap.
Ebony is on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bengaluru 560001, inside Hotel Ivory Tower, about 50 metres from MG Road Metro Station. It is open every day from 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM. For reservations, call +91 80 4178 3344.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I take clients for a business dinner in Bangalore?
Ebony at Hotel Ivory Tower, a Pan Indian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre at 84 MG Road, is a strong choice. It is an open-air terrace room in the middle of the city's commercial core, 50 metres from MG Road Metro Station, and it is a seated dining room rather than a bar or party space, which suits a dinner built on conversation.
Is Ebony a good venue for a formal client dinner?
Yes. It has operated at the same address since 1993, it seats group tables for up to about 30 guests, and it was named Best North Indian Restaurant in Bangalore at the 2020 Times Food & Nightlife Awards. The open-air terrace gives the evening a sense of occasion, and the indoor dining room offers a classic, warmly lit setting for a quieter meal. Larger private events at the hotel are hosted at The 13th Floor instead, which keeps Ebony's room calm.
What if my client is vegetarian or has specific food preferences?
Ebony's Pan Indian and Parsi menu runs deep on both sides. The vegetarian range includes the Dahi Ka Kebab, the restaurant's most popular vegetarian starter, the 11-hour Malaidar Dal Makhani, the Nawabi Tarkari Biryani, and a Vegetable Dhansak. Non-vegetarian signatures include the Mutton Dhansak, Arcot Mutton Chops, Gosht Lababdar, and Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken. A host can build a table that works without asking the client in advance.
Can we order Thai food at Ebony?
Yes. Thai and South East Asian cooking comes from ASEAN On The Edge, the restaurant next door on the same floor, and because the three outlets share one kitchen, a table at Ebony can order from the ASEAN menu without moving.
How do I make a reservation at Ebony?
Call +91 80 4178 3344. Ebony is open every day from 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM, on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 MG Road, Bengaluru 560001.