India GOWhat to eat in Mumbai
Mumbai's most famous food was invented to be eaten fast and standing up. Vada pav is credited to a stall outside Dadar station in the 1960s, and pav bhaji to the mill workers who needed a hot meal late at night. Around them sit the Irani cafes, Parsi kitchens, the Udupi canteens of Matunga and the sweet shops of Mohammed Ali Road. The dishes are listed above; below is where to eat each one.
Vada Pav
The city's own sandwich, and the one thing every Mumbaikar has an opinion about, usually about a specific cart.
Pav bhaji
Invented for the mill workers who needed a fast hot meal at night.
Misal pav
Sprouted-bean curry under a slick of red spiced oil, topped with farsan and raw onion, with bread to cool it down. Maharashtra's breakfast, and the hottest thing most travellers will meet by accident.
Bun Maska
The Irani cafés are closing one by one; this is what you go for while they are still open.
Irani Chai
Tea brewed separately from the milk and combined at the counter, thicker and sweeter than chai elsewhere. The café culture around it is older than most of the city's landmarks.
Pani Puri
A hollow crisp sphere, cracked open, filled with potato and chickpea, and flooded with cold spiced water. The whole thing goes in at once.
Ragda Pattice
Potato patties under a flood of white-pea curry, with chutneys, onion and sev on top. Mumbai's answer to a full meal eaten standing up.
Batata Vada
The fritter from inside a vada pav, eaten on its own: potato mashed with mustard seed, turmeric and ginger, dipped in chickpea batter and fried.
Kothimbir Vadi
Steamed gram-flour cake dense with coriander, then cut and pan-fried until the edges crisp. Maharashtrian home food that reached the streets.
Sabudana Vada
Tapioca pearls, peanuts and potato fried into a crisp patty. This is fasting food: on Ekadashi and through Navratri grains are off the table, and sago is not a grain.
Mawa Cake
A dense cardamom cake made with reduced milk, baked in Mumbai's Irani bakeries since long before anyone called it heritage.
Khari Biscuits
Flaky salted puff-pastry biscuits sold by weight in every Irani bakery: the savoury half of the tea-time pair, opposite the sweet mawa cake.
The street classics and where to try them
Most of these sit in the guide's cheapest ₹ band (the sit-down chaat houses in ₹₹), and the famous stalls fry to order at high turnover.
Vada pav: Ashok Vada Pav, Dadar
The vada pav stall outside Kirti College has had queues for over three decades. The batata vada is fried in small batches, split into a soft pav and spread with dry garlic chutney.
Pav bhaji: Sardar, Tardeo
Open since 1966 near Tardeo AC Market and the name locals give first in any pav bhaji argument. The bhaji comes with a large block of Amul butter melting into it.
Misal pav: Aaswad, Dadar
A modest Maharashtrian eatery whose misal pav, sprouted-bean curry under red spiced oil with farsan (crunchy fried snacks) on top, was named the world's tastiest vegetarian dish at the FoodieHub Awards in London in 2015. It is fiery; a glass of piyush, a saffron-spiced yoghurt drink, cools it down.
Chaat: Elco, Kailash Parbat, Swati Snacks
Pani puri goes in whole, in one bite. Elco on Hill Road, Bandra, makes it with filtered water. Kailash Parbat in Colaba, open since 1952, is the original outlet of a Sindhi chaat house founded after Partition. Swati Snacks in Tardeo (1963) is known for panki, a thin rice pancake steamed between banana leaves.
Maharashtrian snacks: Prakash and Panshikar
Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra near Shivaji Park, Dadar, does batata vada, kothimbir vadi and sabudana vada. Panshikar in Girgaum, a fourth-generation house, keeps fasting-day dishes such as farali misal and thalipeeth.
Irani cafes and Parsi food
Zoroastrian migrants from Persia opened cafes across Bombay from the mid-19th century, and a handful still run on the original recipes. Order bun maska with Irani chai, and dunk it. Parsi cooking is meat-led, so vegetarians should ask what is on the day's board.
Kyani & Co. (1904), Marine Lines
One of the oldest surviving Irani cafes, near Metro Cinema: bentwood chairs, marble tables, bun maska and a slab of mawa cake in the morning.
B. Merwan & Co. (1914), Grant Road
Opposite Grant Road station; its mawa cake sells out by mid-morning, so come early. Khari biscuits are the savoury half of the tea-time pair.
Britannia & Co. (1923), Ballard Estate
The home of berry pulav, rice with tart Iranian barberries, a recipe the family is credited with inventing. There is a vegetable version. It serves lunch only.
Parsi dinner: Jimmy Boy and Ideal Corner, Fort
Jimmy Boy, near Horniman Circle, serves dinner and on request lays out lagan nu bhonu, the Parsi wedding feast on a banana leaf. Ideal Corner cooks daily home-style specials such as dhansak and sali boti; save room for lagan nu custard.
Three food quarters worth the trip
Matunga is the city's South Indian quarter, with Udupi canteens serving dosa and filter coffee since the 1930s. Ramashray (1939) is known for rasam vada and pineapple sheera; Cafe Madras for rava masala dosa; Rama Nayak Udupi near the station for an unlimited meal on a banana leaf. Breakfast is the time to come.
Mohammed Ali Road and Bhendi Bazaar are the Muslim quarter's kitchens. Noor Mohammadi Hotel has cooked Mughlai food since 1923 and is meat-first. Suleman Usman Mithaiwala below Minara Masjid makes mawa jalebi, malpua and phirni in clay pots. During Ramadan the lane outside is the real destination after the fast is broken in the evening, and there a vegetarian eats well too.
Colaba and Chowpatty are for late evenings. Bademiya, in a lane behind the Taj Mahal Palace since 1946, grills over charcoal into the early hours, paneer tikka included. Bachelorr's near Girgaum Chowpatty has served falooda and fruit cream since the 1930s.
More places are on the street food, restaurants and sweets pages, and guided walks on food tours in Mumbai.
Before you order
A few habits of the city's food make the first days easier.
- Know where the heat is — Misal pav is the fiery one. The guide marks Swati Snacks, Kailash Parbat, the Matunga canteens and the Irani cafes as gentle on the palate.
- Check the vegetarian side — Irani and Parsi kitchens and Noor Mohammadi are meat-led; Ghatkopar Khau Galli, the Matunga canteens, Swati Snacks and Kailash Parbat are fully vegetarian. More on vegetarian food in Mumbai.
- Ramadan moves every year — The Mohammed Ali Road food lanes are busiest in Ramadan, the month that ends with Eid al-Fitr (10 March 2027). The lunar calendar moves it about 11 days earlier each year.
FAQ
What food is Mumbai famous for?
Vada pav and pav bhaji above all, then misal pav, pani puri, ragda pattice, bun maska with Irani chai, mawa cake and Parsi berry pulao.
Where can I get the best vada pav in Mumbai?
Ashok Vada Pav outside Kirti College in Dadar is the most-cited stall, with queues for over thirty years.
Is Mumbai street food very spicy?
Some of it is. Misal pav is the fiery one; Swati Snacks, Kailash Parbat, the Matunga canteens and the Irani cafes are gentle on the palate.
What should I order at an Irani cafe?
Bun maska or brun maska with Irani chai, a slice of mawa cake and khari biscuits; at lunch, berry pulao at Britannia & Co.
Is Mumbai good for vegetarians?
Yes. Matunga's Udupi canteens, Ghatkopar Khau Galli, Swati Snacks, Kailash Parbat and the Gujarati thali houses are fully vegetarian. See also thali in Mumbai.
Where is the Ramadan food street in Mumbai?
On Mohammed Ali Road, below Minara Masjid, in the evenings after the fast is broken, through the month of Ramadan. It ends with Eid al-Fitr (10 March 2027).
Sources (2)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
The full catalogue, hidden spots and districts on the map, plus “nearby” mode.
Open in India GO