The R&K Guide to Mumbai

The R&K Guide To Mumbai

When the Portuguese built their island fort in a marshy mud flat on the Arabian Sea, they couldn’t possibly have envisioned the grand, chaotic future that little speck of land had in store. In the last five centuries, that island has grown into South Asia’s greatest city, a sky-scraping dream of a place, teetering giddily on the verge of collapse, laughing at its own improbability as it careens crazily into the future. Mumbai is loud, crowded, hectic, smelly, ambitious, eccentric, warm, and, above all, alive. It will leave you breathless, exhausted, and, inevitably, desperate for more.

How To Do
Mumbai

01. Walking Tour: A Morning in Bhuleshwar
02. A Complete Survival Guide to Mumbai’s Train System
03. A History of Mumbai in 11 Dishes
04. Your City Soundtrack
05. Shitty But We Love It: the G-7 Multiplex
06. GTFO: Day Tripping Around Mumbai

16 Things to Know Before You Go

The Perfect Dish: Bombay Toast

Walking Tour: A Morning in Bhuleshwar

The neighborhood of Bhuleshwar, tucked deep into the heart of historic South Bombay, is a world unto itself, a sacred and vibrant maze of temples and rest-houses, animal shelters, and markets.

Walk

Quick Hits What To Eat

Small plates at The Bombay Canteen Of all the city’s “cool” restaurants, The Bombay Canteen is the by far the most fun, the most interesting, and the most delicious. The small plates offer playful renditions of preparations inspired by the team’s travels across the Subcontinent.
Kerala prawns and Neer Dosa at Ankur Good Mangalorean cooking in a quiet location in Fort. Don’t miss the kerala prawns and clams sukha, accompanied by gossamer neer dosa and a warming order of kori roti.
Gujarati Thali at Sri Thacker’s Bhojanalaya The best, most sumptuous vegetarian thali in town, this family-run Gujarati institution will feed you until you burst. If you’re in town in the winter, make sure to ask for undhiyu, a regional specialty of root vegetables, young garlic, and fresh pigeon peas.

Quick Hits What To Drink

Cloud 9 The look of the rooftop bar at the Godwin Hotel might be kitsch, with its fake Corinthian columns and whitewashed wrought-iron deck furniture, but there’s no place in town with a more romantic view over Colaba and the dome of the Taj Palace.
Beer at Doolally The local arm of the microbrewery based in Pune, Doolally offers the best craft beer in a city starved for the stuff. Whichever of the five branches you choose, it’s best to go by day, when the IKEA-bright lighting is less offensive.
Permit Rooms These are the no-frills watering holes common across the city. Each neighborhood has a favorite–Gokul’s in Colaba, Janata in Bandra–but the best one is almost always whichever is closest when you get thirsty.

Quick Hits What To See

Mangaldas Market The best place in this erstwhile textile town to buy fabrics by the yard, Mangaldas Market is the place to pick up silks, ikats, and chikan. With a bit of time, you could also get them stitched for a song. After, slip outside for a masala khichiya in the adjacent khau gully.
Bhau Daji Lad Museum One of the most successful restoration projects in the city, the Bhau Daji Lad Museum is a seafoam-green cupcake of a building with a charming collection of craft and city history.
Chor Bazaar The city’s famed “Thieves Market” is the place to go for antiques, Bollywood Posters, and last-minute gift buying. It also happens to straddle Saifee Ambulance Lane, one of the city’s best food streets. Don’t miss hand-churned guava ice cream at Taj Ice Creams.

Features From Mumbai

More Than One Way to Cook a Goat

The unapologetically meaty cuisine of Mumbai’s Bohra Muslim community has found a growing, appreciative audience.

An Omelet With History Written Into It

This breakfast, like so much Indian food, has history written into it: the history of Mumbai, and of the country as a whole.

Washing a City: Q&A with Sanjit Das

An Indian photographer documents life in the world’s largest open air laundromat.

Nothing Like Delicious Bar Snacks to Normalize Alcohol Consumption

The complimentary chakna at this Mumbai bar makes you forget you even ordered a drink.

Between the Country and the City

For one woman living in Mumbai, life in a rural village is not just an idyllic past, but a vital part of her future.

When the Breakfast Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

Neither the dal nor the pakwan are anything special. It’s when they get together that the magic happens.

Roam