Mumbai’s yummy street food

Mumbai’s yummy street food

BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 02:14 AM IST
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So you know where you get the best cutting chai? Or the best Chinese bhel? KHUSHNUMA JABULEE walks through the street of Mumbai and guides you on the ten best street foods in Mumbai

Mumbai is a city known for its heritage, traditions, businesses, night life, but most of all, its street food. While being a huge melting pot for various cultures and religions, Mumbai is also a huge melting pot for the varioustypes of street food that is sold by hawkers on the streets of the bustling city. Whether you want to have a light snack before catching a local train to get to your destination, or pack something on the go, you are sure to be spoilt for choice.

So without no further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best street foods in the city starting from the lesser known to the most known and cherished.

Dhoklas and Farsan:

Gujarati food has become an integral part of the Mumbai

street food circuit. That is the reason why all your nearest farsan marts are always buzzing with people eating dhoklas, kachoris, sabudana vadas and more. You can call for your favourite farsan to eat on the spot, or you can get it parceled to take away.

A highly recommended place for such kinds of snacks is Dave Farsan Mart, which is located next to the Babulnath Temple. They sell everything from piping hot kachoris, dhoklas, sabudana vadas to their signature samosas. The price varies from one item to another, but is fairly reasonable. They remain open from mornings to evenings, barring Fridays.

Chinese Bhel and Manchurian:

The new uptrend in the street food circuits is the emergence of the Chinese food stalls. Wherever you go in the city, you will see at least one hawker selling Chinese munchurian balls with a generous topping of grated cabbage, as well as the famous Chinese bhel. They keep one specific bowl to mix the deep fried noodles, sauces and shredded vegetables together as per their intuition and you will have a beautiful snack in just a matter of minutes.

A lively hot spot for some of the best Chinese foods to munch on would definitely be at the food stall next to Navjivan Society, Old Lamington Road, just a five minute walk from Mumbai Central station. The Chinese Manchurian balls are made piping hot, right in front of your eyes and served with delightfully deep fried noodles and a spicy schezwan sauce, for just Rs. 10.

Vegetable Frankie:

The emergence of the Frankie came about a few decades ago as Tibbs Frankie took Mumbai by storm. Now they have an endless number of stalls all over the city where you can go and get the authentic veg Frankie, their master invention. You will come across many stalls at stations, on the streets, as well as in various malls and multiplexes.

We recommend that you head to the original place where it all began, at Breach Candy, next to Amarsons Garden. It is perpetually buzzing with people if you go there during the evenings. It is open all day, thus you can simply go there at any time of the day and grab yourself their signature veg Frankie that will be served to you piping hot, for simply Rs. 50.

Cutting Chai:

Ever since time memorial there have been hawkers on the streets that sell this ingenious delicacy that is native to the streets of Mumbai, the cutting chai. On every nook and cranny of the streets, you will see these hawkers, sitting with their little table that has a big gas burner, where all the magic begins. Right from masala to ginger and elaichi chai, you can have it all.

Since there are so many tea stalls at every corner of every street, you need one to stand out. The chai stall opposite Reliance Super, Mumbai Central is the one you will want to go to, again and again. Simply a 3 minute walk from the Mumbai Central railway station, this tea stall stays open from dawn to dusk andserves you the best adrak chai(ginger tea) you could ever ask for. Spending just Rs. 6 on something that delightful is sure to leave you baffled and wanting more.

Vegetable Toast Sandwich:

When you stuff boiled potatoes, beetroots, crispy fresh onions, bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes between two slices of bread that have been coated with butter and green chutney, you have a recipe for going to heaven and back. Just like the other variants on this list, the delicious vegetable toast sandwich is sold on every city block. A perfect snack to have on the spot, or to take away.

Head to the hawker who is situated at Kala Ghoda, opposite Forbes Building, beside Ayub’s. You will get delectable sandwiches from afternoon to night starting at Rs 25. They make it proportionately according to your instructions and serve it nice and hot with ketchup and chutney.

M

ysore Masala Dosa:

Every street corner is guaranteed to have a hawker skilled in the art of making the perfect Mysore masala dosa. You will be enamoured by the way he spreads the rice base across the hot ‘tava’ and place the potato mix, tomatoes, onions and a blend of spices atop it, only to make a threefold of it in the end to wrap it up. Whether it is an evening snack or an afternoon lunch, you will see people from various nearby localities come together to enjoy this South Indian delicacy.

Have an unforgettable mysore masala dosa at Babulnath Dosa Centre, right opposite the Babulnath Temple, a five minute walk from Chowpatty beach. It is served piping hot with two different types of chutneys. Head there along with your friends during the evenings and have your fill of the most amazing dosa Mumbai has to offer for just Rs. 70.

Ragda Patties

If you haven’t had the steaming hot ragda patties from a hawker in the streets of Mumbai, then scram and get your hands on one of these delicious concoctions. It comprises of hot patties that are made out of a potato and spice mixture, a delicious boiled chana mix, sweet and hot chutneys and finely diced onions to finish it off.

The best ragda patties you will find in Mumbai is the one at Chowpatty beach at a place called Sharma. This ragda patties stall serves up delicious ragda patties at very affordable rates. The suggested time to go there is definitely during the evenings where everything looks so surreal. The outing guarantees great food and a great time with friends or family.

 Chaats:

Originated in Delhi and Kolkata, the famous trio of chaats, namely pani puri, sev puri and bhel puri are found in plenty on the streets of Mumbai. You will find a hawker selling these delicious chaats at every corner stone. The taste intensifies ten times over when you just stand there in a small queue, with your pani puri waiting to be served. Bhel puri and sev puri are items that you can eat on the street or take away.

Since there are as many chaat places in Mumbai as there are street corners, a place that serves up the best chaats definitely helps make a greater impression. The hawker who sits opposite Old Minerva Cinema, next to Hotel Kumkum, which is a five minute walk from the Grant Road station is the one you must go to. Head to this spot post 5:30pm and have the most amazing pani puri, bhel puri and sev puri for only Rs. 15.

Pav Bhaji:

Native to the streets of Mumbai, the famous pav bhaj

i is sure to tickle your taste buds. The bhaji is an intricately mashed concoction of various vegetables, spices and a huge chunk of butter, with the pav toasted on the same grill for a synergy in taste. Since it is one of the most famous street foods in the city, you will see many people sitting together, with a distinctive steel plate, filled to the brim with this mouth-watering meal.

There are some massive contenders for the best pav bhaji street joints in Mumbai, but the one you should definitely try out is Shetty’s Pav Bhaji at Chowpatty beach. Be sure to go along with your family or friends and have a great evening on the beach and end it with a generous helping of pav bhaji.


Vada Pav:

The ultimate contender to come out on top of practically every Mumbaikar’s list of their favourite street foods is the vada pav. This golden nugget of goodness is made of a blend o

f spices and boiled potatoes, dipped in a liquid besan mix and then deep fried to perfection. To make things even better, it is placed within the confines of the pav that has been lathered in the sweet and hot chutneys. It is the quickest street food option as the hawkers keep making them in bulk as they run out pretty quickly.Anthony Bourdain, one of the biggest chefs in America was all gaga over this delicious delight. Vada pav is the poor man’s burger, but ten times more delicious.

This is possibly the hardest decision for anyone to make, but don’t fret, we have just the right one for you. Head to Grant Road (East) station during anytime of the day, and right at the entrance, opposite B. Merwan, you will see a crowd of people picking up huge cricket ball sized vada pavs from this hawker. They serve piping hot vada pavs only at Rs. 10. Yes, this is the hawker that we would like you to go to for a perfect Mumbai style vada pav.

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