Mumbai

 

Tip: cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges.

Street stall food in India is fantastic, and dirt cheap you can fill yourself up for Rs 20. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it.

Chinese food stalls

You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near dadar railway station. they all have a typical indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "indian chinese". although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations.

Vada pav stands

Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in mumbai's burgeoning mills. now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. this is a mumbai specialty. in vile parle west, try the one off s.v road near irla across from goklibai school. one of the most popular ones are opposite mithibai college which is about 15 mins walk from vile parle station. also try the one outside grant road station and churchgate station.

The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. If you search hard enough, you will find cuisine from practically every part of the world represented in the city. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. That is what is described here. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages.

Don't leave Mumbai without trying:

Gujrati, Maharashtrian and Kerala Thali

Indian Chinese

Goan seafood

As many different kinds of chaat Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc as your stomach can handle

Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema

Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market

Vada pav the great Indian veg burger

South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant

Bread Maska Bread & Butter from an Irani Cafe

Kingfisher Blue beer

Alfanso Mangoes during summer season

irani cafes

Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what notsspecially targetted at bachelor crowds and furniture. Most of these cafes were located at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite an usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurents and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notabls like Kyani & Co. remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" bread and butter and Egg Omlette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema prepared from ground meat and pav bread.

tipping

Tip between 5-10% at sit-down places. If a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference betwen service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. While tipping is always good practice, at bars you don't necessarily have to tip the bartender. If you plan to be there a while though it's a good idea to give him Rs 50-100 on your first drink to ensure a night of trouble-free service.You do not have to tip cab or auto drivers at all, and don't get out of the vehicle until they have given you full and exact change.

authentic marathi cuisine

Mumbai being home to large ethnic Marathi community has its share of notable restaurants that offer taste of authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit or Upma, Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane neer dosa and many more. Two notable appetizer is Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi,piyush,kairy panhe best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that its though many of these authentic Marathi restaurents are finding difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurents but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientelle.

udupi restaurants

Mangaloriansand udupi forms the highset tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture."Udupi" restaurants or "hotels" are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of Udupi in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialize in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty.

Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka of which Udupi is a part, to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have South Indian food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too!

They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant — they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask.

MatungaCentral line has the best south indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain thier old world charmand furniture.

fast food chains

Surprisingly, there is no fast-food chain in Mumbai serving Indian cuisine. But Western chains like McDonalds (http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com), Subway (http://world.subway.com/C...), Pizza hut (http://www.pizzahut.co.in), Dominos (http://www.dominos.co.in,...) Fried Chicken (http://www.kfc.co.in/) etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianized their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. However, Barista (http://www.barista.co.in), Cafe Coffee Day (http://www.cafecoffeeday.com), and Smokin' Joe's (http://www.smokinjoespizza) are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as there names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have recently set shop in Mumbai.

Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme', but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls anongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream.

Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea.

thalis

If you order a thali translated as "plate", you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table.

Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani At Crawford Market serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram near Mahim Church, Mahim, Ramanayak Udipi At Matunga Station, east serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya off Kalbadevi Road do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis.

what to eat

Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: