Dining in Mumbai

A Gastronome’s Paradise

With cuisine from virtually every caste and region represented in the city, Mumbai is a gourmand’s delight.  As with all cities boasting large immigrant populations, there is a plethora of flavors and tastes to choose from, and if you’re not planning on venturing further into the country, Mumbai is a great place to sample at least a few of the country’s culinary masterpieces. The local coastal or Konkan cuisine with its emphasis on coconut milk is however the specialty of the city.  Eating options range from la-di-dah dining where the crème de la crème of the city gather to sip wine and nibble on lobster to inexpensive eateries that serve vegetarian, “Indian Chinese,” and Mumbai’s famed street food.  In these cheaper venues, you can easily satisfy your curiosity and hunger for under two dollars a person.

Eating on a Budget

Be warned; street food in Mumbai like elsewhere in India, is best tried only by the locals.  It would be a pity, though, to leave the city without sampling its sidewalk menus.  Thankfully, you can easily find places that serve “street food” that tastes just as great as the stuff hawked on pavements, but under more hygienic conditions. For many of the city’s office goers and college students, street fare that consists of surprisingly filling sev puri, dahi puri, (fried snacks topped with assorted chutneys, sauces, and yoghurt), and pav bhaji (Indian bread with a side dish of veggies) are the staple midday meal.

All you can eat dining comes in the form of Mumbai’s famed vegetarian thalis - steel plates or thalis piled with breads and rice and served with 6-8 bowls of dals, curries, and veggies washed down with lightly flavored buttermilk) all at under $3 a meal.  The waiter will fill your bowls and heap more rice onto your plate at just a nod of your head. Seafood specialty restaurants are a dime a dozen, and South Indian fast food eateries, known locally as Udipi restaurants, can be found on virtually every street corner. Some of the more traditional venues serve a vegetarian spread on a freshly washed plantain leaf in which patrons dig in with their fingers. 

Global Flavors

Every cuisine worth trying is represented here – from Thai and Korean to Middle Eastern and Mexican, and up market hotels will have a selection of fine gourmet restaurants.  The popularity of Chinese food in India – every town has a token shack hawking “Chinees” food – has created a unique hybrid of Chino and Indian flavors.  The result is spicier, oilier, and includes Indian attempts at authentic Chinese dishes.  For those who like their meats, Mumbai’s Iranian joints and kebab places have an as-old-as-the-city reputation for delicious food at fantastic prices.  Some kebab joints will even deliver to hotels.