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Americanos and affogatos for true aficionados
In Mumbai, coffee is as close to a religion as you can get. Odds are that every second person you meet has their 'favourite coffee spot'. Conversations tend to get heated over the best way to make your daily cuppa. More often than not, I've been witness to a scuffle over the pour-over method of making coffee versus the French press method.
As I unabashedly enjoyed these arguments, I understood two things:
As a cafe owner myself, it amazes me how much the market has changed over the past ten years. When we opened our little cafe in Pune, we dared to serve a popular mass-market brand. I know! I know! A situation we remedied quickly, but at the time there were limited choices available and you took what you got. However, within a year of opening our cafe, we were approached by several small coffee makers and entrepreneurs from as far as the North-East of India and Coorg down south. Diverse taste profiles, varied roasts, a range of grinds – suddenly, it was all coming up coffee beans!
Now, a decade later, my family and I have moved back to Mumbai. We are discovering the city all over again – and frankly, it's been amazing. From artisanal coffee shops with signature brews to home bakeries crafting exquisite bread and cakes, the city abounds with superb options. We're spoiled for choice!
For this article, I took on a stimulating (pun intended) challenge: to seek out the best cup of Joe in Mumbai! I took a rather simple approach when looking for the best of the best. I chose one item on a menu and ordered the same thing in every cafe I visited. That way, everybody had an equal opportunity to get on the list. Additional points were given for staff, ambience, location, and the rest of the menu.
When it comes to coffee, my poison is the simple Americano. It is notoriously difficult to get right, but downright delicious in its strength and simplicity. Nothing gives you a clearer idea about the quality of the coffee you are drinking than regular black coffee. Now let’s have a look at how my top five coffee shops in Mumbai fared.
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Tucked away in a by-lane of Bandra, this blink-and-you-miss-it cafe surprises you with its coffee menu and lures you in with its delicious bakes and healthy food. I am not ashamed to admit that I visit Boojee several (read 4 to 5) times a week for my caffeine fix and a biscotti to-go. They have an array of freshly baked vegan and sugar-free cakes on offer as well. Recently, they added other sinful treats such as Bombolinis (stuffed doughnuts) and Croissants to the menu.
The cafe is frequented by a rotating crowd of fitness freaks and local ex-pats who can be seen sipping on everything from matcha lattes to coconut cold brews. So, if an Americano is too boring for you, fret no more – you will find plenty of options here. At present, the space is somewhat tiny, and long queues are common. But the staff is an absolute delight – they greet you with beaming smiles and get your coffee order before you even reach your table! Full marks on all fronts, in my opinion.
Americano Score: 9/10
Address: Shop no. 6, New Kantwadi, Off Perry Cross Road, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400050
Subko is now officially a cult – there, I said it. You can’t visit Bandra – or Mumbai for that matter – without a trip to one of their outlets (and a corresponding Instagram post of their stunning menu display). Subko takes its coffee with an air of gravitas. Their website proclaims, 'our singular mission: we strive to highlight the complexity, care, and craft nature of the speciality coffee value chain. Our goal is simple: to create a genuinely Asian speciality coffee movement that can represent the region on a global platform. This means that the coffee served at Subko is changing the game.
Its first outpost – a reconverted villa in old Bandra – has quickly grown into a place to see and be seen. If you are lucky to find space at one of their communal tables, make yourself at home by ordering one of their 27-layered croissants. Go ahead, and dunk it into your latte for that perfect, buttery, drippy, delicious mess.
I have visited the Bandra outlet several times and it is no secret that I dig their coffee. However, my favourite remains the Subko Craftery. Built to educate the public about the production process and what good Indian coffee can be, the facility has a roastery, a bakehouse, and a cafe. Choose your coffee beans, watch them being ground and brewed in front of you, then sit back and relax with a pop tart or two. It’s all worth the trip into the maze of mills and lanes in Byculla, I promise.
Americano Score: 8/10
Address: Ground floor, Mary Lodge, 21A Chapel Road, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400050
Craftery: Unit no. 2, Jak Compound, 1st Cross Lane, Byculla East, Mumbai - 400027
Google Maps took us around in circles thrice before we found ourselves in the tiniest of cafes in Chuim Village, in Bandra. More than half the space inside this minuscule outlet is taken over by a coffee roaster and accessories. There is a bench where only the slim of the hip can sit and sip their coffee, and a narrow counter with their pre-packaged coffees and baked goods for sale.
Irrespective of the space (or the lack of it), Kcroasters serves delicious coffee. They have milk-based options, ranging from coconut to almond and soy. There are sugar-free and keto options as well, and as some intriguing inventions, such as an activated charcoal mint mocha or the South Bombay cold coffee (with jaggery, chicory, and coconut). My recommendation is to visit the place in the afternoon when a somnambulic haze settles in. Perch yourself on that lone bar stool, order an affogato made with gelato, and pretend the worries of the day don’t matter anymore.
P.S: Kcroasters can also be found at Foodhall - Linking Road and Foodhall - Vama at their flagship Coffee Bars. Sipping a coffee while you shop is always a good idea!
Americano Score: 7.5/10
Address: 66, Chuim Village Road, Khar, Chuim Village, Khar West, Mumbai 400052
As a college student in Mumbai in the 90s, there were only a few affordable places where you could while away for a couple of hours. Prithvi Cafe was one of those places. Even though it meant a trek across town, a visit to Prithvi always gave us memories. I don’t know whether it was the fact that it shared space with the eponymous Prithvi Theatre. Did some of that stage magic rub off on you while you were sipping your chai? Or did the sound of the waves crashing on Juhu Beach provide the perfect backdrop for that late-night Kathi roll?
It was perhaps the copious amounts of alcohol that supposedly laced their famous Irish Coffee. Sadly, the coffee doesn’t have any real alcohol anymore, if it ever did. But the fairy lights still twinkle, the theatre students mill around looking intense, and your chilli cheese toast waits to be devoured.
Americano Score: 5/10 (but let’s be honest, it’s not the Americano that draws you to Prithvi Cafe)
Address: 20, Janki Kutir Apartment, Next to Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai - 400049
The Kala Ghoda precinct in South Mumbai is hyped as the new ‘art district’ of Mumbai. The beautiful buildings that cram the district, from the Art Deco-style Regal Cinema to the Gothic Revival-style High Court, only add to the claim. In addition, there is the Jehangir Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum to push up the art quotient.
But I keep returning to Kala Ghoda for only one reason: the Kala Ghoda Cafe (KGC) and its lemon iced coffee along with the old-school egg sandwich. The lemon iced coffee is served to me in a delicate champagne flute – a perfect antidote to the muggy weather in Mumbai. Don’t be surprised if you end up ordering two more in quick succession! The egg sandwich is that perfect blend of homemade mayonnaise, chopped boiled eggs, and nutty multigrain bread.
The decor reminds me of old Irani cafes, but the crowd here is rather contemporary. The waitstaff is trained to let you do your thing. Even though there are people invariably waiting for a table, I have never been hurried off. And if you visit KGC in the evening, walk past the maze of tables to the end of the cafe, push open the swinging door, and sneak into their not-so-secret wine bar. Designed like a living room from the 70s, complete with garish wallpaper and floral sofas, the Kala Ghoda wine bar is the perfect place to start your night on the town.
Americano Score: 8/10
Address: 10, Rope Walk Ln, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai - 400001
The coffee culture has certainly come a long way in Mumbai. With cafes and bake shops mushrooming all over the city, I might just log many more hours discovering the city's finest offerings. Until then, you can safely head to one of these cafes for a bracing Americano, Espresso, or whichever brew best kickstarts your day!
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