Mumbai food guide: the best street food, cafés and restaurants
Vada pav at the station, crab by the sea. 33 spots locals swear by, picked from Reddit and forum recommendations.
Mumbai eats on the move. The city runs on vada pav grabbed between trains, pani puri on Hill Road, misal in a Girgaon dining room and kheema pav in an Irani café older than most of its regulars. Then it sits down: to berry pulao at Ballard Estate, butter-garlic crab in Fort, dosa at dawn in Matunga and a tasting menu in a Mahalaxmi mill. Ask a Mumbaikar where to eat and you get an argument, not an answer. We read thousands of those arguments on Reddit. These are the places that keep winning them.
Street Food in Mumbai
Mumbai's street food is fuel for a city that never stops moving. The vada pav is its heartbeat, argued over station by station; chole samosa, pani puri and fiery misal fill the gaps. Locals are quick to call out a queue that's all hype, so this list keeps the counters they say are worth the wait.
- Aaram Vada Pav, Opposite CSMT, Fort · must order: Vada pav · Legend · ₹
- Bhau Vada Pav, Mulund station (also Ghatkopar, Bhandup) · must order: Vada pav · Legend · ₹
- Guru Kripa, Sion West · must order: Chole samosa · Legend · ₹
- Elco, Hill Road, Bandra West · must order: Pani puri · Legend · ₹₹
- Vinay Health Home, Girgaon, near Charni Road · must order: Misal pav · Legend · ₹
- Ashok Vada Pav, Kirti College Lane, Dadar West · must order: Vada pav · Local Favourite · ₹
- Amar Juice Centre, Vile Parle West, near Juhu · must order: Pav bhaji · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Kailash Parbat, Pasta Lane, Colaba · must order: Pani puri · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Shri Krishna Batata Wada, Dadar West, near Chhabildas School · must order: Batata wada · Hidden Gem · ₹
- Badshah, Opposite Crawford Market, near CSMT · must order: Pav bhaji · Hidden Gem · ₹₹
Cafés in Mumbai
Two café cultures share this city. The old Irani cafés, with marble tables, bun maska and berry pulao, are a dying breed that locals still defend. The new wave in Bandra and Kala Ghoda roasts its own coffee and bakes serious sourdough. This chapter keeps the best of both.
- Britannia & Co., Ballard Estate, Fort · must order: Berry pulao · Legend · ₹₹₹
- The Nutcracker, Kala Ghoda, Fort (more outlets citywide) · must order: Truffle scrambled eggs · Legend · ₹₹₹
- Mag St. Cafe, Bandra West · must order: Sourdough pizza · Legend · ₹₹₹
- Subko, Bandra West (also inside Kitab Khana, Fort) · must order: Specialty coffee · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹
- Boojee Cafe, Fort (also Bandra) · must order: Breakfast plates · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹
- Prithvi Cafe, Prithvi Theatre, Juhu · must order: Irish coffee · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Candies, Pali Hill, Bandra West · must order: Shawarma · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Yazdani Bakery, Fort · must order: Brun maska · Local Favourite · ₹
- Cafe Military, Near Flora Fountain, Fort · must order: Kheema pav · Hidden Gem · ₹₹
- Sassanian Boulangerie, Marine Lines · must order: Akuri · Hidden Gem · ₹₹
- The Bake House Café, Kala Ghoda, Fort · must order: Desserts · Hidden Gem · ₹₹
Restaurants in Mumbai
Mumbai at the table means seafood first: butter-garlic crab, bombil fry and fish curries from the coast. Around it sit Matunga's Udupi tiffin rooms, an old Mughlai biryani house, a Gujarati snack hall, a pizzeria with a cult following and the tasting menus the whole country talks about.
- The Bombay Canteen, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel · must order: The seasonal menu · Legend · ₹₹₹₹
- Masque, Laxmi Mills, Mahalaxmi · must order: The tasting menu · Legend · ₹₹₹₹
- Ram Ashraya, King's Circle, Matunga East · must order: Dosa · Legend · ₹
- Joey's Pizza, Andheri West · must order: Butter chicken pizza · Legend · ₹₹
- Trishna, Kala Ghoda, Fort · must order: Butter garlic crab · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹₹
- Mahesh Lunch Home, Fort (also Juhu) · must order: The day's seafood, cooked to your spice level · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹₹
- Gajalee, Vile Parle East (also Juhu) · must order: Bombil fry · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹
- Bastian At The Top, Kohinoor Square, Dadar West · must order: Crab · Local Favourite · ₹₹₹₹
- Swati Snacks, Tardeo (also Nariman Point) · must order: Panki · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Aaswad, Opposite Shiv Sena Bhavan, Dadar West · must order: Misal pav · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Delhi Darbar, Grant Road · must order: Mutton biryani · Local Favourite · ₹₹
- Ling's Pavilion, Colaba · must order: The pork specials · Hidden Gem · ₹₹₹
Where to eat in Mumbai: neighbourhoods
Fort & Kala Ghoda
The old colonial city centre, where Irani cafés, bakeries, galleries and seafood dining rooms sit within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Best for: Irani cafés, kheema pav, berry pulao, seafood, specialty coffee. Best time: Weekday lunch, when the old cafés are all open.
In this guide: Aaram Vada Pav, Britannia & Co., The Nutcracker, Subko, Boojee Cafe, Yazdani Bakery, Cafe Military, The Bake House Café, Trishna, Mahesh Lunch Home.
Bandra
The suburbs' café capital, from Hill Road's chaat counters to the cafés tucked into Pali Hill.
Best for: Pani puri, brunch, specialty coffee, sourdough. Best time: Late morning to evening.
In this guide: Elco, Mag St. Cafe, Subko, Boojee Cafe, Candies.
Dadar
Central Mumbai's Marathi heartland around Shivaji Park, where the city's vada pav and misal debates get settled.
Best for: Vada pav, batata wada, misal, Maharashtrian brunch. Best time: Morning to early evening.
In this guide: Ashok Vada Pav, Shri Krishna Batata Wada, Bastian At The Top, Aaswad.
Matunga & Sion
Mumbai's South Indian quarter around King's Circle, run largely by the Udupi community, with Sion's chaat next door.
Best for: Dosa, idli, chole samosa. Best time: Breakfast, or after 5 PM (many places close in the afternoon).
In this guide: Guru Kripa, Ram Ashraya.
Colaba
The southern tip of the city around the Gateway of India, busy with visitors by day and bars by night.
Best for: Sindhi chaat, Chinese, late dinners. Best time: Afternoon to late evening.
In this guide: Kailash Parbat, Ling's Pavilion.
Juhu & Vile Parle
Beach-side suburbs with pav bhaji counters, a theatre café under the trees and Konkan seafood rooms.
Best for: Pav bhaji, Irish coffee, bombil fry. Best time: Evening.
In this guide: Amar Juice Centre, Prithvi Cafe, Mahesh Lunch Home, Gajalee.
A day of eating in Mumbai
- 7:30 AM: Ram Ashraya. Start the Matunga way: a heavy South Indian breakfast at King's Circle, before the queue builds.
- 10:00 AM: Vinay Health Home. Misal pav and a crisp sabudana vada in Girgaon.
- 12:30 PM: Britannia & Co.. Berry pulao and a raspberry soda at Ballard Estate. Lunch only, Monday to Saturday.
- 3:00 PM: The Nutcracker. Slow down with coffee and dessert in Kala Ghoda.
- 4:30 PM: Aaram Vada Pav. A vada pav opposite CSMT, then a train north like everyone else.
- 6:30 PM: Elco. Pani puri on Hill Road as Bandra comes out for the evening.
- 8:00 PM: Prithvi Cafe. Irish coffee under the trees in Juhu, and a play if you can get tickets.
- 9:30 PM: Joey's Pizza. Finish in Andheri West with a loaded, cheesy pizza.
Mumbai food: quick guides
Off the Menu: more Mumbai spots suggested by readers