Mumbai Toast
Topping our list is the humble Bombay Toast Sandwich. It's a celebration of potato, that's boiled, mashed, spiced with green chillies, chopped dhania or coriander and some salt. At times, it's cooked with the spices and then sandwiched between two slices of bread. It is toasted and the piping hot sandwich is smeared with dollops of Amul butter, that melts instantly.
A layer of green coriander chutney goes on top, and the sandwich is garnished with crunchy sev and served with a side of ketchup and green chutney. Some variations include grated cheese. Have it with roadside sugarcane juice or nimbu paani and your breakfast is sorted.
No matter which part of Mumbai you come from, you'd have tasted this sandwich several times in your life, especially during your college days.
Vada Pav
Every Mumbaikar is in a life-long relationship with vada pav. It's easily available in every nook-and-corner of the city, and however healthy you may want your diet to be, when those balls of spiced potato are dipped in the besan batter and deep-fried in the cast iron kadhais, you will be forced to reconsider your healthy breakfast choices and take a bite of Mumbai's OG street food.
Served in freshly baked pav, with a garnish of spicy lasun or garlic chutney, fried green chillies, hara and meetha chutney, this breakfast pairs well with a cup of cutting chai.
Kanda Poha
It's Priyanka Chopra's favourite breakfast, and it may be yours as well! It is a classic Mumbai breakfast. Garnish it with sev, roasted peanuts, grated coconut or boiled green peas, a good poha always scores high on the food chart and this Maharashtrian breakfast won't add to your calories as well. A squeeze of fresh lime will help elevate the taste and so will a few fried curry leaves.
Samosa Pav
This is one dish that combines the goodness of the beloved samosa and freshly baked pav. The samosa can always be had by itself, but Mumbaikars prefer it with a pav, as it is the quintessential breakfast pairing. Throw in a few fried green chillies and spicy lasun chutney, and your tastebuds will most likely do a happy dance.
Bun Maska
This is a staple at Irani cafes, but have you ever tried the bun maska at a roadside stall outside the railway station? It is sinfully good with dollops of white butter or cream sandwiched in a giant bun. Perfect for people on the go, this breakfast pairs well with chai or coffee.
Medu Vada
Crispy medu vada, fresh off the tava, is probably Mumbai's highest-selling breakfast. You can dip chunks of it in the tomato chutney or dunk the whole vada in sambar and relish it, one bite at a time.
One cannot go wrong with a plate of hot medu vada that's also enjoyed with coconut chutney. It is an all-time favourite South India food that can be had for breakfast, lunch and even early dinner.
Idli-Dosa Sambar
It is healthy, filling and hard to resist, especially when served with two types of chutney and sambar. While you'll find new, improvised versions of idli/dosa available with ragi and other millets, nothing beats the joy of eating the old good fluffy ones served in steel plates or the disposable one at roadside stalls.
If it is a stall run by a South Indian, you'll also get podi or gunpowder on the side, along with some warm filter coffee to have with the idli-dosa.
Upma-Sheera
The savoury upma needs to be had with the sweet sheera to balance the flavours. On Mumbai streets, the upma is usually very plain without too many veggies and the sheera is the regular orangish-yellow variety. It is rightly said, if you have to pick a favourite between upma and sheera, you'd rather go with both!
Misal Pav
Would you ever say no to the brilliant opportunity to kickstart your day with a fiery plate of Misal Pav? The dish that's topped with chopped onions, usal, farsan, green dhania or coriander leaves, is served with a side of lemon wedges and soft pav. For Maharashtrians, it is not just a breakfast, it's an emotion.
Sabudana Vada
No Mumbai breakfast list is complete without Sabudana Vada. It is the unbeatable treat for all your monsoon cravings for deep-fried stuff, and it's perfect as upwas food as well. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, it is a vrat breakfast that never disappoints.
