Categories: Asia, Food Travel

Top 10 Street Foods in Mumbai

Eating in Mumbai is a delicious, if overwhelming, experience, especially when it comes to navigating street food. We’ve done the work for you: Here’s where to find 10 of the best street foods in Mumbai.

Here are the top 10 street foods in Mumbai

It may be the financial capital of India and the home of Bollywood, but Mumbai is also a true food lover’s paradise. And if you love street food, you’re especially in luck, as every corner has a stall with a few quintessential dishes—dishes that are part of the daily meal routine for most in the city. From the traditional Marathi breakfast with ladi pav (fluffy white buns) to the tangy import of South Indian sambhar, the best street foods in Mumbai have something to suit every taste bud. Many of these dishes are vegetarian, and all are prepared from scratch—sometimes before your very eyes—without any processed chemicals or additives, so you can feel good about what you’re eating.

While you can find these dishes on virtually every street corner of the city, die-hard Mumbaikars know there are certain spots where the tastiest street foods exist at the best prices. It’s a lot to navigate out there, so we’ve done the work for you. Here are Mumbai’s 10 best street foods to try on your next trip to the city.

Vada pav, a typical Marathi dish with a fried potato ball in bread, as found in Mumbai
All photos courtesy of Tejaswini Manerikar except where indicated.

Vada Pav

The deep-fried golden potato that forms the basis of this classic Mumbai dish is shaped like a tennis ball. But once it’s stuffed in a bed of traditional pav with coriander chutney, red chili powder, and tamarind sauce, it’s the street food everyone craves at the end of the day. It is to Mumbai what fish and chips are to England. The potato cutlet itself is delicately spiced with green chilies and coriander. If you’re in Mumbai and see a crowd around a cart with a heavy cast-iron pan on a makeshift stove, you can bet it’s a vada pav vendor. And you owe it to yourself to go try it, because it’s one of the best street foods in this city.

Where to find it: Vada pav carts are scattered across every street in Mumbai. But Nitin Patil’s vada pav stall (IC Colony Road, Borivali West, map), at the heart of IC Colony opposite the famous IC Church, is one of the best; it’s been featured in the national newspaper. The best time to go is at 5pm when the fire is started—once the first batch of vadas are out, there’s a constant throng of people that doesn’t abate until about 8, or when he’s sold out.

 

A bowl of misal and bread from Mumbai (sprouts in gravy)

Misal

This classic Maharashtrian breakfast dish consists of sprouts in a spicy gravy heavily topped with crunchy potato chivda farsan (spicy fried potato and gram/chickpea flour sticks), onions, tomatoes and a splash of lemon. Served with a traditional ladi pav bun, it’s a typical Marathi dish that is delicious and hearty.

Where to find it: Traditional Maharashtrian enclaves like Dadar have the best restaurants to enjoy misal, such as the ever-popular Aaswad (61 Sadanand, opposite Amar Hind Mandal, Gokhale Road (North), Dadar West, map).

A street food called dabeli as found in Mumbai: spicy, seasoned boiled potatoes in bread.

Dabeli

Dabeli is another popular street food that originally came from Kutch, Gujarat; because of this it’s sometimes called Kutchi dabeli. Boiled potatoes are prepared with a special spice called dabeli masala that’s made from dried coconut, red chilies, bay leaves, cloves, and other whole spices. Often it is served with pomegranate seeds to add crunch and lend sweetness to the spicy mixture. Served over bread this is a sumptuous evening snack.

Where to find it: The Bombay Canteen (SB Road, Process House, Kamala Mills, map) makes an entire meal of its dabeli topped with sev (crunchy slivers of fried gram flour) and served with chips and a dip.

 

Spicy battered bread pakoda from Mumbai

Bread Pakoda

Anything deep-fried is extremely popular in Mumbai, and so this Punjabi transplant, bread pakoda, has been quite the hit. Slices of bread are stuffed with a spicy vegetable mixture, dipped in a batter of gram flour, and deep-fried to golden perfection.

Where to find it: To enjoy your bread pakoda you must also have some piping-hot chai. MusTea Teateria (Shop 1, Buddha Nagar, Kondivita Village, Ram Krishna Mandir Rd, map) in Andheri offers them both as part of its “Bombay special.”

 

Ragda puri, a crunchy street snack, as found in Mumbai

Ragda Puri

Golgappas from Delhi and phuchkas from Calcutta were rechristened in Mumbai as pani puri. However, as all things morph in this city, gradually Mumbaikars started adding ragda, or chickpea gravy, to their semolina puris. Along with this chickpea gravy, a tamarind-date chutney and chaat masala mixture, plus a topping of mashed potatoes, onions, coriander, and dried mango, makes this crunchy streetside snack Mumbai’s own. Each plate typically serves six puris.

Where to find it: Everyone in Mumbai knows that you must try the chaat and ragda puri stalls at the Mumbai Chowpatty beach, like Bombay Bhel Puri, 70, Juhu Beach, map). Here you can enjoy plate after plate of ragda puri right on the beach with the ocean lapping at your heels.

A plate of poha, a Marathi breakfast dish made of flattened rice and spices, in Mumbai

Poha

This is a Marathi breakfast dish made of flattened rice called chura. The poha is made with onions, mustard seeds, coriander leaves, and green chilies and is lightly spiced with nigella seeds and turmeric. Often it is served with peanuts and fried potatoes.

Where to find it: Vinay Health Home (Jawahar Mansion, 71/83, Thakurdwar, Dr Babasaheb Jaykar Marg, Fanas Wadi, Naka, map) serves traditional Marathi food and, for the past 50 years, has become synonymous with delicious poha.

South Indian idli sambhar, steamed rice cakes with a vegetable lentil curry and coconut chutney, as found in Mumbai

Idli Sambhar

This South Indian import is nothing but steamed rice cakes, drenched in a vegetable-laden lentil curry and coconut chutney. It’s simple and healthy. You can either choose to dunk your idli in the sambhar, or lentil curry, or have them soak up all that spicy curry and then eat the juicy chunks of moringa pods (aka “drumsticks”), pumpkin, and eggplant. This dish is particularly popular because it’s super cheap (just 30 INR, or 40 cents) and is a meal that can double as lunch too. Moreover, many Udupi-style restaurants will replenish your sambhar every time a server passes (sometimes you have to request this, but it’s still free of charge).

Where to find it: Mysore Café (461 Durlabh Nivas, Bhaudaji Rd, map) in Matunga is by far the most popular and unpretentious place for idli sambhar. Even India’s richest man on the Forbes list, Mukesh Ambani, prefers to eat here when he has a craving for South Indian food.

Mutton seekh kebabs from India
Photo by Eat Your World

Kebab Roll

Who doesn’t enjoy the Mughlai delicacy of succulent meat, grilled to perfection? Kebabs and kebab rolls are the typical street food dinner in Mumbai when people want to celebrate. The chicken or mutton kebabs are marinated overnight and then grilled right in front of your eyes. Served with a mint chutney in Indian flatbreads (chapatis or roomali rotis), this is a must-try for everyone. And for vegetarians, there’s the option of paneer kebabs. Yum!

Where to find it: Mumbai’s iconic kebab counter, Bademiyaan (Tulloch Rd, behind Hotel Taj Mahal, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, map), has been serving kebabs since 1946. You cannot go wrong with any kebab you order here, but we definitely recommend the succulent lamb seekh kebabs. If you’re not keen on lamb, try the chicken seekh kebabs, which are served in soft rotis with mint chutney and freshly squeezed lime. The hero here is the meat, with its subtle smoky flavor.

An Irani omelet, one of Mumbai's most famous breakfasts, served with bread

Irani Omelet

The classic Irani omelet is one of the most famous breakfasts you can have in Mumbai. Lightly spiced and mixed with chopped coriander, onions, tomatoes, and chilies, there’s nothing that special about it. Maybe it’s the butter Parsis use. For whatever reason, the Irani omelet is still a very popular street food here. Enjoy it with a cup of sweet Irani coffee and your day will be gold.

Where to find it: The oldest Irani café, Kyani, and Co. (JSS Rd, Jer Mahal Estate, opposite Metro Cinema, Marine Lines, map), still serves buttered bread with its omelet, 113 years after the Parsis first opened their café in Mumbai.

The Mumbai vegetable sandwich, laden with tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and coriander chutney.

Vegetable Sandwich

This is something you can easily make at home, yet everyone in Mumbai loves to eat it on the street. The vegetable sandwich is one laden with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and, of course, the “Mumbai special” coriander chutney, served on buttered bread. You’ll often find it outside railway stations, where there will undoubtedly be a crowd around the sandwich maker.

Where to find it: Outside Vile Parle station, Lucky Sandwich (corner Station Rd. and Bajaj Rd., Navpada, Kamala Nagar, Vile Parle West, map) is very popular with the college crowd and is a must-try.

 

About the author: Pamela Q. Fernandes is an author, doctor, and medical writer. As a Goan who was born in Kuwait and has lived in Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Pune, the Philippines, Chicago, and New York, Pamela has the heart of a traveler. You can find out more about her at her website, tweet her @PamelaQFerns, or message her on Facebook.

Published On: January 30, 2019

8 Comments

  1. street foods in mumbai May 27, 2020 at 4:01 am - Reply

    From then till now, Bandra has come a long way. You name it, Bandra has it! From street shopping to some of the biggest apparel brands, from budget drinking to dance floors, from educational institutes to offices, from the biggest celebrities to the really sweet common people, Bandra has it all. Like they say, “Mumbai gaye aur Bandra ko nahi gaye, toh kya gaye?” One of the most happening places in Mumbai, Bandra attracts crowds from all over the city.

  2. Sona Rajput April 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm - Reply

    Your post is really covered all the best street foods of Mumbai. I really love Mumbai’s Vada Pav with its red garlic chutney and green chilies. It is the yummiest and fast food for Mumbaikars. And if you pay a visit to this city of dream please do not miss our Indian Burger – Vada Pav… I really found your post very interesting and the pictures are truly mouth-watering. Thanks for making my day happy…

  3. Roshan Kumar May 23, 2021 at 12:11 pm - Reply

    Mumbai street foods are very famous in India. In fact its an identity of the Mumbai. You have described 10 most popular street foods of Mumbai, in a very excellent way. Food images are too good. I am also a street food lover.

  4. Neetu January 24, 2023 at 6:04 am - Reply

    I couldn’t agree more, Bandra truly has it all. Your post on the street food of Mumbai has made me crave for the delicious Vada Pav and other street foods. The images you’ve shared are truly mouth-watering. Thanks for introducing me to the famous street foods of Mumbai. Thanks for introducing me to the famous street foods of Mumbai. Keep sharing the interesting facts about Bandra. I can’t wait to visit and explore it myself!”

  5. Flappy Bird February 14, 2023 at 10:58 pm - Reply

    Best article of the day I read, I appreciate you sharing this information. I will visit your website often.

  6. SGR Catering March 15, 2024 at 9:25 am - Reply

    Your guide to Mumbai’s top 10 street foods is a mouthwatering delight! From Vada Pav to Pav Bhaji, your descriptions and recommendations make me eager to explore the vibrant flavors of Mumbai’s streets. Thank you for this culinary journey and the tantalizing insights

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