Mumbai Street Food

Mumbai eats standing up. The staple is vada pav, a spiced potato fritter in a soft bread roll with dry garlic chutney, sold outside every station for about the price of a bus ticket. Pav bhaji is the same bread flattened on a griddle beside a mashed vegetable curry loaded with butter. On the sand at Girgaon Chowpatty, chaat sellers assemble bhelpuri and sevpuri from puffed rice, chutney and raw onion to order, in about twenty seconds. During Ramzan the lanes off Mohammed Ali Road turn into an all-night grilling operation of kebabs, rolls and sweets. Portions are small and cheap, which is what makes a crawl possible.

What you actually see

• Vada pav - potato fritter in a bread roll with garlic chutney, sold outside stations all day long.
• Pav bhaji on the griddle - buttered bread and mashed vegetable curry cooked in front of you.
• Chowpatty chaat - bhelpuri and sevpuri built to order on the beach after sunset.
• The Ramzan night lanes - grilled meat, rolls and sweets sold late into the night off Mohammed Ali Road.

When to go

November to February keeps the humidity down, which matters a lot when you are eating outdoors. Evenings are the natural time, and Chowpatty only really wakes up after sunset. The Ramzan night food runs for a month whose dates shift each year. Avoid street food during the heavy monsoon, roughly June to September, when hygiene is harder to judge.

Honest expectations

Stomach trouble is a genuine risk: stick to stalls with high turnover and food cooked in front of you, and skip cut fruit and tap-water ice. Standing room only, no seating, no toilets. Chowpatty is crowded and the beach itself is not clean. Spice levels run higher than most visitors expect, and chutneys are made from raw ingredients.

Nearby

Marine Drive, Crawford Market and the Kala Ghoda streets are all within a short walk or taxi ride.