Restaurants in Mumbai (Bombay)
Mumbai is India’s foodie capital, and you can find almost anything on the menu, from American burgers and Japanese sushi to Goan curries, Gujarati thalis and Mangalorean seafood. Appropriately for India’s capital of finance, fashion and film, Mumbai is also home to some of India's most exclusive top end restaurants, although prices are seldom easy on the wallet.
Mumbai’s upmarket eateries have comprehensive lists of wine, beer, cocktails and other alcoholic beverages, but as with the rest of India, imported alcohol comes at a price. Locally produced beer, wine and spirits are widely available and very drinkable, as well as being cheaper than imported brands. Cheaper restaurants generally don't serve alcohol owing to expensive liquor licences.
The restaurants below have been grouped into three different pricing categories:
Expensive (over Rs3,000)
Moderate (Rs1,000 to Rs3,000)
Cheap (up to Rs1,000)
These prices are for a three-course meal for one, including half a bottle of house wine or equivalent, tax and service. If service is not included, a 10% tip is welcomed.
Expensive
Indigo
Cuisine: Modern EuropeanHoused in a striking colonial bungalow, this is South Mumbai's most fashionable restaurant. Indigo's innovative menu blends modern European innovation with a dose of local flavour, and the wine list is extensive and impressive. The décor is slick (the Black Lounge is particularly chic) and the split-level roof-terrace is the place to eat in cooler months. Booking essential.
Address: Colaba, 4 Mandlik Road, Mumbai, 400001Telephone: +91 22 6636 8981.
Website: http://www.foodindigo.com
Olive Bar & Kitchen
Cuisine: MediterraneanThis swanky restaurant serves excellent Italian food in a magical setting. Dine at teak tables in a garden that's peppered with lazy daybeds and white wicker chairs. Come evening, the whitewashed villa flickers in candlelight. The extensive menu includes dishes such as lobster ceviche, rosemary roast lamb and homemade pastas.
Address: Union Park, Khar West, 14 Nargis Dutt Road, Mumbai, 400052Telephone: +91 22 4340 8229.
Website: http://www.olivebarandkitchen.com
Wasabi
Cuisine: JapanesePresided over by Chef Masaharu Morimoto from New York's Nobu restaurant, Wasabi serves up world-class Japanese food in sleek surroundings at the Taj Mahal Hotel. With top ingredients such as Chilean sea bass, oyster foie gras and superb tuna on the menu, dining at this swish restaurant doesn't come cheap.
Address: Apollo Bunder, Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, 400001Telephone: +91 22 6665 3202.
Website: http://www.tajhotels.com
Moderate
Khyber
Cuisine: North IndianSituated near the High Court, Khyber swims with the rich flavours of the Northwest Frontier. Styled like an Afghan palace, the food is some of the best in town. Most dishes are cooked on the tava or in the tandoor oven and Khyber is famous for its house speciality, raan, a whole leg of slow-cooked lamb. Vegetarians should look elsewhere.
Address: Fort, 145 M.G. Road, Mumbai, 400001Telephone: +91 22 4039 6666.
Website: http://www.khyberrestaurant.com
Koh
Cuisine: ThaiIndia has always had something of a love affair with Thai food, and chef Ian Kittichai has upped the game with his signature restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel. Half of the dishes at this award-winning restaurant are vegetarian, to the great satisfaction of the many Indian vegetarians who dine here.
Address: Marine Drive, InterContinental Hotel, 135 Marine Drive, Mumbai, 400020Telephone: +91 22 3987 9999.
Website: http://www.ihg.com
Trishna
Cuisine: South Indian SeafoodTucked away on a back street, Trishna serves what many regard as the best seafood in town - and this in a city brimming with seafood restaurants. Trishna specialises in Mangalorean delicacies and its signature dish, butter pepper garlic king crab, is every bit as delicious as it sounds. Other popular mains include Hyderabad-style pomfret and spicy kolhapuri prawns.
Address: Fort, Birla Mansion, Sai Baba Marg, Mumbai, 400001Telephone: +91 22 2270 3214.
Cheap
Bademiya
Cuisine: North IndianThis may just be the most popular street food stand in South India. Every night, an army of staff prepare fresh and delicious grilled seekh kebabs and other grilled treats to a horde of drive-by and walk-in diners. It's only open for dinner and you can either grab your food to go or sit at one of the packed street-side tables.
Address: Colaba, Tulloch Road, Mumbai, 400004Telephone: +91 22 2265 5657.
Mahesh Lunch Home
Cuisine: South Indian SeafoodRivalling the famous Trishna, Mahesh Lunch Home is the place to come for excellent Mangalorean seafood on a budget. The appetite-inducing menu is packed with seafood staples such as tandoori pomfret, fish roe masala and rawas tikka (marinated white salmon), as well as delicious local mud crabs.
Address: Fort, 8B Cowasji Patel Street, Mumbai, 400001Telephone: +91 22 2287 0938.
Website: http://www.maheshlunchhome.com
Revival
Cuisine: Indian VegetarianA handy retreat from the chaos of the Mangaldas and Crawford markets, Revival is a popular lunch stop for frazzled shoppers, with huge vegetarian thalis that come with bottomless top-ups of curry, rice and rotis. The menu also has lighter plates for smaller appetites.
Address: Crawford Market, Sheik Memon Street, Mumbai, 400002Telephone: +91 22 2342 6919.
Website: http://revivalindianthali.com