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Every trip to Mumbai is incomplete without street food!
Mumbai's roads are lined with unmissable street food stalls that add masala to our lives; leisure feels colourless without food from the streets.
I have always bragged to my non-Mumbai friends that the city's street food is the best in the world! The exotic, mouth-watering dishes are a hit among busy commuters and food connoisseurs. The fusion of cultures and influences from Punjabi, Irani, south Indian, Gujarati, and Maharashtrian cuisines brings a special identity to Mumbai's food scene.
So when a school friend from another city challenged my claim, I had to rise to the occasion.
The following morning, my friend, my partner, and I got up early. The goal was a successful 2-day tour of Mumbai's best street food. Our stomachs and our eyes were ready to face the streets!
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The first on our list was a breakfast vada pav.
If you haven't tried Mumbai's vada pav, you haven't tasted anything yet! This dish is the king of Mumbai street food with a history grounded in Maharashtra's food culture. It is also called Mumbai's vegetarian burger.
Here's how it's made: a spiced mashed potato ball is covered with chickpea flour batter and deep-fried into a patty. This patty is served inside a fluffy-white bun and topped with chutneys and spices.
We convinced my reluctant friend to try fried chilly with every bite of vada pav. She was fine until the tears started. We washed down our vada pavs with a steaming cup of chai. Bliss!
You can find the best vada pavs in the city at Anand Vada Pav, Vile Parle, Aram Vada Pav, opposite CSMT station, Ashok Vada Pav, Kirti College Lane, Gajanan Vada Pav, Thane, Parleshwar Vada Pav Samrat, and Parleshwar.
Next, we had a late lunch of Bombay sandwiches. This vegetarian street food is available at every corner of the city, each a mix of special ingredients.
Our cook zipped around like The Flash, attending to multiple batches of sandwiches. He started with white bread slices, buttered on both sides, which he lathered with coriander and mint chutney. He gently placed a thinly sliced tomato, onion, beetroot, cucumber, and a layer of masala potatoes. He topped everything with a mountain of shredded cheese and a sprinkle of cumin and chilli. The stall also offered dishes with paneer and Schezwan sauce.
My partner wanted the sandwich grilled, but my friend and I got it toasted (I love the crispy burnt sides!). Dipping the sandwich in yummy ketchup and mint chutney, I knew this was the right choice!
The best Bombay sandwiches can be found at Amar Juice Centre, near Cooper Hospital, Anand, Vile Parle, Baba Sandwich, Juhu, Mafco Stall, Worli Seaface, Lucky Sandwich, Vile Parle station, Sandwizza, and Santacruz West.
In the evening, we sought light chaat, and the best chaat item is (drumroll!!) pani puri!
'Oh, you mean golgappa!' my friend exclaimed. Yes, this universally loved snack is also called gupchup, puchka, or pani ke patase.
The cook stuffed crisp and hollow puris with peas and mashed potato and dipped them in tangy, spicy water. We had to gulp the whole puri down at once. The explosion of tangy and sweet flavours was hard to contain. But the puris kept coming, and we kept gorging on them. We even tried water flavoured with hing, jeera, khatta meetha, and garlic!
Find the best pani puri at Badshah Pani Puri, Girgaon Chowpatty, chaat counters at Juhu Beach, Elco Pani Puri Centre, Bandra West, Guru Kripa, SIES College, Kailash Parbat, Colaba, MM Mithaiwala, Malad West, Punjab Sweet House, and Bandra West.
For dinner, we opted for Mumbai's best non-vegetarian street food: keema pav.
This classic Parsi dish is a popular snack any time of the day and has an excellent protein-carb balance. Keema is minced meat slowly cooked with spices. The mutton absorbs the exotic flavours before being sautéed with onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. My friend loved it so much that she licked the plate clean.
Try the best keema pav at Cafe Irani Chaii, Mahim, Cafe Military, Fort, Cafe Noorani and Ibrahim, Malad West, Good Luck, Bandra, Kyani & Co., Marine Lines, Prithvi Cafe, and Bandra.
The following day was devoted to a pav bhaji brunch! My friend was eager to try the authentic Mumbai version.
Pav bhaji began in Maharashtra as a late-night snack from leftovers for workers. Today, it is extremely popular among Mumbaikars.
Pav bhaji constitutes a soft bread roll toasted with lots of butter. It is served with a spicy curry of mashed vegetables and potatoes. The pav with melting golden butter day was our best lunch in a while.
We can find the best pav bhaji at Aditi Snacks, Vile Parle, Cannon Pav Bhaji, DN Road near CSMT station, Sardar Pav Bhaji, Tardeo; Shri Krishna Fast Food, and Juhu Beach.
On the second evening, we explored non-vegetarian street food on Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road.
Our walk down this road transported us to a world full of hot and sizzling skewered kebabs. My friend was hooked after just one bite of this juicy treat!
We also tried my favourites: the chicken tikka and bhuna rolls. These dishes are best enjoyed with friends exploring Mumbai's nightlife.
The best rolls and kebabs are at Ayub, Dr VB Gandhi Marg; Bademiya, Colaba, Nice Eat Fast Food Corner, Santacruz West; Sarvi, Nagpada, and stalls on Mohammed Ali Road.
We ended our 2-day tour of Mumbai's street foods with a delectable dessert called falooda!
Falooda, once a royal favourite of Persian kings, was brought to India by the Mughals. This creamy, thick milkshake is made with vermicelli, rose syrup, and sabja seeds.
We each ordered a different flavour, but topped everything with kulfi (Indian ice cream). This cool treat was a relief from the sultry Mumbai climate.
Find the best falooda at Baba Falooda, Mahim West, Bachelorr, Chowpatty, Badshah, Crawford Market, Hali Ali Juice Centre, Haji Ali junction, Shalimar Cool Point, and Mohammed Ali Road.
After two days of devouring delicious street food in Mumbai, my friend accepted defeat. She concurred with Mumbai's superiority in street food and did a little curtsey to the city.
Mumbai offers so much more than just these seven street foods. So take your time, explore the choices, and taste everything. Mumbai is up to the challenge.
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