Gujarati, Rajasthani & Jain in Mumbai

The Gujarati thali is a Mumbai institution because the city’s trading population is Gujarati. The older places are not restaurants in the ordinary sense: they are bhojanalayas, boarding houses that fed clerks and traders and simply never stopped. Food is served unlimited, it changes by the day and the season, and most will cook Jain on request — without onion, garlic or root vegetables.

The best of them are in the cloth-market lanes at Kalbadevi, upstairs, with no sign worth speaking of. Go at lunch; several do not serve dinner at all.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Shree Thaker Bhojanalay1945	Dadiseth Agiary Lane, Kalbadevi	An unlimited Gujarati thali upstairs in the cloth market. Book ahead; lunch only most days.
Friends Union Joshi Club1920s	Narottam Wadi, Kalbadevi	A first-floor bhojanalaya, one of the oldest in the city and still hard to find.
Thackers1945	Marine Lines	Gujarati and Rajasthani thali; long-running and consistent.
Golden Star Thali1980s	Charni Road	Gujarati thali near the station; large and unhurried.
Chetana1946	Kala Ghoda	Gujarati and Rajasthani thali with a bookshop and craft store attached.
Soam2004	opposite Babulnath Temple, Chowpatty	Gujarati and Jain food a la carte rather than as a thali; a lighter modern take.
Swati Snacks1963	Tardeo	Gujarati street food served properly seated; panki, pav bhaji, dahi puri.
Status Restaurant	Nariman Point	Thali and Gujarati snacks for the office district.
Samrat1960s	Churchgate	Gujarati thali; a Churchgate landmark.
Panchvati Gaurav	Charni Road	Gujarati thali, generous, with a Rajasthani section.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Rajdhani Thali1960s	Lower Parel and city-wide	The chain version — reliable Gujarati and Rajasthani thali.
Dadar and Matunga Jain kitchens	Dadar, Matunga	Jain-adapted cooking for the resident communities.
Farsan shops	Dadar West, Prabhadevi	Khaman, patra, fafda; busiest before festivals.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Panchvati Gaurav	Vile Parle West	Vile Parle is strongly Gujarati and the food follows.
Rajdhani Thali	Andheri, Juhu, Bandra	The chain across the western suburbs.
Vile Parle farsan and mithai shops	Vile Parle East and West	Some of the best farsan in the city, and a heavy Diwali trade.
Jain kitchens	Khar, Santacruz, Andheri	Pure vegetarian and Jain-adapted, often without a sign.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Borivali and Kandivali thali houses	Borivali West, Kandivali West	The heart of Gujarati and Jain Mumbai; most kitchens are pure vegetarian by default.
Malad Gujarati kitchens	Malad West	Thali and farsan alongside the malls.
Farsan and mithai trade	Borivali, Kandivali, Malad	Volume farsan, especially through the festival season.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Ghatkopar thali houses	Ghatkopar East and West	Gujarati and Jain food, and one of the strongest farsan trades in the city.
Mulund kitchens	Mulund West and East	Gujarati, Jain and Marwari cooking.
Ghatkopar khau galli	Ghatkopar East	An evening street-food lane, entirely vegetarian.

What to order

• An unlimited thali at Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, Kalbadevi — book ahead
• Farsan — khaman, patra, khandvi, fafda — from the Ghatkopar and Vile Parle counters
• Undhiyu in winter, when it is in season and worth eating
• Jain food asked for as Jain — the kitchens know the difference from ‘no onion no garlic’
• Dal dhokli and Gujarati kadhi, the two dishes that tell you if a kitchen is serious

Other cuisines

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