Mumbai is without a doubt one of the maddest places i’ve been to in my life. Here are a few places i ate around the city.
📝 Make sure you sort an eSIM before you arrive in Mumbai. Your phone will not work otherwise and you are unable to join the airport WiFi without an Indian phone number.
📝 Cafe Leopold is popular from the book ‘Shantaram’ but it’s basically turned into the Indian version of Hard Rock Cafe.
1. Trishna
Trishna is a city institution for seafood. I love everything about this spot from the fish tanks all over walls, white table cloths and blue lighting. I went for their famous garlic butter crab, prawns the size of lobster and lamb biriyani. Everything was amazing. The service is great too.
2. Cafe Madras
Cafe Madras has been a Mumbai institution since 1940. It opens for breakfast at 07:00 and is busy from then. The waiters walk around barefoot here. I was recommended the benne masala roast dosa and idli butter podi off the specials menu and wasn’t disappointed. Idli are fermented rice flour cakes dunked in ghee, spicy coconut chutney, and podi. They get their coffee after the meal not with here but it’s very good – sweet and strong. If you come in a group you’ll wait outside, but by yourself you should be quickly in and sharing with strangers.
3. Swati Snacks
A great spot for vegetarian dishes. The rice pancakes in banana leaf are great call. The restaurant is super clean so you don’t need to worry about an upset stomach here.
4. Ashok Vada Pav
The vada pav is synonymous with Mumbai. If you haven’t had one before, it’s a mashed potato patty, masalas, tamarind chutney and chura (fired gram flour batter) inside a pao (a bread brought here by the Portuguese). It’s available on every street corner but Ashok Vada Pav is known for doing one of the best. This small shack is located near a college so always crowded with students. There’s a queue from when it opens at 11:00.
5. Ayub’s
A popular late night of kebab spot near Trishna. I went for a mutton roll and paneer roll. Both delicious.
6. Sarvi
The seekh kebabs are very popular here but they don’t serve them until 11:00. I went for breakfast early so had kheema with eggs and fluffy white bread. If you’re feeling brave, the brain masala fry is popular too. I’ve had it in Dubai but not here.
7. Sandwizzaa
Sandwizzaa is a famous Mumbai sandwich spot with a few locations across the city. All the sandwiches here look pretty epic but I went for a paneer makhani burst grill sandwich. My cab driver told me this spot was for tourists (although I haven’t seen a single tourist yet) and he prefers a more local spot that’s less hygienic – “Sweat is the secret ingredient” at the other spot apparently.
8. The Bombay Canteen
One of the most influential modern Indian restaurants in the country. Unfortunately when I went they had a Thai chef in the kitchen so I just tried a couple of cocktails by the bar.
James Dimitri 