Insider’s travel guide to Mumbai: Seaside cities are more welcoming than landlocked ones

Mumbai. (Photo: Satyajeet Mazumdar via Unsplash)

They say cities by the sea tend to be more welcoming of outsiders than landlocked ones. There’s no better example of this than Mumbai. For centuries now, the city has welcomed everyone with open arms, offering opportunities no other city on the subcontinent ever could.

Born when seven islands were merged into one and flourishing when Lincoln’s navies blockaded Confederate ports, Mumbai has continued to be an immigrants’ city. Come here to work, play, or soak in the glamour or history. There’s much to do in Mumbai, but here's what to do if you only have 72 hours in the city:

Day 1, Friday

Breakfast at Café Mondegar

Mumbai is one of three Indian cities that are home to Irani-style cafés - the other two are Pune and Hyderabad. Mondegar, or Mondy’s as Mumbaikars call it, is, perhaps, the most popular one of the lot. Located in a flatiron building at a busy junction in Colaba, Mondy’s offers great continental breakfast at fairly affordable rates. Unlike most other Irani cafés, it also offers alcohol, so if you fancy a lager with your sausages and don’t want to pay through your nose, Mondegar is a great place to start your day.

Café Mondegar, Mumbai. (Photo: Urja Bhatt via Unsplash)

Explore south Mumbai

The moment you step out of Mondy’s you’ll quickly realise that you’re in the heart of what used to be the bastion of the British Era Bombay. The neighbourhood you’re in is Colaba and often referred to as Fort. This is, of course, a hat tip to Fort George, that covered almost one sq. km before its walls were torn down as the city expanded. Today, only a single wall of Fort George remains, in complete neglect, next to a public toilet.

Gateway of India. (Photo: Parth Vyas via Unsplash)

Fort George may no longer exist, but the entire precinct is dotted with buildings designed in Gothic, Victorian, Art Deco, and Indo-Saracenic style. Take in the many stately buildings that continue to serve as a reminder of the British presence on our shores but also, simultaneously, inspire awe. From the iconic Gateway of India to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, or the neo-classical Army Navy Building to the Victorian Gothic Revival Mumbai CST station building, there’s much to see.

Lunch at Ekaa

Housed inside a 130-year-old building, Ekaa is among the newest ingredient-first kids on the block. It would be difficult to put a finger on what cuisine it serves since season and produce drives the menu. If you’re looking to challenge your tastebuds, Ekaa is the way to go. Ekaa also has a new limited-edition cocktail menu that is inspired by the mixologist’s recent Singapore sojourn. The fact that Eka is located in a heritage building also goes with the theme of your walk, no?

Shop

Colaba Causeway is obviously the first name that comes to mind and indeed the easiest choice when it comes to street shopping. Unless you’re soooo into street shopping or have superhuman bargaining skills, resist that temptation.

Instead consider walking over to Fab India at Kala Ghoda for kurtas, saris, and other Indian outfits. If Fab India is too mainstream for you, consider Nicobar, a great place to shop for contemporary and hip designs for you and your house.

Kala Ghoda is also home to some of the coolest designers — from Kunal Rawal and Anita Dongre to Vaishali S and Sabyasachi. Just across the street from the Museum and a couple of hundred paces down, is Ashdeen, the flagship store of the Parsi designer who’s making gara contemporary and cool.

Dine at Sukh Sagar

The tiny eatery is legendary for its pav bhaji and sandwiches. Given the modest size of the establishment, the folks at Sukh Sagar extend their service to your car as long as it is within viewing distance of the restaurant. End your dinner with a kulfi (or three) from New Kulfi Centre just down the street from Sukh Sagar.

Day 2: Saturday

Breakfast at Dakshinayan, Malabar Hill

Keep it light today with a south Indian breakfast from Dakshinayan. The upscale Udupi eatery that also has an outpost in far-flung Juhu is a great place for a quick bite before you begin your wanderings for the day. Opt for their wide range of dosas and wash down your breakfast with a cuppa hot filter coffee.

Explore the lesser-known religious sites of Mumbai

Having checked off the touristy sites of the city, you can now rest easy and explore some of the lesser-known ones.

Banganga Tank

Banganga Tank. (Photo: Ansh Manoj Chaudhary via Unsplash)

Just a few hundred metres from Dakshinayan is the historic Banganga Tank. The tank/pool is by all estimates, way, way older than the city of Mumbai itself with records suggesting it was first built in the 1100s before getting a facelift some six centuries later in 1715.

The tank itself is something of a revelation as you walk down the narrow bylanes that take you away from the upscale skyscrapers of Walkeshwar into the heart of what could easily pass off as Varanasi ghat surrounded by temples from another era.

Indeed, those who are unable to travel to the holy city, often come here to complete the last rites of their loved ones. Banganga gets its name from the legend that a tributary of the Ganges sprung here when Rama fired an arrow to get water.

Each year Banganga hosts a two-day Indian classical music festival which sees some of the best-known musicians perform here. Over time, the Banganga Tank and its neighbourhood has become something of a cultural curiosity and so you shouldn’t be surprised if you find hip young locals from other neighbourhoods 'gramming away on a weekend morning.

Soonaiji Fire Temple

As you emerge out of the time capsule that is the Banganga Tank, you will enter the tony neighbourhood of Malabar Hill. Walk down the tree-covered streets, past the Hanging Gardens, alongside the 25-acre urban forest that houses the Parsi Tower of Silence before coming face to face with the majestic Soonaiji Fire Temple.

The current structure of the Soonaiji Fire Temple dates back to 1925 even though the fire there is said to have been consecrated nearly 200 years ago. To be sure, this is one of the 50 Fire Temples where members of the city’s Zoroastrian community worship. South Mumbai, especially, is home to majority of this number. However, non-Zoroastrians are not allowed inside fire temples and Soonaiji is one of the few that you view up close without being driven away.

Kwan Kung Temple

Kwan Kung, the only Chinese temple in Mumbai.

The neighbourhood of Mazgaon is home to the only Chinese temple in Mumbai. Situated in a three-storied, century-old house, the temple was at the heart of a thriving Chinese community until the Sino-Indian War of ’62 forced most of the community out of the city and the country.

The presiding deity of the temple is the warrior god Kwan Tai Kung and the temple itself stands out because of the bright red colour in which it has been painted. Every Chinese New Year, the temple is decked up and the small lane before it comes alive with music and dragon dances.

For most part however, the temple is locked up since the community itself has been reduced to a few hundred at best. It is, however, a good idea to drop by anyway, if nothing, just to see this slice of Chinese culture hidden away in plain sight. You will, of course, remember the Kwan Kung Temple from the recent edition of Modern Love on Amazon Prime.

Hasnabad Dargah

Hasanabad mosque, Mumbai. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The neighbourhoods of Mazgaon and Byculla is seeing a slow but steady transformation. Even as the effects of gentrification are very clearly visible in certain parts of the precinct most other parts remain almost untouched by time. One such place is the Hasnabad Dargah.

This majestic shrine, made of marble, seems to throwback to the Taj Mahal of Agra. The Hasnabad Dargah is the final resting place of Aga Khan I, a spiritual figure and leader of the Khoja Ismaili Muslims.

Lunch at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay 

Gujarati Thali at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, Mumbai. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

As you would have realised by now, we have spent the day wandering through the non-colonial Mumbai. The Gothic and Neo-Classic structures have made way for narrow lanes, hidden neighbourhoods where local communities congregated and thrived.

Located in one such neighbourhood — that of Kalbadevi — is the iconic Shree Thaker Bhojanalay. Serving vegetarian Gujarati and Rajasthani thali since 1945, Shree Thakers is the preferred dining destination not just for everyday people like you and me but also celebrities from India and abroad whose photos line the walls of this nondescript eatery. Expect a long waiting but be assured you won’t regret it.

Note that Shree Thaker is located in Kalbadevi and is very different from Thacker’s that’s located along Marine Drive.

Explore the markets of Kalbadevi

Named after the Hindu goddess, the eponymous neighbourhood is best known for its markets. Beneath the seeming disorder of shops selling all kinds of things — spices to steel utensils and even bicycles — there is a method. Certain lanes are dedicated to clothes and fabrics, others to kitchen utensils, and so on.

The markets of Kalbadevi are an explosion of colour and chaos and it’s surprisingly easy to get lost in them. So, you would be forgiven for having missed an animal infirmary that dates back to 1834!

Home to some 350 cows and several other stray animals, Bombay Panjarpole’s architecture is a good indication of just how long this place has been standing. The sprawling two acres campus is as airy as it is calm. So calm you wouldn’t realise there’s a bustling market just outside!

Dine at Slink and Bardot

Slink and Bardot, Mumbai.

The fishing village of Worli has been home to the earliest settlers in the city. It is in a house in this village that the hip Slink and Bardot has reopened its doors. Known for its cutting-edge cocktail programme before the pandemic hit, Slink shuttered temporarily before reopening in a new avatar earlier this year.

Slink’s cool salon vibe is most authentic not only because of the thought that’s gone behind its design but also because it’s actually set in a real house, in a real village instead of a mall.

The old-world charm, mismatched furniture, chandeliers and brooding colours make for great Insta Reels. But so do the sumptuous meals and cocktail menu.

Even as the space itself is a throwback to Paris-of-a-different-era, Slink’s new menu has gotten over its French hangover from its first outing. Influenced by different cuisines of Asia and Europe, the folks over at Slink like to describe the menu as "flavours without borders". And wouldn’t that be just perfect to end the kind of day you’ve just had? We are inclined to say yes.

Day 3: Sunday

Brunch at Neuma

Located in the iconic colonial-era bungalow that once housed the very cool Indigo by Rahul Akerkar, Neuma is filling some really big shoes. In its heyday, Indigo played host to numerour celebrities and world leaders including then US President Bill Clinton.

Neuma, a contemporary European restaurant that launched this year with much fanfare, has been living up to its predecessor’s reputation. Its latest offering is a special Sunday brunch menu featuring a host of egg preparations, salads, and a Cream Cheese Board with seasonal fruits, berries, and pomegranate molasses.

The vast spread also include a range of toasts (think Mushrooms on Toast with kale pesto and chevre mousse or the Neuma French Toast, brioche, pistachio and berries) as well as a host of options for potato lovers (think Veggie Baked Potato, roasted vegetables, Tomme de Bombai cheese, sour cream and chili oil; and Potato Galette, with kale pesto and Tomme de Bombai cheese, with an option to add smoked salmon).

If none of this entices you, opt for sandwiches and burgers or take a pick from the very impressive Small Plates section. This is your final day in Mumbai, you can afford to take it easy and enjoy a long leisurely brunch.

Go museum and art gallery hopping

Jehangir Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Make the most of the fact that you are in the heart of the city’s art district. The Jehangir Gallery of Modern Art is a great place to start your art education before you make your way to other galleries such as ARTISANS that supports indigenous craft and design heritage and Delhi Art Gallery, the Mumbai outpost of the Hauz Khas flagship that showcases contemporary artists.

Sharing the border with Jehangir Gallery is the granddaddy of all museums — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly The Prince of Wales Museum) — but the real hidden gem is the Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla. Located in the same premises as the city zoo, Bhau Daji Lad Museum narrates the story of the city you are in.

Explore Bandra

Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai. (Photo: Garvit via Unsplash)

Drive down the Sea Link and you would have crossed over from the island city (the one that came about with the merging of the seven islands) into the suburb of Bandra. Hip, young, and cool, Bandra is the kind of cultural melting pot that south Mumbai can never be.

But beneath all of this, Bandra is essentially a congregation of a handful of villages. You will see vestiges of these villages in Chimbai, Ranwar and other Bandra neighbourhoods where everyone seems to know everyone, and life moves at a distinctly slower pace.

Castela de Aguada or The Bandra Fort is at the Land’s End of Bandra and offers spectacular views of the Arabian Sea and the Sea Link you just used to reach Bandra.

Walk back and up the hill to view the stunning neo-Gothic church of Mount Mary and further down past the homes of movie stars — a certain Shah Rukh Khan and another one called Salman — before you head over for your final meal in Mumbai.

Dinner at Perch

The all-day coffee and wine bar is a great place to wind down after a long weekend in Mumbai. The menu of Perch focusses on seasonal produce even though you can order easily from its in-house bakery, a grilled cheese bar and a deli counter. We’d encourage you to experiment with its eclectic pairings even as you soak in the quintessentially laidback Bandra vibe before heading back home.

Where to stay in Mumbai

Hotel stays in Mumbai can be prohibitive, especially if you’re looking to stay in south Mumbai. That being said, not all hotels will burn a hole in your pocket. Hotel New Vasantashram and Hebbar’s Heritage Home are two budget-friendly hostels located in south Mumbai.

Abode is another great option given its location. This 20-key boutique hotel boasts of modern comforts even as it retains the old-world charm of the 1910 building in which it sits.

Hotel Harbour View is just a stone’s throw away from Gateway of India and has only recently been refurbished. The building itself is art deco and the rooms feature cool, pastel aesthetic.

As far as luxury properties go, you always have the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel even though the group’s President Hotel is also a great (and less expensive) alternative. However, you need not have to burn a hole through your pocket to stay here. Both the hotels are part of the Tata Group and, therefore, accept Tata Neu coins. HDFC card members can also avail of gift vouchers in exchange for credit card points helping you shave off a few thousands on your bill.

The Marriott group doesn’t have too many options in south Mumbai, but St Regis in Lower Parel is a great choice if you’re a Marriott loyalist. Similarly, ITC Grand Central, located in Parel, is also tad bit away from where you will be if you follow the itinerary, but it’s part of the Marriott Bonvoy programme. The hotel chain also has a tie-in with HDFC Credit Cards so if you own an Infinia, your third night in ITC is on the house.