Diwali party, fun and frolic is over and now many of us are busy packing our bags for the much awaited India trip….
Family, Friends and FOOOD (Shopping) are the three major attractions of India trip…Talking about food (since most of us are from Mumbai) Mumbai is heaven for outside eating….Roadside mouth watering paani puri and dosa stalls to elegant dinning you have it all
As we recommend new restaurants for Bay Area thought would be great if people could recommend their favorite eateries in Mumbai. This would help increasing everyone’s eating out list as not all of us visit India every year….
Here are few of my favorite places..This list is three year old and am sure many new joints have come up in this time….(and hopefully none of the below have closed down)
Lenin Pav Bhaji – situated in khao galli ( lane with streetside eateries )across the SNDT University, Marine Lines in Mumbai. Crowded during lunchtime. Excellent Pav Bhaji served with garlic chutney and finely chopped onions. If you do not wish to have pav bhaji they serve tava pulao which is also delicious.
Also famous is Sardars Pav Bhaji at Tardeo.
Badshah Juice and Snack Bar , opposite Crawford Market, Lokmanya Tilak Road. Mumbai’s most famous falooda joint also serves delicious kulfi, ice creams and dozens of freshly squeezed fruit juices. The ideal place to round off a trip to the crowded and dirty Crawford market.
Jitu’s Sandwich Masjid Bunder. Great sandwiches- Samosa Sandwich, Papad Sandwich, Double Decker sandwich, etc served with three types of yummm spicy chutneys and great salad….
And many of us would end up at US Consulate for stamping…So while you wait in long queues to visit Uncle Sam’s enjoy Rajesh Frankie outside US Consulate. Excellent Veg Frankie and Paneer Frankie.
Right Place very Famous for Grill Sandwiches loaded with Amul butter and Cheese and topped with spicy green chutney and next to it is Snowmans Ice Cream at Bridge Candy near Premsons. End your meal with a mouth watering paan from Muchad Panwalla at Bridge Candy. He has being featured in Mumbai Times for serving best paan in the city.
Kailash Parbat Lassi and Baba Kane’s Batawada outside Dadar West Station are nice too.
Move N Pick, roadside Fast Food joint at Shivaji Park that serves great Frankies, Grill Sandwich, pastries and puffs. Always crowded by teenagers. Next to it is famous Sharda Pan. Would highly recommend trying out paan at this joint…
Also don’t miss famous Paani Puri at Matunga Station known as West View Paani Puri (just bcos the stall is outside West View shop)….its yumm and then enjoy Arjun Mamas mukhwas and suparis.
Ramkrishna Udipi and Mahabhoj (near Matunga(E) Station)serve authentic South Indian Thali.
Shree Sunders Sophisticated Dosa Joint Near Kabutar Khanna Matunga,
Classic Fast food Joint at Kings Circle, Matunga. Serves one of the best Chinese Bhels that I have ever had. Also popular for its Pav Bhaji, masala pav and Dimple ice cream.
Guru Kripa samosas sure you cant miss it. Any movie theatre that you go to serves the patent Gurukripa Samosas. They are located at Sion Circle and apart from Samosas their Pani Puri is also very popular. Though I personally don’t like it as its just paani and boondi.
Don’t miss Jayshree Sandwich, and Dosawallah (ex partner of Sai Samarth Dosawallah) outside Woodstock Restaurant in Ghatkopar(E)
How can anyone miss Bandra. Heaven for shopping be it street side or the big malls. And eating out is essential part of shopping . Don’t miss the chat at Elco Chaat Place outside Elco market(Bandra). My favorite is Ragda Pattice, served with bread, raita and coke.
Sai Samarth Dosa Center and Lucky Sandwhich stall sitauted opposite the lane of St Xavier’s School on station road Vile Parle ( West ). At Sai Samarth there are around 50 varieties of dosa on offer. Priced from Rs 10 for Sada Dosa to Rs 50 for Palak Paneer Dosa. My favourite here is the Chopsuey Masala Dosa and Mysore Masala Dosa. Lucky Sandwich is very famous for its grill sandwich. Also in this lane one gets excellent wraps and juice. All in all great joint for food which can be combined with some great handbags shopping from KhoKha market right opposite the street.
Amar fast Food joint (Outside Cooper hospital Vile Parle W) great place to visit after pub/ disco hopping. This is one of the few places in the area that’s open till late night.
Shivsagar at Juhu Great fast food restaurant serves excellent Pav Bhaji .
Uncles Kitchen in Malad serves very good Chinese food. Small Fast Food kind of joint but always overflowing with people and has a long wait.
Merwans Cake Shop at Madhav Nagar, S.V. Road, Andheri (W) Outside Anheri Station Serves Great Puffs, Biscuits and Cakes. I would recommend its ButterScotch Cake.
That was about roadside eating and fast food …now good restaurants
Chetna Restaurant and Bar, 34 K Dubash Marg Fort Painstakingly prepared Rajasthani/Gujarati food, including set thalis (Rs150) at lunchtime and numerous à la carte dishes – absolutely the last word in fine veg cuisine. Expensive, but not extravagant.
They serve hot bajra rotis, masala khichdi, gatta nu shaak….love their lunch buffets.
Famous Status at Nariman Point serves good food south Indian and Punjabi. Also they have express meals for lunch. Vegetable biryani is highly recommended.
Indian Summmer, Churchgate good combination of great ambience and good Punjabi food. Again lunch buffets are great.
Gaylord Churchgate across Indian Summer Parisian-style terrace café in the heart of Mumbai. Serves Tandoori, sizzlers and some Western food. And wholemeal bread, baguettes and sticky buns in the patisserie. They serves fine pastries and cakes..
Five Spice Opp Central Library… Great Chinese food and amazing Desserts. You may have to wait in long queues during lunch time….
Starters and More near Eros Theatre,Churchgate. They serve excellent Lunch Buffets. Buffet includes Choice of a Soup and bread basket, variety of great salads and starters, Punjabi veggies, Naan, Rice and amazing variety of desserts…you could eat for like 3 hours…
Khyber opposite Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda. Ultra-fashionable, with opulent Arabian Nights interior and uncompromisingly rich Mughlai/Punjabi cuisine. Could combine with shopping at Rytham House.
Rajdhani, Mangaldas Road (in the silk bazaar opposite Crawford market). Outstanding, eat-till-you-burst Gujarati thalis dished up by barefoot waiters to discerning aficionados. A little more expensive than usual, but well worth it.
Revival, above London Pub, Chowpatty Seaface, near the footbridge. Expensive but good-value 1930s retro restaurant serving imaginative and tasty Italian (with authentic ingredients) and Indian food. The view is just amazing and so is the ambience of the restaurant. If it’s a special occasion for you their crew will make it really special for you.
Sun, near US Consulate. Small but elegant Punjabi food restaurant. Just because its small its no less expensive. But the ambience, crowd and food are worth the price.
Kobes Sizzlers, Chowpatty…My mouth is watering already…Paneer Shaslik is all time favorite…
New Yorkers, Chowpatty Mexican American Food But its different from what we eat here…Don’t forget to have their Paneer Spinach Wheels and Sizzling Brownie Sundae…They now have opened couple of branches all over the city…..I still prefer the original one at Chowpatty.
Cream Centre, the first one was at Chowpatty but now has many branches all over. Originally known for their Chole Batura and Russian Sandwich, but have expanded their menu
Swati Near Bhatia Hospital Tardeo. Classic traditional food and elite crowd My favorites Panki, Dhanshak, Jowar Bajra Roti, Fada Khichdi. Don’t ever try their Falafel it’s a disaster.
China Garden, Om Chambers, serves expensive, authentic Chinese, Korean, Thai and Japanese food. Love their Chinese…
Only Parathas amazing variety of Parathas. They have over 60 variteis of parathas, tokri chaat, makai di roti and sarson da saag. They have branches all over the city. Recommend their sprouts and cheese paratha…
Oven Fresh, Shivaji Park. Has a great variety of pastries, puffs, rolls and also serves Mexican and ,Italian food. Completely vegetarian now. Would recommend their Footlong and Cheese Croquettes.
Woodlands Juhu Scheme. Upscale South Indian Restaurant.Their Mysore Sada is amazing. And it’s not uncommon to bump into TV stars here.
Its worth visiting McDonalds at R Mall Mulund for its interior a Cone shaped Glass Structure. Also the menu in India is so different..they have salsa Paneer wraps, allo tikki,etc. Also Pizza hut in Juhu is a three storey glass structure and serve great amazing desi style toppings….
Bhagat Tarachand,Vashi serves mouth watering fusion of Rajasthani-Punjabji food. Their Baingan Bharta , Sarson Ka Saag are tasty.
Shikara in Vashi,the name says it all for the ambience. They serve good Punjabi food and have live Ghazals in the evening.
Don’t miss Amamzing Coffes and Desserts at Cafe Coffe Day and Barista
Who all are going to India? We can exchange India numbers over email and visit each other whenever we are in that particular suburb. That way we can meet their parents also. Or maybe take time out to goto one of the multiplexes and have fun.
Till now I know of Leena, Ourselves, Gadas (JBJ), Dharods, Amit and Sneha who are going. Of course Amit / Sneha are going later on in Dec while others listed above are going in Nov itself.
I know this is not the right place for this comment but since it is about people going to India:
One of our friends sent us these web sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/2006/chikungunya_india.htm.
Thought it might be useful.
Amisha.
Wow sneha!! All that is mouth watering!! I wonder how much one can go to eat out during their visit to India.. No matter how long you stay there, the time always seems short for India visit to enjoy eating outside, meeting YOUR friends as well as all those social visits 🙂
Wow…I think I have really got a hint from Sneha’s long list. And now frankly, along with being excited….I am a lil scared 🙂
Sneha, tu kitne dino se is lambi list ke baare me soch rahi hai? Amitji, batwa bhar ke bahar nikalna 🙂
Bhavini yeah teen saal kikhawish hai…..
Sneha, you’re awesome!
Ab to jaldi hi jaana padega. It happens only in Mumbai!
Aamchi Mumbai!!
Whenever we goto Mumbai I hog on my favorite food “Pav Bhaji”. Whenever you pass a restaurant, they will have mostly a big pav bhaji stand in front and the smell is so awesome. I have never managed to find Bombay style pav bhaji here in the Bay Area. If anyone knows the secret please share it. 🙂
I also hog a lot on “Mosambi” Juice. Yummy.
Once or twice in the trip we also try out sugarcane juice but only towards the end of the trip and that too after telling the bhaiya to clean everything properly.
Thanks Sneha for the list. I will take a printout and keep it with me. 🙂
Santacruz(W) has Swastik Sandwich (outside station) and Bandra(W) has Jay Sandwich stall (outside National college) and both are my favorites.
Yeah…True Prashant Mumbai Style Tava Pav Bhaji is something I have never had in entire USA be it Bay Area , New Jersey or Chicago….
That garlic smell, tava thats not washed for days has all masala smell accumulated….and Masala Pav…..yummmmm
Thats one dish I really s here….
Also Outside N.M Coleege there is this very famous Batawada Stall…he serves batatwada with kadak amul pav and garlic and onion chutney
Its time to update the list……
This time we visited lot of new places like
Barbeque Nations at Pali Hill, Bandra (W)
Barbecue Nation brings the concept of a live grill to India for the first time. The restaurant offers an option wherein customers can make their food on their personal grills, which are embedded in each table. They offer five vegetarian and non-vegetarian barbecue starters, a main course buffet, soups, salads and desserts.The décor is modeled after a European country dining experience, with a lot of wood and exposed brick walls.
Out of the Blue…. This fancy and elegant restaurant is located at Union Park,near Carter Road in Bandra.It is beside teh famous Olive lounge. The interiors are very romantic,sensual,pleasing,sophisticated,coquette….the list never ends!!At night,the restaurant is transformed into a beautiful candlelight romantic places accompanied with soft,melodious tunes!! They serve desi version of Fondue, sizzlers Italian….
Olive Lounge….though I didn’t make it there but have got very good reviews from friends….Very expensive though!!!
5 Spice has started at Bandra too…excellent ambience and great Chinese food….
Bandra is like food and shopping Mecca!!!
Kalash at Raghu Leela Mall serves excellent gujrati thali….family style restaurant with Kathiawad decor.
Rajdhani, Kailash Parbat and many other famous food joints in Mumbai have put up their stalls in food courts of many malls…..
Its like a food revolution going on in India
We went to Sidharttha in Bandra (on S.V. Road) and they had a “Kutchi Thali” as part of the menu. Dimple took the Rajasthani thali and I the kutchi thali and there was plenty of food and wedding style serving by the waiters and in general good food.