Explore the best restaurants in the city with our Mumbai Food Guide. An insider’s guide to the best restaurants in Mumbai as well as best local in-home meals and cooking classes.
This list features our favorite hidden food experiences in Mumbai. From the best local markets to the most delicious street food places, our insider’s guide will help you find all the most delicious stops in Mumbai, all recommended by a local Mumbai resident.
Mumbai is a melting pot of not just cultures, but also cuisines. Check out our list of the best restaurants in Mumbai and local home food experiences that will help you explore the culinary diversity of the city, from crisp dosas to delicious pav bhaji.
Best Restaurants in Mumbai: local places to eat at, as recommended by a Mumbai resident
1. HIGHWAY GOMANTAK (EAST BANDRA) $
A no-frills seafood restaurant famous for serving Thali-style Goan food at excellent value.
Must try: fish thali, pomfret green masala, surmai rawas, prawn fry, and tisriya (clams) masala
2. ELCO (WEST BANDRA) $$
Sample Mumbai’s mouthwatering street food in a safe way at this local spot.
Must try: pani puri (crisp lentil shells filled with potatoes and dunked in a spiced cumin and coriander water)
3. KYANIS (METRO) $
A quaint Iranian restaurant established in 1904 known for their bun maska, oven-fresh buttered bread buns – a great stop for an evening snack.
Must try: Mutton pattice, bun maska and Iranian chai
4. CAFE MADRAS (KING’S CIRCLE) $$
Get a great start to your morning with an authentic South Indian breakfast of masala dosa, idli and south Indian filter coffee in this lively and
unpretentious spot.
Must try: masala dosa, butter idli, upma podi, medu vada and filter coffee
5. BOMBAY CANTEEN (LOWER PAREL) $$$
A Cafe & Bar that serves Indian food with a twist
Must try: eggs kejriwal, gulab nut, arbi tuk, canteen haleem and red snapper ceviche
Best Home-Dinning Experiences in Mumbai: if you’re looking to try home-cooked, authentic meals with locals, in their home
1. TRAVELING SPOON AT PALLAVI’S (NARIMAN POINT) $$$
Tour Crawford market and return to Pallavi’s home to learn to cook an authentic vegetarian Gujarati meal or chaat served on a silver thali.
Must try: dhokla (made from rice and fermented chickpea batter), khandvi (a savory bite sized snack), bhaigan bhartha (roasted eggplant with onions and tomatoes) and bajra roti (pearl millet flatbread)
A Gujarati thali experience the Maharaj way
2. TRAVELING SPOON AT MAHRUKH’S (NANA CHOWK) $$$
Explore a local fish and vegetable market and roll up your sleeves to learn to cook a Parsi feast with this warm and loving Parsi mom at her home.
Must try: tam tamata prawns (prawns in a spicy, tangy sauce), jardalu na gosht (tender lamb, slow-cooked in an intense apricot gravy topped with crisp salli) and lagan nu custard (a dense, luscious baked caramel custard)
An authentic Parsi feast in Mumbai
3. TRAVELING SPOON AT RESHMA’S (SANTA CRUZ) $$
Pick up ingredients from the market and return home to cook a traditional Maharashtrian meal that will be served on a thali, a plate with several dishes placed in a circle.
Must try: pandhra rassa (mutton broth with coconut milk), masale bhat (masala rice) and shrikhand (a sweet dish made from strained yogurt)
An authentic Maharashtrian thali
4. TRAVELING SPOON AT ZAHABIA’S (SOUTH MUMBAI) $
Immerse yourself in a Bohri Muslim communal experience – sit on the floor and eat from a thaal, a round platter of food, considered a symbol of unity, equality and sharing.
Must try: daal chawal palidu (a rice and lentil dish that is essential to all Bhora celebrations), mutton or chicken biryani and kheema na samosa (minced meat samosas)
The Bohri Thaal
5. TRAVELING SPOON AT ABHINANDA’S (ANDHERI WEST) $$
Learn to cook a traditional Bengali meal, that is famous for its maach (fish) and bhaat (rice) and its blend of sweet and spicy flavors.
Must try: cholar daal (lentils), luchi (deep fried flatbread) and rosogollas (balls of fresh cheese soaked in a sweet syrup)
Sweet and tangy Bengali experience
