The lure of Mumbai's wealth has always attracted migrants from other parts of India and, from the very beginning, the city has played host to a substantial numbers of foreigners: imperial administrators or soldiers, merchants, traders and moneymen. The city's wealth and its multicultural character are reflected in a dazzling array of restaurants; the modern visitor can enjoy a wide variety of styles of cooking; American burger bars rub shoulders with western Indian vegetarian and Malay restaurants.
In the great Indian cities the best (or at least the most expensive) restaurants have traditionally
been found in the big international hotels. This, to some extent, is still the case, although the quality and variety of restaurants outside the marbled halls of the ‘5-stars' is growing all the time. Indeed, it is now possible to eat very well in Mumbai without going into one of the big hotels at all. India, with its strong tradition of vegetarianism, is a most rewarding place for those who do not eat meat; menus are said to be ‘veg' or ‘non-veg'.
Authorities in Mumbai have a more relaxed attitude to alcohol than in Delhi or other parts of India, and beer is available in most upscale establishments. Imported wine in India is expensive due to import duties; Indian wine is improving rapidly and offers a sensibly priced alternative. Indian beer is delicious and invariably arrives at your table ice-cold; it is the ideal accompaniment to most types of subcontinental cuisine.
We have selected 15 restaurants across five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations, and have listed those in alphabetical order in each section. For each establishment, we have indicated the approximate cost of a meal for two with wine or beer (where sold), including taxes, by reference to the following scale:
$$$$ (over Rs8,000)
$$$ (Rs3,000 to Rs8,000)
$$ (Rs1,000 to Rs3,000)
$ (up to Rs1,000)
GourmetKhyberSituated near the High Court in the heart of South Mumbai, Khyber is an elegant, upmarket restaurant serving exquisite Northern Indian, Mughal food, using the best, freshest ingredients and a charcoal grill. A grand entrance foreshadows a beautiful interior, stone-effect plastering embellished with delicately carved arches and screens in the Mughal style. Excellent value.
145 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort
Tel: (022) 2267 3227/8/9.
Website:
www.khyberrestaurant.comPrice: $$$
PeshawariLocated in the ITC Maratha Hotel near the international airport, Peshawari has superbly prepared dishes from the North West Frontier. Tender kebabs, leg of lamb and their specialty Dal Bukhara (a thick black dhal) are all prepared in the glass-enclosed kitchen and served in a stylish dining area. It's best to book ahead as this restaurant is very popular.
Sahar Airport Rd, Andheri
Tel: (022) 2830 3030.
Price: $$
WasabiWasabi
, in the Taj Hotel, is the only authentic Japanese restaurant in Mumbai. Chef Masaharu Morimoto, late of New York's celebrated Nobu restaurant, presides over a kitchen that offers the very best in Japanese food. The dining room, with a separate sushi bar, is spare and elegant. This is probably the most expensive restaurant in town.
Taj Mahal Hotel, Apollo Bunder
Tel: (022) 6665 3366.
Website:
www.tajhotels.comPrice: $$$$
BusinessGaylord
Excellent North Indian dishes are served at the long-standing Gaylord restaurant in their ostentatious dining room. Decorated with Raj-era pizzazz and serviced by suit-wearing and eager staff. There's an outdoor seating area, separated from the street traffic, and a quieter indoor air-conditioned section better suited for conversation.
79 Mayfair Building, Veer Nariman Road, Fort
Tel: (022) 2282 1259.
Price: $
Masala KraftA modern Indian restaurant in the Taj Hotel, Masala Kraft offers an eclectic mix of dishes from all the principal traditions of Indian cuisine; veg, non-veg and seafood are all available. The cool, spacious dining room is a modern interpretation of a traditional Indian style: a heavily coffered roof is supported on massive wooden columns. The food is succulent; the service efficient and friendly.
Taj Mahal Hotel, Apollo Bunder
Tel: (022) 6665 3366.
Website:
www.tajhotels.comPrice: $$$
Trishna
On a back street in Fort, Trishna is perhaps the best seafood restaurant in Mumbai. Fish, lobster, crab, prawns and squid are all served in a variety of styles, Indian and Chinese. Although the dining room is unpretentiously simple and functional, the quality of the food frequently attracts the Bollywood
glitterati.
Birla Mansion, Sai Baba Marg, Fort
Tel: (022) 2270 3213.
Price: $$$
TrendySeijo & The Soul Dish
The design of this futuristic, Japanese-styled restaurant is as impressive as the food. Dishes from across Asia are served in a lusciously adorned main room, decorated with wrought iron, polished dark-wood walkways, candles and strange egg-shaped pods, which turn out to be toilets. There's a more intimate bar at the back and the roof of the main dining room retracts at night so you can look up at the stars when you're enjoying your meal.
206 Krystal, Waterfield Road, Bandra
Tel: (022) 2640 5555.
Price: $$$
Bade MiyaThis may just be the most popular street-food stand in India. Every night an army of staff prepare fresh and delicious grilled snacks, including spicy
baida rolls filled with chicken, mutton or beef. It's only open for dinner and you can either grab your food to go or sit at one of the packed street-side tables.
Tulloch Road, Colaba
Tel: (022) 2284 8038.
Price: $
BudgetMahesh Lunch HomeA slightly downmarket version of Trishna, Mahesh Lunch Home serves excellent seafood prepared in the Mangalore style. There's lots of different fish on the menu, including lobster and crab - be sure to try their rice curries or tandoori pomfret.
8B Cowasji Patel Street, Fort
Tel: (022) 2287 0938.
Price: $
SabarNear the Victorian splendor of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus,
Sabar
has been serving Gujarati vegetarian food for more than a century. The table d'hôte offers dal, pulses, rice and chapatis cooked in various ways;
dhosas, idlis, uttappams and other staples of southern Indian cookery are also available. The restaurant is basic but the food simple, delicious and nourishing. It's very cheap. Unlicensed.
177 DN Road, Fort
Tel: (022) 2261 2604/5/6.
Price: $
Personal RecommendationsIndigoThe most fashionable restaurant in South Mumbai
, Indigo is the headquarters of the smart set. It serves mostly European food (sandwiches, salads, steaks, etc) although the odd dish hints at an Indian provenance. The dining rooms are in a stark modern style; there is a terrace where you can eat during the cooler months of the year. The bar attracts a lively crowd in the evenings.
4 Mandlik Road, Colaba
Tel: (022) 5636 8999.
Price: $$$.
Olive Bar & Kitchen
This swanky restaurant and bar serves excellent Italian food, including great pastas and salads. The décor is all Mediterranean white (even the indoor trees are painted white) and the bar also gets full up on weekend nights with DJs and gyrating hip locals and expats.
Tourist Hotel, 14 Union Park, Khar
Tel: (022) 2605 8228.
Website:
www.olivebarandkitchen.comPrice: $$
SohoThis cafe belongs to Chateau Indage, India's leading vineyard owners and as a result, it's an excellent place to sample Indian wine. There is a complete selection of Indage's wines, available both by the bottle and the glass. The food is Italian (pizza, pasta) with the odd oriental dish thrown in.
75 Warden Road, Breach Candy
Tel: (022) 2369 2705.
Price: $$
Theobroma
This bakery is ideal for an after-dinner treat. Although it may not look like much from the outside, the cakes here are absolutely divine, especially the rich chocolate cake. They also do sourdough bread, focaccia, Danish pastries and good coffee.
Cusrow Baug, Shop 24, Colaba Causeway, Colaba
Tel: (022) 6629 2929.
Price: $
Nightlife:The party animal will not be disappointed by Mumbai. The city reckons itself to be the capital of Indian nightlife. Certainly, the bars and clubs offer enough variety to satisfy even the most jaded palate. Colaba and south Mumbai used to be the center of the city’s nightlife, but recently competing clubs and lounges (an Indian hybrid of a bar and a club) have started opening in the suburbs. The prevailing atmosphere is informal (a jacket and tie is almost never required) but Mumbaikers like to be well turned-out and the atmosphere of some establishments is decidedly chic. Many bars and clubs operate a couples-only policy, for members and non-members alike, and charge an entrance fee.
The most popular drinks are beer and spirits (particularly whisky) rather than imported wine, which is relatively expensive and often of indifferent quality, although Indian wine is now better made and more widely available than ever before. The legal minimum drinking age is 21. Licensing hours appear to vary and 5-star hotels have an extension to enable them to sell alcohol until 0030. Many of the larger international hotels have a nightclub on the premises as well.
Time Out is published fortnightly and is available from news stands. It carries listings on many, if not all, aspects of having fun in Mumbai.
Bars: Indigo, Mandlik Road, Apollo Bunder, was the original Mumbai bar-restaurant and, despite having spawned numerous imitators, its minimalist décor still attracts a smartly turned-out set.
Geoffrey’s, in the Hotel Marine Plaza (itself a fine example of art deco architecture well worth visiting), is the best-known English-style pub in Mumbai. Geoffrey’s
stays open until 0100, and serves a good set-price lunch.
Henry Tham’s, near Apollo Bunder, is an über-slick bar and restaurant that is currently the hippest place to have a drink in town, popular with Bollywood starlets and their aficionados.
Leopold, Colaba Causeway, near Regal, sells inexpensive beer and good snacks; it is popular with backpackers.
Zenzi, 183 Waterfield Road, is a stylish bar in the northern suburbs of Bandra with lots of lounges and bright colors - it’s popular with expats and well-to-do Mumbaikans. All the 5-star hotels have bars, where you can drink in air-conditioned and pricey seclusion.
Clubs: In the past, the best nightclubs in Mumbai were to be found in the 5-star hotels; this is no longer necessarily the case as new places are opening all the time. There is now a dazzling array of nightclubs (known variously as clubs, bars or lounges) on offer in Mumbai. Filled every weekend with Mumbai’s trendy youngsters
, Ra, in the Phoenix Mills Compound, Lower Parel, is usually a lively option.
Red Light, 145 MG Road, plays a range of music, including hip-hop, and is popular with students. For something a little more grungy, try the
Voodoo Pub, 2/5 Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road
, which hosts an unofficial gay-friendly night on Fridays. Of the nightclubs in the international hotels,
Insomnia, in the Taj Mahal Hotel, Apollo Bunder, continues to be one of the most expensive and fashionable dance venues in town.
Live Music: Not Just Jazz by the Bay, Soona Mahal, 143 Marine Drive (tel: (022) 2285 1876; website:
www.mars-world.com/restaurants/jbb.html), is the only remaining bar for live music in the city center. It has a varied program of live music; it also stages karaoke nights and on some nights features Indian music.
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