r/mumbaiFood

We are 4 college students who visited last week and ordered wada sambar, idli with neer chutney, thatte idli, 3 benne masala dosas, 1 garlic roast dosa and filter coffees.

The place was absolutely packed, which is fair enough. But what confused us was that we were first sent inside and then told to go sit outside in the waiting area with our food because there was no space. Mumbai heat on one side, dust flying onto our plates on the other.

We had ordered 1 garlic roast dosa, but somehow ended up with 4 ghee podi masala dosas. When I pointed it out, instead of a simple “sorry, we’ll replace it,” the staff kept insisting another dosa on the table was actually the garlic roast. At one point, one of them literally told me to come to the counter and watch how the dosa is made. What made it worse was the attitude.

Now for the food itself:
Coffee, wada - 9/10 - definitely try the filter coffee
Dosas, thatte idli - 7.5-8/10, I’ve had better
Neer chutney/idli combo - 6.5/10 personally wasn’t for us

Overall, the food was good, but the customer handling honestly ruined the experience.I’d still rather go to Anna Idli, Benne or honestly any of the classic Matunga joints.

We had originally booked Pind because I was craving proper Dilli-style Aloo Tikki. There was still a waiting time of around 20 minutes, so we were asked to wait at Smaa, which is by the same brand. They even mentioned that we could order from Pind’s menu while sitting at Smaa itself (with a slight price difference), otherwise we could just wait it out.

We initially planned to wait but the vibe at Smaa was too good to leave, so we ended up staying there itself.

The food was good, but the real highlight was the atmosphere. The DJ was playing absolute dancing bangers, the weather felt breezy & the whole place had a very fun, lively energy.

We ordered some Nuts Masala, Aloo Tikki Dahi Chaat, Honey Chilli Baby Potatoes, Pizza & a couple of drinks.
Nuts Masala : 10/10
For ~₹260, the quantity was insane. Way too many cashews, in the best way possible.
Aloo Tikki Dahi Chaat : 8/10
A little too much dahi for my liking, but still really tasty.
Honey Chilli Baby Potatoes : 9/10
Pretty solid. Would definitely order again.
Pizza : 5/10
Slightly too salty, though maybe we were already too full by then.

The total came to around ₹2500 after discounts, which kind of felt value for money since there were drinks too.

Would I go back?
For the food : maybe.
For the vibe & the DJ : definitely.

So I was leaving for home from my office and just 2 mins before the railway station, I stumbled upon this vijay bhelpuri corner which I have never seen before. From the chutneys to tikki, everything tasted different from the rest of the bhel puri corners I have tried. Tried their Ragda Pattice which was solid 9/10. The chutneys tatsed home-made and no red color was used in meethi chutney.

Tried only one dish to test, and now I think I can visit there regularly. They open from 4pm.

For landmark: It just 10 steps away from the Ganpati Mandir near andheri station. (Towards WEH metro road)

Had one of the weirdest customer experiences recently.

Went to Wagamama India and ordered a Coke from the menu. It was listed as:

>

The thing is, the menu didn’t mention:

• can/bottle
• serving size
• packaged beverage
• or anything suggesting it was simply a regular canned Coke.

It was grouped alongside drinks like Fresh Lime Soda and Ginger Ale, so I honestly assumed it would either be:

• a prepared/premium serving,
• fountain stock,
• a larger serving,
• or at least some differentiated restaurant version.

Instead, it turned out to be just a normal canned Coca-Cola.

Now before anyone says “but the price was written” — yes, I know restaurants can charge whatever they want. That’s not really my issue.

My issue was more about menu clarity and customer expectation.

So I politely emailed them saying the menu could have been clearer because many customers could reasonably assume they’re getting something more than a standard retail can at that price point.

What shocked me more was the response.

Instead of a normal customer-service explanation, I got a very aggressive legal-style email using phrases like:

• “completely ludicrous”
• “misconceived and inappropriate claims”
• “irreparable harm”
• “costs and consequences”

Over a Coke complaint 😭

Honestly the email annoyed me more than the drink itself.

Attaching screenshots because I genuinely want to know:
Would you also assume this menu item was something more than a standard can?

From someone coming from pune u know its not like a full round vada like in mumbai.

Motodo has been my go to pizzeria recently and it never disappoints.

Place: Motodo BKC

Dish: Pesto Burrata pizza

Rating: 8.5/10

Hi 💛 I run a small bakery from home. I am based in Andheri west. If you’d like to place an order please DM

Khotachiwadi has become famous for its Instagram aesthetics and the whole romantic idea of nostalgia around it now. I grew up 15 minutes away from Khotachiwadi and I have no nostalgic or romantic memories attached to it. The only thing I really carry from there is one visit with my father sometime around 2005 or 2006, when he took me to Anant Ashram for a thali. He told me, with full drama, that rich businessmen from all over Mumbai came here to eat and the owner did not give a f**k. That detail really stayed with me.

Last week I happened to be in Girgaum for some work. Someone had recently told me that Anant Ashram was back. So I thought, why not go meet this mythical Malvani Karl Marx . When I actually looked it up online, my excitement dropped a bit. Anant Ashram has not come back. One of the old cooks has teamed up with a friend of the founder and they now run a small home style place in Kandawadi near Khotachiwadi, called Naik’s.

I am a big fan of gomantak style eateries and those small Malvani joints you usually discover by accident. Naik’s was already all over the web, so I was not expecting some unheard of secret.

We went for an early dinner and met the owner(Rajesh) and the chef (Vijay) who has been cooking since the Anant Ashram days in the early 80's, right up till it shut in 2007. The place is run by the three of them, Vijay, the owner and his wife (Darshana). All through the meal the owner kept calling out, “Vahini he ghya, Vahini te ghya,”. I did not hear him use her actual name even once.

Since running a restaurant with three people takes its own sweet time, we started off with sol kadhi. This pink Malvani lemonade, made with kokum and coconut milk, was very simple and tasted like it had come straight out of a village in coastal Maharashtra.

For food, we began with crab masala and prawns masala. He only had one small vaati of prawns left, which made me a little sad, but whatever we got was good. The masala itself was quite spicy and had a lot of garam masala going on. If they tone that part down a bit, this could easily be one of the best coconut based gravies in Mumbai. The crab and the prawns were both very fresh.

After that our thalis started arriving. We had ordered one surmai thali and one bombil thali. The surmai quality was outstanding, easily one of the best I have had in a while. You can tell the man really knows his fish. That comes only from years of buying it yourself and knowing what to pick. The thali came with rawa fried fish, a fish gravy made with pomfret or surmai head, a little chutney and onions, rice and roti. What really made it stand out from other places was the jawla, the dried shrimp preparation. It had a slightly sweet taste with the onions and peanuts in it, like Malvan’s own version of a Sri Lankan sambol.

The fish gravy was excellent. Very light, not loaded with coconut milk, just mildly spicy and nicely tangy from the kokum. We took refills of that rassa at least 3 times. I would happily give up my omega fish oil pills for that rassa any day.

The only real disappointment was the rice bhakri. It was not baked properly and felt a bit average compared to everything else on the table.

I honestly do not know if this compares to the old Anant Ashram. It has been more than 20 years and I barely remember the food there, only my father’s version of the Malvani Karl Marx.

Naik’s definitely stands on its own feet though. Is this the best Malvani or gomantak food in Mumbai. Probably not. But if you are anywhere near Girgaum and suddenly craving fresh, homely seafood, then yes, it is absolutely worth walking into this little place.

I have been searching for Honeybell cake online for the past month. It is nowhere to be found.

It is out of stock everywhere.I have searched in all nearby big supermarkets DMart, Smart bazaar, and small kirana shops too. I had no luck.

I wanna buy in bulk like a whole box for my friends' birthday. They love honeybell cake a lot.

Any idea whom to contact or where to get it in bulk.

P.s. I'm from Navi mumbai.

If you know a place or website to get it just d.m me pls

We visited this popular hole in the wall eatery today for supper. It's in Kolbad area 1.5 km from Talaopali in Thane. Both our orders were on point - they have a variety of stuffed kulchas. We opted for the aloo onion kulcha which was served with a bowl of chole and onion in chutney, the sour kind in most eateries in Amritsar.

Wrapped up with their chur chur naan dal makhani combo (see image in post) - this naan was stuffed with a generous quantity of paneer. Crisped and browned to perfection - also served with their onions in chutney. Dal was light and flavourful, subtle rather than bold. I didn't even need much of the dal to go with the naan.

Our total bill came to ₹380. The area has some other old eateries of Thane such as Gomantak, Silly Chilly, Momos Corner and the venerated St. Anthony's Bakery each within a 100 metre distance.

I had visited Punjab Da Chulah near Iskcon Juhu when I last craved kulchas while in Thane/Mumbai - this eatery compares rather favourably for those living in the vicinity. Pricing wise too it's fair given that 2 aloo pyaz kulchas in Punjab Da Chulah went for like ₹430. That said, I relished their food too.

Location -

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RtzStE8cLfW2yyc39

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looking for more quick 5 mins recipes to be simply made at home (and are also healthy)