The High Stake

You can find us over in Vile Parle West, tucked into the 4th Main in the Industrial Town area. It’s an interesting spot because the surrounding streets are full of workshops and small factories. The High Stake has been part of this landscape for a bit. We aren't on a main road where everyone sees us, so you kind of have to know where you're going. The space inside is functional. We went with sturdy furniture because it gets a lot of use. The lighting isn't perfect, but it works for what we do. Our staff is a small group, mostly locals who live within walking distance. We don't go in for fancy talk or complicated systems. If someone walks in, we help them out. The noise from the industrial units nearby is just background music to us now. It’s a working-class vibe through and through. We didn't hire a designer to put the place together; we just put things where they made sense. Sometimes the rain leaks a little near the back door during the monsoon, so we keep a bucket there. It’s those little things that remind us this is a real place run by real people. We stay open pretty late because that's when the shifts change around here. It's just a regular business doing regular things in a busy part of the city. We don't mind the grit of the neighborhood as it's where we belong.