8 Popular Street Foods in Mumbai, India

Mumbai, the commercial capital of India is popular for several reasons. Varieties of food are one such pleasant reasons. Let alone the premium restaurants and luxurious hotels, street foods in Mumbai can fill your platter blissfully. A walk through different streets can offer you multiple choices of flavoursome street foods in Mumbai. The sheer variety of food available throughout can make your jaws drop and mouth water. When you are in this sleepless city make sure to enjoy as many of these street food varieties as possible. Given below are some of the most popular street foods in Mumbai. Thank you, Nafisa – a chef from Mumbai – for the pictures.

Vada Pav

When in Mumbai, you should have a bite of vada pav. Poor man's burger they say, but vada pav oozes taste and flavour that can entice anyone. One of the common street foods in Mumbai, and so widely available. Yet, people are not bored with their taste. Pav is a small loaf of bread. And this one mostly comes in square shape and small in size to fit in your palm. Split in half and vada is sandwiched well. Vada is a potato stuffed fritter with minimum spices.

The combo is incomplete without a green chutney made with coriander or mint. And the fried green chili with salt adds perfection.

Cost: INR 15/-

Pav Bhaaji

Another one of the popular street foods in Mumbai. Available at the nook and corner of the city, Pav Bhaaji is a simple dish. Bhaji basically means vegetable gravy curry. With pav the mashed vegetable combination just smells and tastes perfect.

To make the bhaji, a sautéed blend of onion, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes are made. Later, boiled and mashed cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, peas, capsicum and French beans are added to it. Adding bhaji masala the flavour and taste become irresistible.

Half split pav is then nicely toasted with butter and enjoyed with the bhaji.

Cost: INR 20/-

Bhel Puri

A tea-time snack that is widely common and enjoyed by people. The crispy, sweet, tangy, spicy mixture is one of the popular street foods in Mumbai, and also in many parts of the country. The ingredients mostly include puffed rice, onions, tomatoes, and assorted chutneys/sauces.

The mixture can be made real quick & easy even in the comforts of your home. Depending on one's taste and liking other vegetables, roasted nuts and sprouts are added. Thin noodles made of chickpea flour adds crispiness and taste to the blend.

Garnishing of the blend is completed with tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. And also sprinkling well-chopped coriander leaves.

Cost: INR 20/–

Chole Bhature

When you are in the mood of gobbling up a substantial meal Chole Bhature easily satiates your hunger. It is a combination of deep-fried puri and chickpeas curry. Mostly enjoyed as a breakfast, Chole Bhature is in fact popular all over North India.

The Bhature is made with plain flour. The flour is made into roundish roti and flattened like a pancake and deep-fried in oil.  The golden-hued, puffed-up Bhature is sure to lift your mood. With chole that is a curry made of chickpea with assorted spices completes the combo. A plate usually consists of two Bhature and a portion of chole, onion and green chillies.

Cost: INR 70/-

Pani Puri

A highly popular and sought-after street food of Mumbai. It is available in different names and flavours in other parts of the country too. Gol Gappa, Phuchka, Phulki, GupChup are a few of the other names this tasty snack has acquired.

Puri is a small and thin ball with a vacuum inside made of plain flour mostly. And the Pani refers to the tangy, spicy watery sauce. Then there is a vegetable mixture as a filling that goes into the puri. Once you like its taste, you can just gulp on a number of Pani puri sets. The street vendors or outlets selling this can be seen almost everywhere in Mumbai.

Sweet tamarind chutney, mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger and green chilies, lemon juice etc. add zing to the pani.

Boiled potatoes and lentil sprouts are the basic ingredients of vegetable stuffing that goes into the small puri balls. The puri is then generously dripped with the tangy, spicy Pani. The combination is just superbly tempting.

Cost: INR 20/- for a plate

Keema Pav

A snack as well as a filling meal. Keema pav is one of the popular non-veg street foods in Mumbai. Keema is usually prepared with chicken or lamb and served with pav. It can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

Minced meat is cooked with traditional spices blended well with onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic to prepare keema. Garnished with cilantro and onions, the plate is served with toasted pav. Although spicy and hot, you are certain to enjoy this blissful combination.

Cost: INR 100/-

Bombay Sandwich

Gratifying in every bite the wholesome and healthy Bombay sandwich is a popular snack item. An interesting thing about this sandwich could be each street food vendor would have his/her style and flavour of sandwich! And certainly, you can't complain about it, but just munch on the goodness in every bite. Basically, each variant of this snack is layers of bread sandwiched with fresh vegetables and/or egg.

Vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions adorn the sandwich mostly. Some vendors add other vegetables and leaf too. The sliced boiled egg adds further nutritional value to the combination. Mint chutneys and tomato ketchup enhance appearance and flavour to perfection.

Cost: INR 35/-

Ice Gola

Sultry clime is not uncommon in Mumbai. Refreshments are colorful and multiple too. One such cool way to chill is by slurping Ice Golas. While walking past the gola venders, it is tough not to take a glance at the multicolored ice gola flavor syrup presentation. Flavors include orange, apple, chocolate, rose, pineapple, mango and many more. Looking for brand names? Nah! You won't find any and it doesn't matter either. Just stop wondering, start enjoying while it is still chill.

Cost: INR 20/- and above

Pandemic is still rampant. Hence follow the precautionary norms issued by the authorities while roaming the streets!

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