There is No Love as Sincerer as the Love of Food: 10 Places You Need to Visit to Have the Best of Food in Mumbai (2019)

If you are guilty of gluttony and happily so, then Mumbai will not disappoint you. Home to the Marathas and the taporis, ‘Bombay, meri jaan’ is loaded with stalls selling cutting chai and pav bhaji, that are quite enough to tickle your taste buds and to leave you asking for more. However, these are not the only things that will satisfy your cravings. Mumbai, the sheh-n-shah of street food, has more in store for you and your ‘things to eat before you die’ checklist.

Mumbai is one of those places that will welcome you with open arms. The people are warm and friendly and so is the weather. Mumbai beaches are great and their food is greater. Almost all food stalls lining the roads of Mumbai have a different specialty to boast about. Their food is amazing and is frequently raided by tourists, students and the locals. Most of these stalls or shops are open almost round the clock to cater to the needs of the late night party animals who stop to get a stomach full of food from here. Even if some shops do not stay put for the entire day, they are mostly there throughout the night, starting from the evening. If you are in Mumbai or, if you are planning a trip to Mumbai, you are quite lucky for we have listed some of the best places to eat in Mumbai. You are sure to become a fan instantly!

Gulshan-e-Iran at Crawford Market is a name that spells ‘Mughlai’! Undoubtedly, this shop selling street food is popular for its legendary Mughlai platters that can make anybody salivate. The best dishes include chicken tikka and keema pav. If you have already had a taste of this, you can probably smell it from home right now! It will not be surprising though, for the sensation that they bring to your tongue is a paranormal feeling in itself.

Are you a fan of sweet dishes? You will probably consider setting up camp right beside this shop once you have tasted their firni or their rabdi kulfi! The taste of these will make you want more and want you will till your stomach threatens to burst. Wondering about how hard it will pinch your pockets? Believe it or not, Gulshan-e-Iran is very affordable, if not cheap.

Are you a fanatic for tea? Mervan’s will get you a cup of cutting chai that will make you want to have several other cups of this specially made tea. Cutting chai is the cool, tapori version of your daily cup of tea, except this has the flavour of Mumbai stirred in it. This shop at Grant Road sells all kinds of side dishes that you might want with your tea. Their cookies and pastries will tickle your sweet tooth and make you want even more. Baked food is also available in packages that one can take back home. Quite obviously, given the popularity of this shop, people go there to simply enjoy a handful of these packaged cookies, taking the opportunity to indulge into a cup of their special tea.

Worried about your pocket? It will cost just around Rs. 150 to satisfy your cravings.

Are you a fan of samosa and chola? Honestly, who is not?! And that is exactly why you should dedicate your breakfast or your evening snacks to Guru Kripa at Sion. Known also for serving their samosas extravagantly, Guru Kripa has had faithful tourist customers visit them every time they went to Mumbai. Locals recommend this shop for a delicious snack. You can spend hours here with a platter of samosa and sweet lassi. College students and tourists are known to flock to Guru Kripa in search of some good food and quality adda time with friends and family. You must really treat your taste buds to Guru Kripa’s sweet lassi, chole tikki, samosa chole and chole-bhature. Guru Kripa’s gulab jamuns are some of the best gulab jamuns in ‘akki Mumbai’!

One other thing that makes the samosa iconic is the way they serve it. The samosa is served with chatni, salad and chickpea gravy, all of which do a great job at making the platter tastier. If you are planning a trip to Mumbai do check out Guru Kripa, for glorious street food that's light on the pocket.

If your sweet tooth is carving for some nice, creamy ice cream, and you are in Mumbai, then you are in for a treat as Mumbai is home to Bachelor’s. This shop sells slightly more expensive ice cream that will make you wonder why you bothered with branded ice cream. The ice cream here is made right in front of you and served in a cup. The soft cream topped with ripe, juicy strawberries or heavy chocolate fudge will make your taste buds cry happy tears. All kinds of flavours are available here, with toppings ranging from nuts to fruits. All you need to do is to order! Bachelor’s also have drinks like milkshakes and fruit shakes listed on their menu. If you like some nice cold, creamy drink, then make sure you try some of these. You will feel blessed to have tried such delicacies.

With Govinda Restaurant has its buffet starting at Rs. 450 per person. Their menu is exquisite with various kinds of starters and dal and other delicious main courses lining the table. Although its saativik food, you would have never thought would taste so good. Indeed their thalis are the examples of royal food. Given their great list of mouth-watering dishes, Govinda Restaurant is a favourite among the tourists and also among the locals. The ambience of this place is something else altogether. One would expect a modernized, posh restaurant at Juhu but Govinda is none of those. It is a class apart in itself. The interiors will take you back in time and show you the real essence of Mumbai. This atmosphere adds a special taste to the food they serve. The aura is mesmerizing and soothing in the same breath. This is a place for a quiet lunch for a solo traveller for a couple looking to spend some time in silence.

Got a sweet tooth that needs to be satisfied from time to time? Well, the good news is that Mumbai has its own ways of pampering your taste buds and your sweet tooth. K. Rustom, a shop at Churchgate, is responsible for selling amazing sweet delicacies that will make your mouth water for more. This shop is known for its wonderful ice cream sandwiches and black currant ice cream cups. Known also for its range of flavours and for evening addas, K. Rustom has emerged as a shop that a tourist must visit. Another great thing about K. Rustom is how cheap they really are. A nice treat for your sweet tooth will cost you not more than one hundred bucks! Now, is that not something alluring already?

Kebabs are something that we simply cannot say a no to. Quite unanimously we will all agree how the smell of kebabs and the thought of these makes us drool all over. If you are one of those kebab fans who are planning to travel the world to find more kebabs to eat, then Farhid’s seekh kebab is patiently awaiting you at Jogeshwari, Mumbai. Their seekh kebabs are said to be the softest kebabs available there. The meat simply melts in your mouth as the taste unfolds on your tongue like a taste bomb!

Farhid’s seekh kebabs are known far and wide for their taste and the juicy meat that they are made out of. Mumbai will bring you lots of great food stalls to eat at, but if you miss eating at Farhid’s, then you are probably missing the chance of a lifetime.

Travelling on a shoestring budget is the way of life for so many people. Students, solo travellers, explorers, photographers and people looking for adventure travel to places with a minimum amount. Mumbai is one such city that will cater to the needs of such people very well. Tourists can get a taste of Mumbai even if they have a limited amount of money. The plethora of street food stalls lining the roads and the busy city working hard in the morning and partying harder at night add up to the essence that food brings with itself in Mumbai.

If the thought of eating on a shoestring budget in Mumbai astonishes you, then you should keep reading further. We have three very useful tips for you to help you do the same.

The many khau galis at Mumbai have evolved over the years to give this city an unparalleled upper hand with street foods. These khau galis have everything starting from sweet dishes to spicy evening snacks. Not originally meant for the tourists, these small lanes and bylanes are fast emerging as spots that travellers look for given their undaunted quality of food, served with the essence of Mumbai, at the cheapest rates. The food that is sold here is meant for the locals and is thus suited to their taste. If you are an explorer of simply a tourist who loves to indulge in the culture of a place, then these khau galis are where you should consider eating because this is where the real Mumbai eats.

Mumbai is the city of cutting chai and pav bhaji. The street food stalls are the places that can give you the real essence of Mumbai. There are a range of food stalls selling different kinds of platters at the cheapest rates. Since Mumbai is never asleep, some of these stalls are open 24x7. You can get anything you want to eat starting from Mughlai to evening snacks to desserts. Depending on the locality, you will find some really great food stalls selling South Indian food, snacks, Chinese food like chowmein and North Indian food. None of these food stalls will pinch your pocket too hard. In fact, your bill is most likely to surprise you and you will be left thinking about how it never crossed a certain amount of money despite being so filling.

Mumbai ka dabba has become a heritage of the city. The entire world remains mesmerized by the way the dabba system works. The housewives of Mumbai cook food in the morning and pack them in dabbas that are duly collected by the dabbawalas. These dabbas are then delivered to people who go to work. One has to subscribe to this service. If you are planning a trip to Mumbai, subscribing to these dabbas will bring you healthy goodness. Besides that, you will get the traditional ghar ka khana in Mumbai style. If you are an explorer, this experience will be of much significance to you as you will get to know the different cultures prevailing in the city.