Parsi & Irani in Mumbai

There is no other city in the world where you can eat this food properly. The Parsi restaurant and the Irani cafe are two different institutions. The first is a community kitchen serving dhansak, patra ni machhi and sali boti. The second is a corner cafe founded by Zoroastrian migrants from Yazd in Iran, serving chai, bun maska, mawa cake and a Continental menu, usually with bentwood chairs, marble-topped tables and a list of rules on the wall.

Both are shrinking in number. Bombay had several hundred Irani cafes in the 1950s and has a few dozen now. That is the best argument for eating at them this year rather than next.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Britannia & Co.1923	Wakefield House, Ballard Estate	Berry pulao, sali boti, caramel custard. The dish people cross the city for.
Jimmy Boy1925	Vikas Building, Bank Street, Fort	Lagan nu bhonu — the full Parsi wedding feast — served every day.
Ideal Corner	Gunbow Street, Fort	A small Parsi lunch room in an office lane; dhansak on Wednesdays, sali marghi, lagan nu custard.
Cafe Military1933	Ali Chambers, Medows Street, Fort	An Irani cafe of the plain unchanged kind; kheema pav, bhaji, beer.
Kyani & Co.1904	Jer Mahal, Dhobi Talao	One of the oldest Irani cafes in the city. Bun maska, mawa cake, akuri, Irani chai.
Sassanian Boulangerie1913	Dhobi Talao, near Metro Junction	Irani bakery and cafe; mawa cakes and khari biscuits.
B. Merwan & Co.1914	opposite Grant Road station	Mawa cakes from early morning until they are gone, usually by nine.
Yazdani Bakery1953	Cawasji Patel Street, Fort	Wood-fired oven; brun maska, ginger biscuits, apple pie, chai in a saucer.
Parsi Dairy Farm1916	Princess Street, Marine Lines	Mithai and dairy rather than a restaurant — mawa, kulfi, sutarfeni.
Ripon Club1884	Ewart House, Fort	A members’ club whose Wednesday dhansak is part of the city’s food calendar.
Cafe Universal1921	Fort, near CST	Irani room with a Continental menu, beer and marble tables.
Paradise1940s	Colaba Causeway	Parsi food in Colaba; dhansak, patra ni machhi, sali boti.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Sarvi Restaurant1921	Nagpada	Not Parsi but of the same restaurant generation; seekh kebab, bheja, khiri.
American Express Bakery1908	Byculla	An old bakery of the same tradition; bread, cakes, khari.
City Bakery	Byculla	East Indian and Irani bakery lines side by side.
Dadar Parsi Colony kitchens1920s	Dadar Parsi Colony	The residential heart of Parsi Bombay; the food here is domestic and catered rather than sold.

Name	Where	What it is known for
SodaBottleOpenerWala	Bandra Kurla Complex	A modern restaurant built on the Irani cafe idea; useful if you are in BKC and cannot get south.

Name	Where	What it is known for
SodaBottleOpenerWala	Bandra West	The suburban outlet.
Parsi caterers	Andheri, Santacruz, Bandra	Much of the best Parsi food in the suburbs is catered rather than sold in restaurants.

What to order

• Berry pulao at Britannia — made with barberries brought from Iran
• Dhansak on a Wednesday, which is when Parsi households traditionally eat it
• Bun maska and Irani chai at Kyani or B. Merwan, before ten in the morning
• Mawa cake at B. Merwan, sold from early morning until they run out
• Lagan nu bhonu — the wedding feast — served daily at Jimmy Boy
• Patra ni machhi, pomfret steamed in banana leaf with green chutney

Other cuisines

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