8 Best Restaurants in Colaba, Mumbai

The extremely hip Americano is always full, but it is worth reserving a table for their excellent Americano pizza (salami, fior di latte, and tomato), the handmade pasta, and perhaps the best tiramisu in the city. Once there, be sure to cast an eye over the elegant décor and menu design, all done up in shades of cerulean, cornflower, and cream. Chef Alex Sanchez’s restaurant has also made its way to Asia’s 100 Best Restaurant award listings, so that’s yet another reason to go.

In spite of wincing prices, teatime at Taj Mahal hotel's Sea Lounge is an iconic Mumbai icon meal and a hop, skip, and jump from Colaba Causeway. For your money, you get a blithe gentleman or lady plunking away sprightly, old-fashioned airs on a piano, an unparalleled view of the Gateway of India, five-star service, and a pageant of teatime treats---think demure cucumber sandwiches, scones crowned with jam and clotted cream, along with a retinue of pastry. Or you could choose to go further afield with Sea Lounge's extended high tea, which includes a bacchanal of Indian, Western, and South East Asian dishes. 

Among the most beloved lunch spots for South Mumbai's workaday crowd, this quaint little café is the ideal spot to grab a soy latte and a quick bite while resting your feet. The fresh juices and salads are cheap but clean and safe for foreigners, the Wi-Fi is free, and the interior, while a bit cramped, is bright and pleasant---and best of all, the sandwiches, like the KGC Special (arugula, vegetarian mayo, and Padano cheese on grilled flat bread), are light but extremely tasty when snuggled up to a hot (or more preferably iced) cup of joe. It's in a popular neighborhood, just a stone's throw from Jehangir Art Gallery and Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue.

Veering off from Colaba's arterial thoroughfare, Colaba Causeway, is Ling's Pavilion, a venerable Cantonese-style restaurant and Mumbai icon run by Baba Ling and Nini Ling, its third-generation owners. The décor is a sort of gracious 1970s time warp---pagoda-style roof and a likeness of a Chinese terra-cotta warrior at the entrance.

Chef Alex Sanchez’s Latin American restaurant Otra, a hat-tip to his Puerto Rican roots, is chic, very loud, and always packed to the rafters. And with good reason: the staff make their own masa (corn dough), which finds its way into a rainbow of dishes like chochoyotes, tacos, and tostadas.

A kilometer or two from Colaba Causeway lies Swati Snacks, a Mumbai stalwart and a great place to try the city's street food in clean, air-conditioned, somewhat canteen-style environs. Most popular are its chaat dishes (a smorgasbord of crunchy, creamy, spicy, sweet dishes), but you can venture further afield by ordering homely Gujarati fare from under the traditional specialities section of the menu.

If you find the time, try the original Swati Snacks in Tardeo.

Launched by a pair of Indian restaurateurs and a young American chef from San Francisco, The Table offers American fare inflected with flavors from around the world. The lofted upper floor is perfect for romantic dinners; below is a more lively and sociable setting, with a large, eponymous, communal table extending from the bar. The delicious breads are made at The Table's sister space in central Mumbai, Mag Street Kitchen, and it also uses ingredients from its own organic farm.

The only real bar in town (in the American sense, at least) is modeled on an English pub, plays decent music (though sometimes too loud), has great snack food, and free Wi-Fi (that can sometimes be spotty), and some of the best-priced alcohol in town. Try the tenderloin burgers, the pizzas—the four cheese is excellent, and the margarita’s no slouch—or an old-fashioned plate of beer-battered fish-and-chips.