Mumbai Food Guide

Mumbai eats at every hour and every price, from a ₹20 vada pav at a station stall to ₹5,000 tasting menus in BKC. Here's where to eat.

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Essential Street Food

Vada Pav

The Mumbai burger. Spiced potato fritter in soft pav bread with chutneys. Available at every corner. ₹15-30.

Best spots:

• Ashok Vada Pav (Dadar West, near Kirti College)
• Anand Stall (Vile Parle station)
• Any busy stall near suburban train stations

Pav Bhaji

Buttered mashed vegetables served with toasted pav. A meal in itself. ₹80-150.

Best spots:

• Sardar Pav Bhaji (Tardeo Road junction), an institution since 1966
• Cannon Pav Bhaji (CSMT area)
• Amar Juice Centre (Gulmohar Road, Vile Parle West, by Cooper Hospital)
• Juhu Beach stalls (evening)

Bhel Puri / Pani Puri

Beach snacks. Puffed rice with chutneys and vegetables (bhel). Crispy shells with spiced water (pani puri).

Best spots:

• Juhu Beach (multiple vendors)
• Chowpatty Beach
• Elco Market (Bandra)

Bombay Sandwich

Layers of vegetables, cheese, chutney between bread, toasted and grilled. ₹30-60.

Available: Outside train stations, markets, everywhere

Cutting Chai

Half-glass of milky, sweet tea. The Mumbai ritual. ₹10-20.

Everywhere, especially outside train stations

Keema Pav

Spiced minced meat with buttered bread. The non-veg counterpart to pav bhaji.

Best at: Olympia Coffee House (Colaba), Cafe Military (Fort)

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Street Food Areas

Juhu Beach

The densest run of street food in the city. Evening stalls serve bhel, pav bhaji, pani puri, chana, kulfi, and half of Mumbai turns up to eat standing on the sand.

Chowpatty Beach

Same snacks as Juhu, more local crowd, fewer tourists.

Mohammed Ali Road

Busiest during Ramzan, when the stalls open after sunset and stay open late. Good all year: kebabs and malpua in the evening, nihari first thing in the morning.

Crawford Market Area

Surrounding streets have snacks, fruit vendors, juice stalls.

Carter Road (Bandra)

Seafront promenade along a rocky shore, with food vans and stalls in the evening.

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Classic Mumbai Restaurants

Britannia & Co.

Cuisine: Parsi Order: Berry pulao, made with tart Iranian barberries, and dhansak Location: Ballard Estate Cost: ₹400-700 Note: Family-run since 1923. Boman Kohinoor, who greeted diners into his nineties, died in 2019; his descendants still run the room.

Trishna

Cuisine: Seafood, Coastal Indian Order: Butter garlic crab, prawns Location: Fort Cost: ₹1,500-2,500 Note: Book ahead. One of India's best seafood restaurants.

Leopold Cafe

Cuisine: Continental, Indian Vibe: Historic, atmospheric, tourist favourite Location: Colaba Cost: ₹500-800 Note: Site of 2008 attacks, scars preserved intentionally

Cafe Mondegar

Cuisine: Continental, burgers Vibe: Art on walls, cold beer, casual Location: Colaba Cost: ₹400-700

Olympia Coffee House

Cuisine: Mughlai, North Indian Order: Keema pav, bun maska, chai Location: Colaba Cost: ₹200-400 Note: Long-standing Colaba eating house, marble tables and old wooden chairs

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Fine Dining

Indian Accent Mumbai

Modern Indian with creative techniques. ₹4,000-6,000. BKC. Tasting menus.

Masala Library

Molecular gastronomy meets Indian cuisine. ₹3,000-5,000. BKC.

Peshawri (ITC Maratha)

Northwest frontier cuisine. Famous dal bukhara. ₹3,000-5,000. Andheri.

Wasabi (Taj Mahal Palace)

Japanese, by chef Masaharu Morimoto. Views over the Gateway and harbour. ₹5,000+.

The Table

Modern global. One of Mumbai's most creative kitchens. ₹2,500-4,000. Colaba.

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By Neighbourhood

Colaba

• Leopold Cafe (atmosphere, history)
• Cafe Mondegar (casual, beer)
• Olympia Coffee House (Irani)
• Theobroma (bakery, desserts)
• Bademiya (late-night kebabs)

Fort / Kala Ghoda

• Trishna (seafood)
• Britannia (Parsi)
• Cafe Military (Irani, since 1933)
• Ideal Corner (Parsi)
• The Pantry (all-day cafe, Kala Ghoda; worth ringing ahead)

Bandra

• Lucky Restaurant (biryani, since 1938)
• O Pedro (Goan, contemporary, in BKC)
• Pali Village Cafe (brunch)
• Elco (pani puri, chaat)

Juhu

• Prithvi Cafe (theatre crowd)
• Juhu Beach stalls (street food)
• JW Marriott restaurants (upscale)

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Vegetarian Options

Mumbai is very vegetarian-friendly.

Pure veg restaurants:

• Swati Snacks (modern Gujarati), Tardeo
• Soam (Gujarati), Chowpatty
• Shree Thaker Bhojanalay (unlimited thali), Kalbadevi

Street food: Most is vegetarian, pav bhaji, bhel, vada pav

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Best Thali

For Experience

Shree Thaker Bhojanalay Unlimited Gujarati thali since 1945. Sit at long tables, servers keep refilling. ₹400-600. Kalbadevi.

For Quality

Soam Modern Gujarati. ₹800-1,200. Near Chowpatty.

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Food Tours

What to Expect

Walking tours through neighbourhoods with 8-12 tastings. Usually 3-4 hours.

Recommended

Street food tours:

• Mohammed Ali Road after dark
• Colaba heritage + food
• Juhu Beach tour

Book through: Reality Tours (runs Dharavi tour too), Viator, Airbnb Experiences

Cost: ₹2,000-5,000

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Late Night Eating

Mumbai eats late. Options after midnight:

Bademiya (Colaba), Kebab stall, open into the early hours Shalimar (Bhendi Bazaar, Mohammed Ali Road), Mughlai, open until 2 AM Various Colaba cafes, Some 24/7

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Tips

Budget meal: Vada pav + cutting chai = ₹40 Good meal: Pav bhaji + bhel = ₹200 Restaurant dinner: ₹800-1,500 Fine dining: ₹3,000-6,000

Reservations: Essential for Trishna, Indian Accent, fine dining

Best food times:

• Street food: Evening (5-10 PM)
• Restaurants: Lunch 12-3, dinner 8-11
• Late night: After 11 PM for kebabs

For safety tips on street food, see our safety guide.