Mangal Palace Silver Shop
You'll find wonderful silver jewelry from all over India here, and there are some good bargains.
48 Best Places to Shop in Mumbai, India
Mumbai is a shopper's town: in the same day, you can sift through alleys full of antiques in Chor Bazaar, haggle for trinkets on the Colaba Causeway, and stop in at the Brioni showroom at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel for marked-up luxury goods (though we'd recommend you get your Chanel and Armani back home to avoid the huge import taxes).
The Causeway, Kemps Corner, and Breach Candy are all trendy shopping areas in South Mumbai; the latter two are chic and pricey. A walk down Colaba Causeway will probably take you past most of the things you want to buy in India—shoes, clothes, cheap knickknacks, cheap cotton clothing, jewelry, and wraps—displayed at stalls lining the road; more expensive items are found in the air-conditioned shops and boutiques behind the stalls on this same road.
The arcades in top hotels offer a little bit of everything for a lot more money than anywhere else, but the merchandise is beautiful and the pace unhurried (and it's climate-controlled). If you're looking for the kind of stuff you can't get anywhere else in the world, and a more vibrant experience, throw yourself into the middle of one of Mumbai's famous bazaars. After all, odds are you didn't come to India to visit the Louis Vuitton boutique.
The city's department stores are good for one-stop shopping, and Fabindia and the Bombay Store both have a large number of branches in the city.
Throughout Mumbai many smaller shops are closed on Sunday (some of the suburbs are closed a different day: in Worli, up to Bandra, they're closed Monday; and in Bandra, up to the suburbs, they're closed Thursday, although many areas are also in the process of switching to Sunday). Malls, however, are open every day. They are especially crowded on the weekend (mall-gazing—that is, large-scale window shopping—has become a new Mumbai leisure activity).
Once you've exhausted Mumbai proper, you can venture out to the suburbs, where prices tend to be lower and the malls more numerous. Linking Road in Bandra is a trendy place to shop, and Juhu's main strip, Juhu Tara Road, is lined with cutting-edge new boutiques, shops, art galleries, and restaurants.
Some good and cheap Mumbai buys: silver jewelry, handicrafts, handloom cotton and silk clothing and household items, eyeglasses, DVDs, CDs, and books.
Muhammad Ali Road
Crowded, congested Muhammad Ali Road has some of the best eating in the city, especially if you go during Ramzan. For those strong of stomach, go to Haji Tikka (ask a resident, he's well known) for kheeri tikka, marinated cow udders grilled right in front of you. Or if it's late at night, to Valibhai Paayawala, where the meat is cooked through the day on coal fires, dum style, until it is soft, luscious, unresisting enough to fall off the bone at the slightest nudge and dissolve into the gravy. Order the paya (trotters), the pichota (oxtail), the nalli (thigh or shanks) or the topa (neck)---it doesn't matter which, but make sure to scoop it up with the fluffy, charred tandoori rotis. Finish the meal with hand-churned sancha ice-cream at Taj Ice Cream (they use a 120-year-old ice-cream making recipe)---the guava is a firm crowd favorite.
There's a whole row of food stalls all the way down—just follow your nose or go for the one with the longest line. If you're adventurous and relish food from regions far and wide, you won't be disappointed.
Nalli
The Mumbai branch of the famous Chennai store has a fair selection of classic silk saris. Have a look at the authentic gold-embroidered saris from Kanchipuram, in Tamil Nadu, as well as the Bangalore saris and the uncut silk sold by the meter.
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Phoenix Mills
This ever-expanding shopping, entertainment, and dining area in an old mill is an island of prosperity and chic modernity amid slums and industry. The complex is divided into different segments. Phoenix Mills itself has department stores like Big Bazaar, outlet clothing shop Pantaloons, and Hamley’s. Palladium is the luxury mall with stores like Burberry, Zara, Gucci, Diesel, and Royce, a company that sells high-end Japanese chocolates. High Street Phoenix features major international chains. If you get hungry, outlets of Jamie’s Pizzeria, Pret A Manger, IHOP, and McDonald’s, among many others, await.
Pooranawalla
This is a charming little antiques shop hidden away in Kala Ghoda’s warren of lanes, offering everything from stately Edwardian chairs to vintage postcards. To find it, be sure to get out of your car and walk: Dalal Street, on which Pooranawalla is located, is most easily accessible by foot. There is another branch in Goa.
Raghuvanshi Mills
Just a short walk from the vast Phoenix Mills is Raghuvanshi Mills, yet another converted mill compound with plenty of home decor stores, including the lush Good Earth. The Good Earth here is far larger than its sister stores elsewhere in the city, and definitely worth a visit.
Raymond
This outlet for Raymond Mills, which makes some of India's finest men's suits, can tailor a first-rate suit for about ₹10,000 in about a week. During the wedding season (winter) it can get very busy.
Sheetal
This is probably the best suit shop in Mumbai, with an extensive collection of fabrics and impeccable tailoring. You can get a full suit made here in about five days if you ask for it to be expedited, with a trial fitting, for about Rs. 15,000.
Sheikh Memon Street
On historic Sheikh Memon Street (named after a Sufi saint), you'll find plenty of smaller, cost-effective jewelry shops such as Zaveri Naran Das. Insist on knowing how many karats you're buying and whether or not the store will stand by the piece's purity. The street is also home to purveyors of all sorts of knickknacks such as toys, crockery, and sunglasses, many of which are sold wholesale for lower prices than elsewhere.
Tanishq
Owned by the Tata Group, a venerable and enormous Indian conglomerate whose founder built the Taj Mahal hotel, Tanishq is a reliable place to buy gold jewelry. The prices, however, are a little higher than elsewhere.
Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri
In business since 1865, this is said to be the largest jewelry showroom in India, with five floors of gorgeous 18-, 22-, and 24-karat gold, diamonds, and silver jewelry. It has many branches across the city.
Valliyan
Shoehorned into the iconic Rhythm House building in one of Mumbai’s most touristed localities, Valliyan by Nitya Arora is a magpie’s nest of jewelry. What it lacks in square footage, it makes up for in density of choice. The designs are futuristic and theatrical and have been worn by everyone from Frieda Pinto to Nicky Minaj. Keep an eye out for the Mumbai-inspired Bombay Gothic and Art Deco collections, and the bestselling Evil Eye rings, earrings, and bracelets.
Amrapali Creations
Very prompt and efficient, Amrapali Creations usually makes Indian clothes, such as salwar kameez and sari blouses, but if you give them a sample to copy they can make you a Western-style outfit.
Contemporary Arts and Crafts
There's a small but representative selection of Indian handicrafts at reasonable prices here.
Lunettes
A conveniently located, reasonable, and efficient eyeglass outlet.
Mysore Sales International
Regal silks from Mysore, in the southern state of Karnataka, are available here.
Rhythm House
If you want to take home some Indian recordings, especially classical music, head for local favorite Rhythm House; along with pop, jazz, and everything else, the beloved store has an excellent selection of pacca gana (classical vocal music), Indo-Western fusion music, Hindi film music, and Indian instrumental music, as well as English and Hindi DVDs and VCDs.
Trimourti
Browse Maharashtra crafts and an outstanding collection of statues, sculptures, and idols at Trimourti.
