Best street food in Mumbai: An insider's guide to the top 9 scrumptious food joints in the city

 https://www.gqindia.com/live-well/content/an-insiders-guide-to-the-best-street-food-in-mumbai

By some estimates, the earliest street food in Mumbai can be traced back to the mid- to late-1800s, when the local cotton traders would work the graveyard shift and help meet the global demand for cotton during the American Civil War when Lincoln’s navies blockaded the cotton supply from the South. At the end of the workday (somewhere closer to daybreak) local restaurants would mash up the leftover vegetables with spices and serve it with bread that would be made by local Jesuit bakeries in the neighbourhood. In effect, this was how pav bhaji was born. Even though some may qualify bhel as the quintessential Mumbai dish, it’s pav bhaji that embodies this city’s entrepreneurial spirit. Both, however, form the cornerstone of street food in Mumbai along with that Maharashtrian staple, vada pav. The idlis, dosas (and the many variations thereof) came in much later, but are an important part of the city’s street food scene today. For the most part, street food in Mumbai remains dominated by vegetarian snacks, even though the city serves a mean mutton and chicken spread in select neighbourhoods. Whether it's vada pav or kebabs, it’s crucial you know where to land the best ones. That’s where we come in with our list of where you can get the best street food in Mumbai.

Best street food in Mumbai

1. Soli Pav Bhaji

Most lists will likely point you to Sardar Pav Bhaji in Tardeo. But here’s the thing: while Sardar used to be great once upon a time, the bhaji is now wanting in flavour, being reduced to just a vegetable mash cooked in overbearing red chilli powder. Mercifully, your salvation lies just down the road from Sardar near Haji Ali. Unlike Sardar, a brick-and-mortar establishment, Soli is a stall that’s located outside Heera Panna Shopping Centre, but beats its more illustrious competitor hands down. You’ll have to really look out for Soli because, really, it’s easy to miss him and they open only in the evenings, but there’s a good possibility you won’t regret getting out of your expensive SUV for a quick bite.

Address: Outside Heera Panna Shopping Centre, Malviya Nagar, Haji Ali

2. Karachi Sweets

Purists tend to be divided on where you should be having a great bhel/paani/sev puri in Mumbai. While every street corner has a stall that sells these snacks, very few do a good job with it. Bandra’s Elco is a more popular option, but walk a few hundred meters towards the sea along Hill Road and you’ll spot Karachi Sweets that’s grown from a hole-in-the-wall to a well-established restaurant. It’s also one of the few places that has managed to maintain the flavour and quality of its food even while expanding its menu.

Address: Homeland Apartments, off Hill Road, Bandra (W)

3. Aram Vada

The vada pav has been a Maharashtrian staple that’s made its way into the urban culinary history thanks to the mills in the city. Before the malls replaced the factories, thousands of workers would make the trek to the cloth mills to earn their daily bread. A large population of these workers came from rural Maharashtra and made this city their home. The batata vada, a deep-fried potato dumpling, served with bread became the most filling and the cheapest meal for the working class. Since then the legend of vada pav has only grown and several vendors sell it at every nook and corner. However, Aram Vada remains one of the most reliable places in the city to have vada pav. Conveniently located diagonally opposite Mumbai CSMT, Aram’s kothimbir vadi (deep-fried coriander slabs) is as highly recommended as its vadas. Make sure you ask for the chutney and keep a bottle of water handy.

Address: Capitol Cinema Building, Dr DN Road, Mumbai CSMT

4. Ayub’s Restaurant

You will always be told to head over to Bade Miya’s in Colaba for a late-night non-vegetarian snack–think biryani, kebabs, bheja, baida roti. But while Bade’s isn’t an altogether terrible idea, consider Ayub’s in Kala Ghoda for similar fare. Ayub’s doesn’t serve biryani, but makes up for it in the variety of rolls and kebabs.

Address: 43 VB Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort

5. Bhima Calcutta Roll

Despite the thriving Bengali population in the city, the cuisine is yet to leave its mark in the city. Even though restaurants such as Bhojohori Manna and Peetuk among others have mushroomed in the last decade or so, Bengali street food remains an elusive beast. It’s where Bhima Calcutta Roll comes in. This stall outside the DN Nagar Metro Station in Andheri (W) does a darned good job with its limited menu – from bhetki fish fries to chicken rolls – and ensures you return for more.

Address: 1 JP Road, Indian Oil Nagar Bus Stop, DN Nagar Metro Staion, Four Bungalows, Andheri (W)

6. J Hearsch & Co, Bandra

Named after the German baker who sold his business to a local in the ‘20s, J Hearsch & Co remains an icon even a century later. The menu has since been upgraded to include biryanis and Chinese meals (both popular, but avoidable) but it’s their burgers, puffs and patties that steal the show.

Address: 90-A, Next To Holy Family Hospital, Hill Road, Bandra (W)

7. Dhiraj Sandwich

The name can be misleading because this tiny establishment serves a lot more than a wide range of vegetarian sandwiches – from grilled and toasted to plain. For one, its vada pavs are a winner, but equally outstanding are its dozen variations of dosa – from shezwan to paneer and more. It’s impossible to miss Dhiraj Sandwich that stands bang opposite Mithibai College.

Address: Navyug Society, Opposite Mithibai College, Vile Parle (W)

8. Bachelorr’s

The spelling error notwithstanding Bachelorr’s, remains an iconic place for all kinds of vegetarian sandwiches and quick bites along Marine Drive. But what it does best is its wide range of shakes, fruit creams and ice creams. It’s spectacularly easy to spot Bachelorr’s opposite the Mafatlal Swimming Pool because of the crowd outside it.

Address: 45 Sattar Sea View, Marine Drive, Chowpatty

9. New Kulfi Centre

Some 100m north of Bachellor’s is New Kulfi Centre, another iconic place that serves a wide range of kulfis. Over the years, after having tried every single flavour (we’re a dedicated lot) we can safely recommend malai and pista kulfis to start with or, indeed, a plate of mixed flavours. New Kulfi Centre also serves kulfi by the kilo, which means you don’t have to necessarily eat standing on the corner of a street.

Address: Marina Mansion, 556 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road, Sukh Sagar