zobia

ok i had a teacher in Pakistan who also had been to Mumbai, so she told our class that the urban layout of it is similar to karachi. i mean u get the same feeling.

so what kinda food is famous in mumbai?

Jafi

I'm from mumbai, and there are just way too many options for you from snack food to all the dishes and drinks.

m hardcore non veg lover.. so i wont be able to tell you much abt veggie but there is maharashtrian platter which is the best dish for veggie lovers.

as far as non veg items..Mumbai is more famous for Sea food dishes.. So, if you ever go to mumbai dont miss out seafood. Also kebabs over there are delicious, specially in bycalla.
Bombay duck is also i think really famous item but is not served at many places..so its hard to find. But, try bombay duck..its i think the most special dish of mumbai.

Niksik

Mumbai is a melting pot of different cultures. It is also home to some of the best restaurants and eating joints with world class chefs in the 5 Star hotel restaurants to sweaty self taught cooks in shabby roadside eateries. My sister lives in Mumbai and is very well traveled but according to her, this is the place to enjoy good food. I believe you get the best maghaz, livery fry and prawns in all of India. Unfortunately, I don't like any of them.

Punjabee in USA

^ I personally prefer Delhi eateries to Mumbai's

However, Mumbai's speciality is its street food - Vada Pao (Veggie burger), Pav Bhaji (Bun with Vegetables) are mouth watering. There is a street called "Khau - gali" where you get a variety of street food.

Here is a good article from NY Times about Mumbai's street food -

Globespotters - In Mumbai, Street Food Without the Street - NYTimes.com

hollowman

Delhi foods and restaurants are best in the world

zobia

is it true that k mumbai mai "kaway" ki biryani milti hai?
well just extracted this piece of info from the bollywood movies

hollowman

^ just like Bheja fry right?

Punjabee in USA

Never saw it....but as they say "dhoondhne se to khuda bhi mil jaataa hai"

~Namkeen~

as niki said, u get everything in mumbai, from punjabi, gujrati, south indian stuff, italian, mideastern, chinese, continental, thai, pretty much whatever u want. i've eaten at lots of 5 star places and though the food is really good, it doesn't stick out as special mumbai food. consequently i prefer the local or smaller, more authentic eateries.

to me, dishes that scream out the mumbai label would be karjat ka vada pav (spicy n finger lickin good with the garlic chutney), bhel puri (though many ppl contend that pune's bhel puri is the original one), pav bhaji, chaats, etc. and of course, the maharashtrian thali. there are places that serve mediocre versions of it, so u have to know where to go for the real deal.

the ugly looking fish called bombay duck (god knows why it's called that) is also served as a specialty dish in many restos, but i hate it with a passion. mumbai has a lot of gomantak (goa/konkan influenced cuisine) restaurants and that is a truly wonderful cuisine. famous gomantak items are sol kadhi (often served as a appetizer), fried/stuffed pomfret and surmai (king fish), fish curries, prawn and crab items. two famous seafood restaurants in mumbai (which the locals swear by, and i have a membership to ) are Trishna and Mahesh Lunch Room (which is technically manglorean).

byculla area has a really good kebab joint, and i've fond memories of street food on mohamed ali road during the evenings in ramadan. it's a wonder i didn't get sick, the way i ate...

i love chinese food in desiland... it's perfect!

then there's this madrasi joint where u get the most south indian fare. there are no tables or chairs, on sunday mornings as early as 8 am u'll find 20-30 ppl clustered outside the shop on the pavement, holding their plates and munching away.

oh, and in pali naka, there's this punjabi resto that has an outside extension serving fast food like chaats, tikkis, bhelpuri and gol gappay. i am devoted to that places coz it's one of the local/small eateries that serves gol gappay made with filtered water. perfect for NRIs and firangees. i think i put away 3 plates of gol gappay that day *bliss*

BirdFlu

Mumbai is 10times better than Delhi,

we get everything punjabi, gujrati, south indian stuff, italian, mideastern, chinese, continental, thai kabbas etc... in close proximity cant say the same about delhi

one thing i noticed abt delhi is the content of oil in food E.g. Chola puris, parathas etc....

Mumbai is snack food haven from healthy south Indian stuff to vada pav

hollowman

comparing Mumbaiz masala items with north Indian delicious foods is like comparing sour Grapes to an Apple

Cheegum

Stupid question but do people check to see if the food they're eating is halal / zabihah? How easily is zabihah available in restaurants etc? If you're out in town and eating from a roadside vendor, how would one go about checking if the meat being used is zabihah or not?

~Namkeen~

lol@ ur signature. no, that's actually a good question, chee. i was told in lucknow and hyderabad, that meat supplied to all restos are halal zabihah. in other cities, i mostly ate fish coz i wasn't sure. u get delicious fish in western india, from mumbai to goa to mangalore to kerala, with varying flavours; and on the east coast as well. i felt kinda weird asking if the meat is halal zabiha so i mostly stuck to veggie/fish unless i saw a whole lot of hijabis/niqabis eating there. veggie fare in india is delicious... u don't miss meat very much.

hollowman, i found delhi food very oily.. i definitely prefer mumbai fare. but i can forgive those wicked delhi alloo parathas with tons of desi makkhan

Niksik

Cheegs, my BIL who works for a major hotel chain in Mumbai said that most restaurants there serve halal meat just by virtue of the fact that most meat shops/suppliers are owned and operated by muslims. So unless you go to some unknown place, chances are that the meat is halal.

ruthlopez22

Bhel Puri is a very good food.