In Bombay, the loud gush of the Arabian Sea remains constant—like white noise—as the water crashes against the rocks that sit carelessly across Nariman Point. Traffic moves, unaffected, relentless in its pursuit to get travellers home, before the clock strikes midnight.
Sound familiar? This is the static, postcard image of Mumbai, which has remained unchanged since the time of Amitabh Bachchan’s Rim Jhim Gire Saawan, through to our generation’s Ik Tara. Even those who have never set foot in Mumbai’s humid, yet strangely addictive, weather are well-versed with this image of the city. However, first-time visitors must also know that Bombay isn’t Bombay without your average hole-in-the-wall vada pav and pav bhaji stall, cutting chai hawkers, pani-puri stalls by Chowpatty beach, and Irani cafes at every nook and corner. They say you are what you eat, and in Bombay, the city’s appetite becomes you. Nothing completes Bombay like street food. Some might even agree that this city’s street food is miles further than the sprawling F&B scene across Bandra and SoBo. Because to be honest, nothing hits quite like carelessly stuffing your face with a mouthful of pani puri, sipping noisily, on piping hot chai at the roadside, or dipping a pav (along with a few fingers) in spicy, buttery bhaji that smells like what dreams are made of (and tastes even better).
No city does food quite like Bombay, and these spots prove so, one street food staple at a time. Read along, and go street food hopping soon!
Shiv Shankar Chat Bhandar
This list wouldn’t begin, and would remain incomplete, without this very small, very niche, and very unknown gem I discovered during my initial days in the city. Bombay is dreamy, yes, but it’s no lie that it weighs down heavily on all newcomers, and my experience with the city was no different. Exhausted and toiled by just how difficult it is to find your way around Mumbai, this chaat spot became my refuge back in 2017, and I love it just as much to this day. From my family to close friends, there is not one person I haven’t taken to this chaat spot, and hence, here I am, recommending it to make your lives (slightly) better.
Run by a very kind shopkeeper who always, always feeds you one extra pani puri, my go-to must-haves at this spot are the dahi puri, sev puri, papdi chaat, and pani puri. There’s just something about every chaat item they make that’s distinct from what the rest of the city is doing, which is exactly why I keep going back, no matter what. It’s difficult to make something so common in your own, unique way and set it apart from the rest, which is exactly what I love about the chaat here. It’s wholesome, it’s full of love, and it’s their own. Their grilled sandwiches are also really good, especially the cheesy Bombay sandwich. So, be sure to go with an appetite, because there sure will be lots and lots to try.
From the first bite to the last, you’ll keep asking for more!
Address: Shastri Nagar Lane 2, Shastri Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053
Timings: Monday to Sunday (11 am – 10:30 pm)
Ashok Vada Pav, Dadar
Vada pav is probably more synonymous with Mumbai than bread is with butter—the two are almost always found in the same sentence, consecutively, hand-in-hand. And what better place to try the city’s most iconic snack than the one that invented it in the first place?
Ashok Vaidya—of Ashok Vada Pav—set up a stall outside Dadar Station in Mumbai in 1966, selling popular Maharashtrian snacks, including his own invention, a crisp, spicy vada tucked into soft pav, lathered with chutney, sweet and spicy. His culinary invention struck gold, spread across the State, only to become one of Mumbai’s—nae, Maharashtra’s— most quintessential markers. The best part is, Vaidya never chose to expand—so the experience of visiting the stall remains exactly how it was decades ago.
Today, a trip to Dadar’s Ashok Vada Pav entails watching the line of locals and tourists extend, mercilessly, in anticipation of finally being able to taste the infamous snack—an act almost as thrilling as biting into the vada pav itself. What makes Vaidya’s vada pav unique (and perhaps better than others for many) is the crunchy masala, alongside a red and green chutney (the combination of which sets the tongue on fire, quite literally). It’s fast, spicy, extremely crunchy, and messy in the best possible way.
Address: Kashinath Dhuru Marg, Dadar West, Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400028
Timings: Monday to Sunday (12–9 pm)
K Rustom & Co.
Rustom is an old-school, Iranian ice-cream parlour, which has been churning out the yummiest, freshest ice cream sandwiches since 1953. This hallmark dessert is served as a thick slab sandwiched between wafer biscuits and wrapped in thin butter paper. The story began with K. Rustom’s family selling ice cream to the affluent families of South Bombay. With time, word spread, and this tiny eatery in Church Gate became one of the most revered dessert spots in the city. What adds to K. Rustom’s charm is the fact that it has retained what it was once known for—the flavours, the quality, and, of course, its pervasive style.
No matter what time of day, you will always find a scary-looking line outside the boundaries of this dessert shop. However, fear not, their quick service never fails to impress, and the taste, of course, is worth the wait. Some of the most sought-after flavours include walnut crunch, kesar pista, paan, ginger lemon, and choco roasted almond crunch. On a humid Mumbai evening, nothing beats standing outside this unassuming shop, ice cream dripping down your fingers, sea breeze in your hair, and traffic sounds swirling all around you. It doesn’t get more Bombay than this.
Legend (or, shall I say, rumours?) says that the whole reason K. Rustom started doing ice cream sandwiches was an accident! When they initially opened, the eatery sold blocks of ice cream on a plate with tissue, but customers found that in this city’s heat, it would melt before they could finish even half of it. And so, the only logical next step was to start selling it between slabs of wafer, so that eating it becomes easier, quicker and of course, yummier.
According to Google, the spot remains open till 11 pm, but I wouldn’t trust that wholeheartedly—go early, or go home!
Address: Brabourne Stadium 86, Veer Nariman Rd, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400020
Timings: Monday to Sunday (10 am–11 pm)
Sukh Sagar
Mumbaikers love their pavs—be it samosa, vada, missal or bhaji, they consume soft bread with almost everything. And I truly can never stop raving about this very, very special spot, whenever someone mentions the words ‘pav’ and ‘bhaji,’ because it’s just that good.
This vegetarian joint has been dishing out its staple version of Mumbai’s cult-favorite pav bhaji ever since 1962—now you know I’m not the only one who’s obsessed with their food. Their pav bhaji is unapologetically rich—thick, buttery vegetable mash sizzling on the tawa, topped with a generous slab of butter that melts into your pav, toasted golden, crisp on the edges, and soft inside. Pair it with a freshly opened bottle of Thumbs Up and watch the city whirl past as you dig in. And if you’re feeling adventurous, order a cheese pav bhaji for yourself. Mumbaikers love their cheese, and it only makes the bhaji richer and yummier. Another staple at Sukh Sagar is their idli with coconut chutney, served right out of a jug. It’s creamy, soft, and so, so good. The best part is obviously the unlimited servings of chutney (I’m a condiment connoisseur)! I also love the desi, cheesy pizza they do over here, as well as their house-made cassata with lots and lots of malai.
Note: The best way to experience this eatery is during an average late-night drive in the city. Sukh Sagar remains open until almost 3:00 A.M. every night, and the feeling of eating their buttery goodness at that time of the night remains incomparable. Mumbai is truly the city that never sleeps, and there isn’t an experience more on-brand than this; a sensory memory for generations of Mumbaikars.
Therefore, when in Mumbai, you know where to go after all the restaurants have shut.
Address: Sukh Sagar Building, Gamdevi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rd, Chowpatty, Girgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400007
Timings: Monday to Sunday (10 am–2 am)
Breadkraft
Another street food staple in Mumbai is frankies. Not only have I never heard of any other city making these (read: they are not the same as rolls), but also, I don’t think anyone could replicate just how good we do it here, in the bay.
Known across the city for selling the best frankies in town, especially for those late-night or hangry afternoons when you need something big, messy, and completely soul-satisfying. Originally a modest bakery in Lokhandwala (running since the early 90s), Breadkraft has quietly become the go-to, thanks to over 100 frankie and roll varieties. From classic butter chicken and chicken tikka to vegetarian madness like paneer thousand-island cheese mayo or chipotle paneer, there’s something for every palate. Even a chocolate-paneer Frankie exists—yes, you read that right.
Breadkraft’s frankies are messy, generous, and flavour-packed, built for real hunger rather than dainty snacking at the side of the road. So, go hungry and ready to devour!
Address: 15, Sunswept, Swami Samarth Nagar, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053
Timings: Monday to Sunday (10 am–11 pm)
Elco, Bandra
With the mindset that Mumbai jaake pani puri nahi khaaya, toh kya hi khaya? (When in Mumbai, pani puri is a must), Elco serves one of the best pani puris, dahi puris and sev puris in town. After a tiring day of scouring the streets of Hill Road for the best deals on clothes, jewellery, and shoes, nothing hits home quite like an ice-cold, tangy, and crunchy plate of pani puri. No one’s doing classic Bombay street food quite like this Bandra gem, with other things on the menu ranging from fresh juices and sandwiches to local delicacies like missal pav.
Personally, I only go here for the pani puri, thanks to Elco’s consistent taste, promising the best of what the city has to offer. Watching the pani puri counter at peak hour is nothing less than watching a well-rehearsed orchestral performance. The server cracks open each puri with a swift thumb-press, loads it with ragda and spiced potatoes, dunks it in the shimmering jaljeera-meets-masala water, and hands it over before you’ve even finished chewing the last one. You can never do anything but focus on the pani puri (and isn’t that exactly what we want?)—no phones, no small talk, just rigorous, crunchy chewing.
Address: 46, Hill Rd, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
Timings: Monday to Sunday (9:30 am to 11:30 pm)
Read more: Your Midnight Snack Map: A Guide to Mumbai’s Best Late-Night Bites
Also read: Bun Maska, Chai, And The City: Inside Mumbai’s Last Irani Cafés
