"Fasting is only 1% not eating and drinking; the rest 99% is bringing your heart and soul closer to Allah"
The cacophonic lanes of the Mohammed Ali Road and Bohri Mohalla are bustling with food aficionados during the month of Ramadan. Foodies, photographers, bloggers, and absolutely everybody indulge in the ‘Ramadan Food Crawl’. Luminous, noisy, and encompassed with an alluring aroma of food, these streets are not hard to locate.
If you are a vegetarian and you think that you have no place here, you are wrong. The streets are replete with a choice of sweets ranging from mawa jalebi to Kesar and mango phirni. This Ramadan, head out for a food crawl at Mumbai’s most iconic and ancient lanes to appreciate the art of gastronomy.
If you know these 10 eateries, you’re definitely the iftar food expert of your group.
1. Shawarma stalls
Dotting the crowded streets of Mohammed Ali Road, are a few shawarma stalls that offer chicken shawarma for just Rs 20. Chip in 10 more for extra meat. Trust me, it’s worth the money.
'Shawarma’na Nahi: Chicken shawarma with extra meat.
Address: Narrow lanes of Mohammad Ali Road, Near Minara Masjid, Byculla, Mumbai
2. Chinese-N-Grill
Don’t let the name deceive you. No one will offer you pretentious Chinese food here, only authentic Mughlai food that will please your taste buds. The Nihari here just melts in your mouth.
What’s first-class: Nalli nihari, Seekh kebab, and Kaleji (gurda) fry.
Address: 122/132, Barkat Manzil, Near Minara Masjid, Mohammed Ali Road, Mumbai CST Area, Mumbai
3. Haji Tikka
A small makeshift ramshackle that exclusively serves skewed meat, Haji Tikka is Bhendi Bazaar’s hidden gem. It skews soft tikkas that not only melt in your mouth but also leave you yearning for more.
Holy cow: I-dare-not-pronounce-the-name beep beep Tikka.
Address: 76, Raudat Tahera Street, Khara Tank Road, Bohri Mohalla, Bhendi Bazaar, Byculla, Mumbai
4.Bar-B-Que Corner
Dishing out made-to-order kebabs, Bar-B-Que Corner is known for barbequed offals like Khiri and kaleji. These awesome offals are awe-fully priced between Rs 25 – Rs 55.
What’s offal-a-toon: Mutton Khiri kebab.
Address: Khara Tank Road, Mohammad Ali Road, Byculla, Mumbai
5. Surti Barah Handi
Oh, you’d be a fool to come all the way down south and not try a meal here. Barah Handi refers to 12 parts of goat, slow-cooked overnight in 12 different pots or handis. Now, you’d find only 9 handis, but the taste will take you to just another level of awesomeness.
Keep it ‘handi’: Paya with huge-soft naans.
Address: 45 Gujar Street, Behind Dargah, Crawford Market, Mumbai CST Area, Mumbai
6. Imam Sharbat
Have a sweet tooth, no problem? With an affluent array of sweets prepared for Iftar, you’d be spoilt for choice and left perplexed. Imam Sharbat serves cold milk-based juices in fruity flavors.
‘Imam’cipation: Watermelon and mango sharbat.
Address: Mumbai Saifee Jubilee Street, Opp. Haji Tikka, Bohri Mohalla, Bhendi Bazar, Mumbai-400003
7. Tawakkal Sweets
Take a trip to heaven with Tawakkal Sweets’ phirni, a pudding-like sweet made out of rice. You could even try their malpuas.
It’s amazeballs: Kesar phirni.
Address: 26, Khara Tank Road, Bohri Mohalla, Byculla, Mumbai
8. Suleman Usman Mithaiwale
Single, double, and dry fruit are the malpuas that they offer. Celebrities like Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi swear by their yumminess.
Nothing else matters: When you are eating a malpua.
Address: 167, Ibrahim Merchant Road, Below Minara Masjid, Byculla, Mumbai
9. Burhanpur Mawa Jalebi
Now, this is not any Jalebiwala; this is ‘The Mawa Jalebiwala’, that serves one-of-a-kind jalebi made from mawa. Fried until crispy and dunked in sugar syrup, these jalebis are a must-try.
It is just ‘Mawa’llous: Mawa jalebi.
Address: Narrow lanes of Mohammad Ali Road, Near Minara Masjid, Byculla, Mumbai
10. Taj Icecream
Having a legacy of over 125 years, Taj Icecream is ‘the’ place to have fresh fruit ice creams. You can even taste the freshness of the fruit as you go for a bite.
Razzma‘taj’scoops: Strawberry ice cream, Mango ice cream, Litchi ice cream.
Address: 36, 38 & 40, Near JJ Hospital, Bohri Mohalla, Khara Tank Road, Bhendi Bazar, Byculla, Mumbai
If you are too skeptical about eating at roadside stalls, you could visit a bunch of Mughlai restaurants that serve delicious food for iftar. Shalimar, Noor Mohammadi (famous for Sanju Baba Chicken), Persian Darbar, Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar, Zaffran's, and Bade Miyan are some places that you shouldn’t miss either.
Now that you know where to gorge the best of Ramadan food in Mumbai, go check out these places to visit in Delhi for your Ramadan food adventures. If you are looking for what's happening in India during Ramadan, check out our all-India Ramadan Food Guide.
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