Best restaurants and what to eat
India
Bombay, now officially Mumbai, is one of India’s great street-food capitals, where Gujarati, Maharashtrian, Parsi, Konkani, and North Indian influences meet. The city is especially known for crisp fried snacks, spicy pav breads, seafood, and milk-based sweets that reflect its port-city history and cosmopolitan palate.
Known elsewhere as king mackerel, surmai is prized in Mumbai for its firm flesh and rich, meaty flavor. It is often fried, grilled, or turned into robust curries, and pairs beautifully with rice, green chutney, and tangy kokum-based gravies.
Bombil, the famous Bombay duck, is a delicate, soft fish with a distinctive aroma that becomes wonderfully crisp when dried and fried. In the city it is beloved for its salty intensity and is often served with rice, lentils, or as a crunchy snack alongside drinks.
Paplet, or pomfret, is a refined coastal staple with sweet, tender flesh and a clean finish. Mumbai cooks it in fiery masala, tawa-fried with lime, or in coconut-rich curries, making it a favorite for elegant seafood meals.
Kolambi, the local word for prawns, is widely used in coastal Maharashtrian and Mumbai kitchens. Their sweet, briny flavor shines in masala fries, coconut gravies, and biryanis, where they soak up spice while staying succulent.
Mori, or shark, is a traditional coastal ingredient in Mumbai’s older fish markets and home kitchens. It has a firm texture and a distinctive marine depth, often cooked with turmeric, coconut, and sharp souring agents like kokum.
This preparation of elephant foot yam is known for its earthy, starchy richness and satisfying bite. In Mumbai-style cooking it is frequently spiced, crisp-fried, or made into a dry sabzi that pairs well with rotis and rice.
This pink coastal drink is made from kokum and coconut milk, yielding a tangy, cooling, lightly creamy sip. In Mumbai it is served chilled with seafood meals to soothe spice and cleanse the palate.
A common Mumbai milk-bar classic, banana shake is thick, sweet, and satisfying, often finished with ice cream or nuts. It is a simple urban refresher that reflects the city’s enduring dairy-and-sweetness culture.
Mumbai’s falooda is a layered, richly textured dessert drink made with milk, rose syrup, basil seeds, vermicelli, and ice cream. It is fragrant, cool, and indulgent, especially popular as a summer treat after spicy food.
The city’s ever-present spiced tea is brewed strong with milk, ginger, cardamom, and black tea for a bold, warming cup. It is typically served in small glasses at stalls and pairs naturally with fritters, pav, and evening traffic.
Mumbai’s older Irani cafés and beer halls popularized local bottled soft beers and fruit beer-style malt beverages as easygoing urban refreshers. Served chilled, they are light, sweet-edged, and meant for casual snacking rather than serious sipping.
A traditional fermented palm drink associated with the Konkan belt and the wider Mumbai region, desi tadi is mildly alcoholic, tangy, and slightly effervescent when fresh. It is usually enjoyed very cold and soon after tapping, before the flavor turns sharper.
A crisp gram-flour-coated potato fritter, batata vada is fluffy inside, crackling outside, and warmly seasoned with mustard, curry leaves, and chili. It is one of Mumbai’s great snacks and the essential filling of vada pav.
This famous Mumbai street dish features a buttery mash of spiced vegetables cooked down to a velvety, chili-red sauce and served with toasted pav. It is rich, smoky, and deeply comforting, with plenty of lime, onion, and butter on top.
Usal is a hearty sprouted bean curry, often made with moth beans or mixed legumes and finished with a fragrant, spicy masala. In Mumbai it can be eaten as a bowl on its own or turned into a more elaborate misal-style plate.
Misal is a layered Maharashtrian dish of sprouted beans, spicy rassa, farsan, onion, and lemon, often served with bread. The Mumbai version is celebrated for its heat, crunch, and satisfying contrast of textures.
Made from tapioca pearls, peanuts, potatoes, and mild spices, sabudana khichdi has a soft-chewy texture and a subtle, nutty richness. It is especially associated with fasting days but is loved citywide for its light yet filling comfort.
Though rooted in western Maharashtra, this intensely spiced mutton curry is a favorite in Mumbai’s eateries and home kitchens. It is known for its deep red masala, slow-cooked tenderness, and assertive chili heat.
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