In Mumbai, a great meal is as ubiquitous as the city’s iconic kali-peelis, or retro black-and-yellow taxis. Its food scene is restless, evolving, alive. Once a constellation of Portuguese fishing villages, streets in the now-global dining destination are thick with the scents of centuries-old migration.
Pav, once Portuguese pão, now forms the bedrock of street foods like misal (sprout)pav, pav bhaji (mixed vegetable), and, of course, piping-hot vada pav, Mumbai’s official sandwich, a kind of potato slider with a deep-fried green chile inside. The city is a crossroads of influence: Muslim-owned biryani and kebab shops dotting Mohammad Ali Road, verdant Gujarati thalis, or platters with tiny steel bowls that hold an array of vegetarian dishes, and buttered buns at Iranian cafés with soda machines from back when Mumbai was called Bombay. And no Mumbai trip is complete without the Malvani lunch homes serving fiery seafood sought by both locals and tourists.
But in 2015, a seismic shift rippled through the bay when the late legendary chef Floyd Cardoz, behind Danny Meyer’s Tabla and Bombay Bread Bar in New York, opened the epochal Bombay Canteen in Lower Parel, showcasing a futuristic menu that contemplated an “India without borders.” With hyper-regional techniques and esoteric ingredients, Bombay Canteen felt cerebral yet accessible and set the tone for what was to come. Now, a new wave of Floydian chefs is ushering in a new age of culinary ambition that nods to history but refuses to be confined by it.
From a reclamation of Colonial era delights at Gallops (think Lobster Thermidor and Chicken à la Kiev) to full-throttle Goan fare at O Pedro, ferment-forward, Ayurveda-inspired plates at Ekaa rooted in Ayurveda, to modern takes on snacktime classics at Bandra Born, it’s a great time to be hungry in Mumbai. Three chefs at the forefront share their favorite places to eat around town.
Hussain Shahzad
Hussain Shahzad, a Cardoz protege, is arguably in the prime of his craft. The Chennai native worked as an executive chef at Frangipani at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai before cooking under Daniel Humm’s storied fine dining institution, Eleven Madison Park in New York, perfecting European cuisine. But two years later, Mumbai’s magic, or rather, Cardoz’s magic, called out to Shahzad, who moved to the city to cook under Cardoz at Bombay Canteen. Shahzad, now the executive chef at Hunger Hospitality Inc. (Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Bombay Sweet Shop, Veronica’s), opened Papa’s, an intimate, 12-seater chef’s counter inside the historic St. Jude’s Bakery last year. The ambitious menu traverses India’s landscape, with dishes like duck biryani-paella hybrid, a Kashmiri Wellington suspended over a pumpkin makhani sauce, and a rabbit dish called Bugs Bunny, cossetted in a red weaver ant chutney.
Canara Lunch Home and Bar
Shahzad said that this narrow eatery is a Shetty bar, typically associated with Karnataka communities that make and sell alcohol, along with incredible catch-of-the-day fried fish. “It’s a hole in the wall, so expect a small boat catch instead of commercial fish like the snappers and sea basses of the world,” he says. “You’ll find the smaller fish like mandeli (similar to anchovies) and, of course, bombil or Bombay duck. That, to me, is exciting, and it’s the kind of rare place where alcohol is still available there by the quarter.” -- A 2, Amba Sadan, Jerbai Wadia Rd, Parel
Mizu Izakaya
The Bandra spot, beloved by Bollywood stars and locals, has served traditional Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi, donburi, and ramen since opening in 2018. “The chef [Lakhan Jethani] keeps alternating these amazing cuts of fish,” Shahzad, who is a regular at Mizu, says. “As a cook, it’s exciting to see a grilled hamachi collar one day and a kame-toro or fatty tuna the next.” -- Ganga Jamuna Building, 14th Rd, Khar West, Pali
Khao Man Gai by Seefah
The Thai-style joint brought the eponymous dish, which translates to “chicken fat rice,” to Mumbai earlier this year, and is a kind of chicken church: you can find steamed, fried, or grilled chicken with fragrant rice and a savory broth. “It’s an absolutely smashing dish,” Shahzad says, “everything from the rice to the soup, to the sauce[s] are great. And a little bit of fried chicken on the side.” -- Shop No 14, Dunhill Apartments, Waroda Rd, Ranwar, Bandra West
