Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for accuracy and relevancy in Dec., 2019

The weekend was just perfect: good food, visiting friends, retail therapy, a dip in the pool, late-night couch- potatoing and finally, getting dirty with colors at Claytopia.  I heard about Claytopia a few weeks ago from a friend. So,  Saturday afternoon I decided to take my husband and son along to this place.

Claytopia in Bangalore

Bistro Claytopia, which was earlier located on 6th Main, Indira Nagar just a few meters off 80 feet road (the lane opposite Spencer’s), has now moved to 80 ft Road Koramangala.

This is a good place to indulge in a hobby of painting pottery over the weekend or organizing your young kids’ birthday party.

In its initial location, it was again one of those old and nice Defence Colony  houses that has turned commercial.  Claytopia is a cafe-cum-studio where you can paint your own pottery. They have scores of pre-molded earthen pieces made out of white clay. The price of the piece you want to paint is displayed so it’s easy to choose.

The bisque ware, as they call it, range from simple ones  such as coasters, mugs, and magnets to tough ones like plates, and funny ones like T-Rex and Mouse.

This is how it works. Go around the studio to see the various pieces on display. You are free to pick any piece you like for painting. Once you choose a piece, a table is set up for you with all the essentials: color palette, brushes of different sizes, a bowl of water, stencils, stamps and sponge.

Don’t fret if you are not familiar with techniques such as sponging or stamping, you can ask for help. You are given a choice of only three non-toxic underglaze colors  and they are are very diluted as the clay is highly porous.

Pieces waiting to be colored
Pieces waiting to be colored
A 3-year old at work
A 3-year old at work

Once you’re done painting, they collect the pieces back to fire/glaze in an oven. You can collect the finished ceramic piece after 10 days.

Painted Pieces
Painted Pieces

Claytopia started about three years ago. The place has a warm, homely and welcoming feel to it. An array of potted plants greets you; the interiors and the pathway leading up to the store is done very tastefully in muted colors.

The place is safe to hang out at any time of the day and night. Brightly colored clay pieces lend color to the otherwise white room. The place is always bustling with activity. You find kids of all ages coming here to experiment with the brush.

As expected, there are more girls than boys. What I liked most about the place is it is not limited to kids or mothers. I was surprised to see many dads (very keen to paint!) accompanying their kids.  My husband was as enthusiastic as my toddler to paint the shark in yellow and orange – I know, quite a colorful shark!

I’m told Claytopia is a preferred destination in the locality to host birthday parties. You can make small pots at the potter’s wheel on days when there are birthday parties.  The car park of the house has been renovated to house a cafe called Bistro. If you’re not so much into painting, grab a sandwich at the cafe while the kids enjoy themselves at Claytopia.

If you have a sweet tooth, look forward to indulging yourself with shakes, waffles, mousse and shakes.  Skip the pasta and grilled cheese sandwich, if you can. The burgers are good and the lamb burger seemed like a favorite among regulars.

The food is not great but is reasonably priced. An average meal for two would cost around Rs.300. If not for the food, you can definitely go here for a cup of coffee to enjoy a quiet evening in a comfortable setting away from the hustle-bustle of Indira Nagar.

Painted tiles on display
Painted tiles on display

In all, it’s a nice place to spend a evening.

Image courtesy: All images shot at location with permission.

3 Comments

  1. lovely, lovely blog ! we’ll be getting a place of our own soon, so i’d love to come by more often for ideas. thanks for this great space!

  2. Bistro Claytopia

    Thank you so much for featuring us. It is a lovely article. I have added our email id and number for reference
    email: claytopia@gmail.com
    Tel no: 080-41267163

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