Mohammed Ali Road Kebabs, Mumbai

For eleven months of the year Mohammed Ali Road is a traffic artery through the old city. For the month of Ramzan it becomes the largest open-air kitchen in India, running from sunset until three or four in the morning, and the food sold there is not sold at any other time.

The stretch runs from Minara Masjid north through Bohri Mohalla and Bhendi Bazaar. Go after nine, go hungry, and do not plan to sit down.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Minara Masjid lane	Mohammed Ali Road	The centre of it. Seekh, boti, tikka, baida roti, malpua, firni.
Bohri Mohalla	off Bhendi Bazaar	Dawoodi Bohra cooking — smoked kheema, raan, bara handi.
Noor Mohammadi Hotel1923	Chowk Bazaar, Bhendi Bazaar	Sit-down, all year; nihari and chicken sanju baba.
Surti Bara Handi	Bohri Mohalla	Twelve pots of slow-cooked trotters and offal, from midnight.
Sarvi Restaurant1921	Nagpada	Seekh kebab from a kitchen a century old, open all year.
Bademiya1946	Tulloch Road, Colaba	The Colaba equivalent; a pavement kebab stall since 1946, open late every night.
Cafe Noorani1923	Haji Ali	Kebabs and rolls at the Haji Ali junction.

Worth knowing

• Ramzan is the month. Outside it, go to Noor Mohammadi, Sarvi or Bademiya instead.
• Start at Minara Masjid and walk north; do not try to drive.
• Malpua and firni at the end, from a sweet stall, is the correct order of things.
• Aflatoon and phirni are Ramzan-only. So is most of the best of it.

The other dishes

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