Matunga lies in the heart of Mumbai city. This locality is very famous for its food culture. From famous authentic south Indian restaurants to maharashtrian street food and also Irani cafes, this place gives a varied experience to a foodie. One day I along with my bunch of college friends, decided to get on the streets of Matunga and explore the vibrant food culture.
First on the itinerary was Ramashraya Cafe.
Crowded Ramashraya Restaurant
Location:
Ramashraya is located very close to the Matunga Railway station. You can actually walk your way to the cafe.
Food: (5/5)
We reached the cafe at 8 pm. Every table was occupied and there was a huge crowd waiting outside keeping their patience. We got a table inside after a waiting of 20 minutes. And before we could know, the waiter was on our table to take the order. I had talked to a lot of foodies, and read some blogs to find out their best dishes. After consulting the server too, we ordered bun puries, neer dosas and pineapple shira along with filter coffee.
bun puris
pineapple Shira
Neer Dosa
Neer Dosa was served with 2 amazing chutnies and sambhar. Neer Dosa is a crepe prepared with rice batter. One of the chutneys was made with mixing jaggery with coconut which was an amazing combination. This dish tastes nothing like conventional Dosas. It is a must order at this place. Then we ordered bun puris. The bun puris were sweet and tasted amazing with sambhar and coconut chutney. We enjoyed this while sipping the filter coffee. Almost all the matunga based south Indian restaurants serve great refreshing filter coffee. We ended the meal with Pineapple Shira. If you like pineapple you would enjoy this combination. The small pieces of pineapples in the shira increase the taste manifolds. You can also explore the rest of the menu. The preparation of dosas is authentic at this place. This place assures you a great experience of south Indian meal.
And while you exit you should try the beeda (Pan). You can find it on the Pan stall right outside the restaurant.
Ambiance: (3/5)
Small table and chairs cramped to maximise the capacity. Plane white walls.
Service: (4/5)
Very quick. They always ensure no delays in serving, frankly only then they can cater to the huge crowd that visit the restaurant practically everyday.
Value for Money (5/5) : 100%
After this delicious south Indian meal, we started to roam on the matunga streets filled with shops of strong smelling coffee and beautiful saris and flowers. We then reached to our next stop : Chatayi wala Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji Stall
People sitting on the chatayi and enjoying pac bhaji
Chatayi wala Pav Bhaji Stall is very famous in this area. Everyday a lot of people gather around it to savour the spicy pac bhaji. Some occupy the chatayi while some park their air-conditioned cars near the stall and enjoy the food inside. You can see people from different walks of life, families and young people enjoying the street food alike. We had their bhaji pav which was very spicy and tasty. If you want to experience the real flavours of street food, this should definitely be in your list.
Bhaji Pav
After this, we had amazing Cheese Masala Khicha Papad and Kulfi from the stalls parked near this Pav Bhaji Stall.
Kulfi Wala
Khicha Papad wala
khicha Papad wall making the Cheese Masala Khicha Papad
After the spicy street food, we were in search of something to drink and then we found the Health Juice Center.
Health Juice Center
Location:
It is located very close to the Kings Circle in Matunga. Long rows of chairs and tables right on the footpath can help you track the place quite easily.
Food: (4/5)
They serve a great variety of juices along with sandwiches. All the juices are very fresh. We tried their Fresh Mango and Litchi Juice. Both the juices were pretty good.
Litchi Juice
Ambiance: (2/5)
It is literally a food stall on the road. You should not expect a great seating area. However, a lot of people get their vehicles and park near the stall to enjoy the juices and food inside their cars.
Service: (3/5)
You may have to take some pain to find a server to place the order. Also, the food may take a little long to reach you.
Value for money: (4/5) Surely.
We had a long journey so far. We wanted to try out a different cuisine now. I and already been to Koolars so we decided to go to Cafe Gulshan.
Cafe Gulshan
Location: It is located very close to Welinger College.
Food: (3/5)
Cafe Gulshan has evolved more into a youth joint given so many colleges surrounding it and has lost its Irani style. They have a very elaborate menu including parsi, chinese, Indian and a large variety of ice creams.
Ofcourse, we ordered the caramel custard. Caramel Custard was very soft and tasted amazing. This was the best way to end the food spree!
Caramel Custard
Ambiance: (3/5)
Like any typical Irani restaurant, wooden table and chairs along with mirrors on the wall.
Service: (3.5/5)
Fairly fast.
Overall a great hang out place for young college students.
Ah! So this is how we ended the Matunga food spree. From authentic south Indian, to street food then healthy juice and finally ending it at an Irani Cafe. This is just a trailer of the Matunga Food Hub. There is just a lot more to explore!
So, when are you going to Matunga?
They say it correctly, there is no sincerer love than the love for food 😀
Eat. Review. Repeat 