Mumbai – the city of dreams. Known for being vibrant and home to the stars of Bollywood, the city is also a food-lovers paradise. From quaint old Irani Cafes to the Khao Gali to being home to some of the world’s best restaurants, Mumbai has it all. You can find everything from traditional Persian cuisine to more continental and international cuisine. Here are 20 of the best restaurants that Mumbai has to offer.
Masala Library
A one-its-kind restaurant in India, Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is the “temple of new-age Indian cuisine” of the Czar of Indian Cuisine, Jiggs Kalra. The restaurant offers a new version of Indian cuisine through the amalgamation of the traditional and the modern – the preparation is done traditionally while the cooking uses modern techniques.
The menu, with a separate Vegetarian version available, is a pan-Indian experience. It has something from every province of the country and something for everyone. From kebabs to the curries of India, Masala Library has it all. From fake eggs to an amuse-bouche of chat, from mushroom chai to the more traditional Paneer Makhani, everything on the diverse menu is worth a taste. The décor is simple and sophisticated – pleasant enough, yet not too distracting so that you can focus on the food.
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Location: Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Ground Floor, First International Financial Centre, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai – 400051, Maharashtra, India
Masque
Being listed on the One To Watch for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2020, within four years of its debut, and then debuting at the 32nd spot on it in 2021, Masque is a must on this list. A “wilderness-to-table” restaurant, it is located at one of Mumbai’s old cotton mills.
With Chef Prateek Sadhu as its executive chef, the Masque aims to provide the first of its kind 10-course tasting menu. Being a wilderness to table restaurant means that the menu is dependent on the seasons and the local produce. The focus here is on transforming the traditional into the modern, emphasising using local produce.
The menu includes dishes like the Smoked Mackerel on Buckwheat toast, modern dishes that take inspiration from the traditional. In addition, the Ayurveda inspired bar aims to incorporate the five vital elements to concoct signature cocktails, that as the food, is dependent on season ingredients.
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Location: Masque Restaurant, Unit G3, Laxmi Woollen Mills, Shakti Mills Lane, Off Dr. E. Moses Road Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400011 India
The Table
Since opening its doors in 2011, The Table has been a force to be reckoned with for a globally inspired cuisine and a great restaurant experience. One of the first restaurants to introduce the concept of small and large plates, it aims to offer a lively social atmosphere.
The Table offers a multicultural cuisine with a wide range – from large plates to snacks and sides. As a farm to table restaurant, The Table’s menu is one with seasonal specialities and is ever-changing depending on the availability of the produce. It also draws inspiration from all over the world – from America to China, no place is spared.
From low alcoholic beverages, house cocktails and Sangrias to fruity non-alcoholic cocktails, fresh juices and wines, the bar is a journey in itself.
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Location: The Table, Ground Floor, Kalapesi Trust Building, Apollo Bunder Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400039, India
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Wasabi by Morimoto
Housed in the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel, Wasabi by Morimoto has changed the Japanese gourmet scene in Mumbai. The restaurant was recognised as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2018. With a view of the Gateway of India and its waterfront, Wasabi offers gourmet Japanese cuisine, with ingredients like the fresh seafood, its namesake, the Wasabi, all flown in from Japan.
From signature dishes like Black Cod Miso and Wasabi Crème Brûlée, Chef Masaharu Morimoto leaves no stone unturned in offering the very best of Japan to Mumbai. The interiors are just as delectable as the food – with a cherry blossom installation and gorgeous purple and lime accents.
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Location: Wasabi By Morimoto, The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai, 400001, India
Yauatcha
A modern incarnation of a traditional Chinese teahouse, Yauatcha offers Mumbai a social space to connect with all aspects of the restaurant – the people, the space, and the experience – while enjoying authentic dim sum. The restaurant is a contemporary dim sum teahouse and patisserie.
The menu offers modern Cantonese cuisine and dim sums of all kinds, from baked to grilled and from steamed to grilled. In addition, the patisserie provides macarons, chocolates, and petits gateaux and is supplemented with the bar inspired by tea and tradition.
The bar is just as enticing as the food menu with a comprehensive menu of signature cocktails. The minimal décor, soft music and dim lighting will compliment your dining experience and offer contemporary Cantonese cuisine at its finest.
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Location: Yauatcha, Mumbai, 101, Raheja Tower, Opp. SIDBI, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051, India
Ziya
A specialist modern Indian restaurant housed in The Oberoi hotel, Ziya offers contemporary Indian cuisine served through a western lens. Ziya’s house speciality are tasting menus of seven to 10 courses. With menus crafted by Michelin star chef Vineet Bhatia, whether you choose from the a la carte options or the gourmand menu, you are guaranteed a delightful experience.
With a gorgeous view of the Mumbai waterfront at Nariman Point, along with the experience of contemporary Indian cuisine, Ziya is a diner’s paradise. With an equally expressive wine menu to complement, you’re guaranteed an experience you will never forget.
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Location: Ziya, The Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021, India
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San-Qi
Located at Four Seasons, Mumbai, San-Qi is a Pan-Asian experience. The menu offers a wide-ranging cuisine, with food from North India to Japan, China, and Thailand. Complemented with a wide range of international and local wines, at San-Qi, you are likely to be dining with the stars.
You could try their signature dishes, like the DongPo-Style Braised Pork Belly, the Dum Gosht Briyani or the Ika-Okura Nori. The menu is an amalgamation of Asian cuisines, and the sweets menu rivals the main one.
At San-Qi, you are guaranteed a pleasant experience regardless of the time of day you choose to eat there. The wine selection is extensive. It has everything, from a hand-picked selection from Bordeaux to the best blends from local wineries in Nashik.
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Location: San-Qi, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, 136, Dr Elijah Moses Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Upper Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018, India
Trèsind
One of the best modern Indian restaurants, the self-dubbed “Birthplace of innovative Indian cuisine”, is a place that combines traditional Indian cuisine with molecular gastronomy to offer the very best of Indian cuisine. With tasteful décor and aesthetics complementing your meal, Trésind takes you on a pan-Indian journey that will redefine the Indian fine-dining experience by the time you are done.
The ten-course Tasting menu highlights Trésind’s dining culture; it will immerse your sense to give you the very best of Indian cuisine. The menu aims to showcase the strengths of Indian cuisine and offer traditional dishes with a modernistic approach.
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Location: Trèsind Mumbai, Ground Floor, Inspire BKC, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400051, India
Olive Bar and Kitchen
Redefining Mumbai’s fine-dining scene since opening its doors in 2000, this celebrity frequented restaurant is a Mumbai must. Known for its European cuisine and relaxed yet casual ambience, Olive Bar and Kitchen is a journey and experience in itself. The restaurant and bar has a friendly and casual vibe that encourages the diner to relax and enjoy their culinary experience.
A restaurant that boasts as large a selection of awards as it does drinks on their experimental bar menu has an extensive all-day menu that offers everything from soups and salads to risottos and pasta. Perhaps you would enjoy trying out a few of their signature cocktails like the G’in a Pickle and the Pashash Tini, and if you’re more of a wine person, well, they have an extensive selection of those too.
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Location: Olive Bar and Kitchen, 14, Nargis Dutt Rd, Union Park, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052, India
Ishaara
Offering the only of its kind service in Mumbai, Ishaara is a restaurant within a mall that provides Indian Cuisine with a modern expression. Started by Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah, what makes Ishaara stands out as a restaurant is that people with physical impairments staff it. The place transcends language – the way to get your server’s attention or to order your food is to use the sign names pictured on the back of the staff’s uniforms.
The menu includes the signs for every meal and a corresponding number that you are required to sign to order your meal. The ambience is pleasing and calming and offers a smooth dining experience to the tired shopper who ventures in after shopping at the mall.
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Location: At Palladium and Phoenix Marketcity in Mumbai
CinCin
With food that is as bright and fresh as its décor, CinCin promises to offer an Italian experience like no other. The restaurant is inspired by the colourful houses along the Amalfi coast and encourages the diner to relax with friends.
The dishes are native to Italy’s central and regions, offering classic Italian recipes adapted with local and seasonal ingredients. Signature dishes include the Chitarra Cacio e pepe, the Lasagna e funghi and the Piccante Pizza.
The bar is just as playful and experimental as the restaurant itself – with delicious offerings like the Camminata Nel Bosco and the Aaina. So naturally, the restaurant has an extensive wine selection that diners can choose from to complement their meal.
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Location: CinCin, Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400051, India
Khyber Restaurant
Located at the Art and Cultural hub of Mumbai at Kala Ghoda, Khyber is a fan favourite. A fan favourite amongst the celebrities of the globe, that is. With décor that gives off a classy yet warm vibe, the restaurant has been one of the most incredible gems of Mumbai since 1958, when Om Prakash Bahl set it up.
The menu boasts mainly Indian dishes from the North-Western Frontier. Khyber has been around for a while and has undergone several changes (most notably after it reopened its doors in 1989 after a great fire in 1985), but it remains the same at the heart of it. So iconic is this restaurant that it is a must-visit for most tourists when they come to Mumbai.
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Location: Khyber, 145 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
The Bombay Canteen
Started in 2015 by Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage, The Bombay Canteen is a unique dining experience for locals and tourists alike. As an all-day restaurant and bar, designed like an old Bombay home with a veranda and a central dining area, the restaurant offers a warm and homely vibe that encourages the diners to enjoy their time as much as they enjoy the food.
The restaurant serves traditional recipes with seasonal ingredients and through a contemporary presentation. As they describe their cuisine, it is simply India, inspired with a touch of “Bombay Love”. The bar has something for everyone – it serves classic cocktails reimagined with an Indian Twist. Crowd favourites include the Roast Seekh, the Eggs Kejriwal, Chettinad Prawns Alio Oglio, and the Canteen Ceviche.
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Location: The Bombay Canteen, Unit-1, Process House, S.B. Road, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013, India
Oh! Calcutta
The aim of Oh! Calcutta is to capture the history and spirit of the Bengali community through the food that they serve. Bengali cuisine has been an amalgamation of flavours from around the world. From Lucknow to France, from Armenia to England, everything has been an influence on the Bengali cuisine. As such, Oh! Calcutta try their hand at recreating 300-year-old traditional recipes for the modern audience.
The ambience of the restaurant is reminiscent of an old Calcutta Club with its classy air and sophisticated décor. The restaurant offers lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Their most popular dishes include the Aam Ilish, the Chingri Malai Curry, the Calcutta Chicken Biryani and the Mochar Ghanto. The restaurant also houses a bar that serves a wide range of classic and house cocktails.
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Location: Oh! Calcutta at Shalimar Morya Park, Gr Flr, Off New Link Rd, Andheri (West), Mumbai, 400053, India & Hotel Rosewood, Tulsiwadi Lane, Opp. Mahindra Heights, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400034, India
Sea Lounge
The old school colonial charm with art decor furniture and a great view of the Mumbai waterfront at the Gateway of India is Sea Lounge. Like Wasabi by Morimoto, housed in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Sea Lounge is a paradise for the afternoon tea lover.
This is an institution for traditional Afternoon Tea with an intricate spread of English Delicacies and dishes inspired by traditional Indian street food. Enhanced by an enviable selection of the world’s finest teas and coffees, the Afternoon Tea at Sea Lounge offers an experience reminiscent of the 19th century English Elite in India. You are bound to feel like a local Lord, waiting to meet with your beau for a cup of Tea at this lavish restaurant.
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Location: Sea Lounge, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Britannia and Company Restaurant
This Restaurant is one of the last surviving relics of Mumbai’s thriving pre-independence Parsi café culture. Founded by Mr Boman Kohinoor in 1923, Britannia and Company is a restaurant that specialises in Parsi (Zoroastrian) cuisine.
The café is housed in an old colonial bungalow in Ballard Estate. The interior remains unchanged – it still houses the old Bentwood chairs imported from Poland when the café was first started. The ambience has an air of dignified casualness – the place affords itself a vintage atmosphere made homely by the friendly owner and waitstaff.
There are various Iranian inspired specialities that you can feast on, but only during the lunch service on weekdays. These include the beloved Sali Boti, the mutton berry pulao and the Dhansak. If you’re looking to drink something unique, the Raspberry Soda is an Irani Café Specialty of Mumbai.
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Location: Britannia & Co. Restaurant, Wakefield House, 16, 11, Sport Rd, opp. New Custom House, Ballard Estate, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400038, India
Leopold Café
This restaurant opened its doors in 1871 and has been a Mumbai institution since colonial times. The café is known for its great ambience, which it owes to the wide range of people who visit the place and the vintage air and the classic movie posters that makeup décor.
Leopold Café serves Continental, Chinese and Indian snacks alongside your beer or soft drink, whichever be your preference. They are also known for their selection of cocktails and elegant interiors.
Frequented by foreigners and locals alike, the café had been one of the various sites in Mumbai that were attacked during the 26/11 attacks in 2009. Yet, against all odds, the Café opened within four days of the attacks and has been going strong ever since.
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Location: Leopold Cafe & Bar, Colaba Causeway, Opposite Olympia Coffee House, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Keiba
A restaurant specialising in Pan-Asian cuisine, Keiba offers a menu with authentic flavours served with a contemporary twist. The ambience and decor are inspired by nature – a canopy of bougainvillaea, murals of Cherry blossoms on the walls will greet you when you arrive at the place. If the weather is pleasant, choose to sit underneath this canopy for the best experience.
The ambience is casual with an open yet private air. This is a fine-dining restaurant with an array of must-try dishes such as Wasabi Grilled Prawns, Tuna Poke and edamame fried rice that will have you experience the wonders of Asia without ever leaving your seat.
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Location: Keiba, Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018, India
Out of the Blue
Here to offer you a friendly dining experience with an eclectic ambience, Out of the Blue is a casual dining restaurant with a comfortable and muted environment and intimate seating. The restaurant specialises in multicultural cuisine. You’ll find something from everywhere, from America to Italy, and a unique array of seafood delicacies.
Out of the Blue is modern and sophisticated, boasting a scrumptious separate menu for health foods. The menu is laden with dishes ranging from Black Rice Pizza to Mushroom Wilted Spinach Rissotto and the Vegan Cheese Fondue to the Liguria. They also have a great bar selection with classic cocktails like Espresso Martini, Whiskey Sours and a great selection of wines & champagnes.
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Location: Out of the Blue, 14 Union Park Rd Number 4, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052, India
Pizza by the Bay
Started in 1968, Pizza by the Bay specialises in Italian cuisine. The restaurant has undergone several transformations, going from the Talk of The Town to The Pizzeria and Jazz By The Bay. Pizza By The Bay is the very best of the Pizzeria and Jazz By the Bay. The restaurant offers a refreshing and casual vibe. This is complemented with an art deco style and an excellent view of the sea from their location at Marine Drive.
Pizza by the Bay has a large selection of “freshly rolled dough pizzas”, authentic Italian Pasta and even soups. Along with their family-friendly and vibrant atmosphere, they also have an enviable selection of imported and domestic wines to pair with your food.
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Location: Pizza By The Bay, Soona Mahal, 143 Marine Dr, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400020, India
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Last updated: 16 Dec 2021. ◼
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© This article was first published online in Dec 2021 – World Travel Magazine.
