Bandra West

Bandra was Portuguese before it was anything else. It came to Portugal with Salsette island in 1534, and the Jesuits and Franciscans who followed built St Andrew’s Church here in 1575 and the chapel on the hill that became the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount. The Catholic Marathi-speaking families they converted are the East Indians, and their villages — Ranwar, Chuim, Pali, Sherly — are still inside Bandra, lanes of low houses with crosses at the corners, surrounded now by towers.

The British took Salsette in 1774. The railway reached Bandra in 1864, and the suburb filled with the people who could afford to leave the island city — which is how it got the name Queen of the Suburbs. The reclamation along the western edge gave it Bandstand and Carter Road, and the film industry gave it everything else.

Today Bandra West carries the densest concentration of restaurants, bars and designer studios in the country. Hill Road and Linking Road are the most-shopped pavements in Mumbai. And once a year, for a week from the Sunday after 8 September, people of every faith climb the Mount Mary steps to the Bandra Fair.

Name	Where	What it is known for
St Andrew’s Church 1575	Hill Road, Bandra West	One of the oldest churches in the city; the East Indian parish.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount 1640, rebuilt 1904	Mount Mary Road, Bandra West	The church above Bandstand; the Bandra Fair runs for a week from the Sunday after 8 September.
Mount Mary steps	Bandra West	The approach; lined with wax-offering stalls during the fair.
Ranwar village	Bandra West	An original East Indian village; low houses, crosses at the corners, decorated and open at Christmas.
Chuim and Pali villages	Bandra West, Khar	The other surviving Bandra villages.
Carter Road and Bandstand	Bandra West	The reclaimed sea front; promenade, stalls and the film houses behind.
Bandra Fair September	Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount	A week from the Sunday after 8 September; attended by every community.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Mount Mary Basilica	Mount Mary Road, Bandra West	The Bandra Fair runs for a week after 8 September every year, drawing lakhs of people of every faith.
Bandra Fort 1640	Land’s End, Bandra West	Castella de Aguada, the Portuguese watchpoint over the Mahim bay. The amphitheatre and the sea wall are public.
Bandra station 1864	Bandra West	The railway reached Bandra in 1864 and turned a Portuguese village into the Queen of the Suburbs within a generation.
St Stanislaus High School 1863	Hill Road, Bandra West	One of the oldest schools in the suburbs, Jesuit-run.
Lilavati Hospital 1978	Bandra Reclamation, Bandra West	The private hospital most associated with the suburb.
Bandra Reclamation	Bandra West, towards the sea link	Reclaimed ground carrying the hospital, the Rang Sharda complex and the approach to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Linking Road and Hill Road	Bandra West	The most-shopped high street in the city; the pavement sells what the shops behind it sell, cheaper.
Linking Road independents	Bandra West	Multi-floor independent clothing stores alongside the chains.
Khar and Bandra designer studios	Khar West, Bandra West	The largest concentration of working designer studios in the city.
Anita Dongre	Khar West and Bandra	Ready-to-wear and bridal.
Bandra and Khar delicatessens	Bandra West, Khar West	Independent cheese, bread and cold-cut counters.
Bandra and Khar boutique jewellers	Bandra West, Khar	Contemporary and costume jewellery designers.
Bandra and Khar home stores	Bandra West, Khar	Smaller design-led home shops.
Bandra and Khar antique dealers	Bandra West, Khar	Smaller dealers in furniture and decorative pieces.
Bandra and Khar salons and beauty stores	Bandra West, Khar West	The densest concentration of salons in the city, serving the film trade.
Bandra and Khar wine shops	Bandra West, Khar West	The best imported selections in the suburbs.
Title Waves	St Andrews Road, Bandra West	A large suburban bookshop.
Trilogy 2012	Ambedkar Road, Bandra West	A small independent bookshop and lending library.

Name	Where	What it is known for
Lucky Restaurant 1938	near Bandra station, Bandra West	Biryani and Mughlai; a Bandra landmark, always full.
Soul Fry 1999	Pali Naka, Bandra West	Goan and coastal; casual, live music some nights.
Goan sausage and pao shops	Bandra West, Vasai	Dried sausage sold by weight; East Indian bakeries alongside.
Salt Water Cafe 2007	Bandra West	All-day European and Italian.
Bastian 2016	Bandra West	Seafood and grills, bar-led, late.
The Fatty Bao	Hill Road, Bandra West	Asian gastro-bar; bao, dim sum and sushi rolls.
Izumi 2017	Bandra West and Khar	A small owner-run kitchen that built the suburb’s sushi following.
Mizu Izakaya 2018	Bandra West	Izakaya format — small plates, sake and a late kitchen.
Kofuku 2016	Bandra and Khar	Japanese and pan-Asian at everyday prices for the category.
House of Mandarin	Bandra West	Dim sum; chilli oil dumplings and mushroom dumplings with porcini cream.
Khow Chow	near National College, Bandra West	Chinese with Burmese khow suey and a fried ice cream made in-house.
5 Spice	Bandra West and Andheri	Late-night Indian-Chinese in large portions.
Mamagoto	Bandra West and Andheri	Casual Southeast Asian and Chinese.
Persian Darbar	Bandra West, Andheri, Lokhandwala	Kebabs, biryani and Irani-style grills.
SodaBottleOpenerWala	Bandra West	A modern restaurant built on the Irani cafe idea.
Elco Market 1970s	Hill Road, Bandra West	Bandra’s chaat institution; a seated, hygienic version of the street counter.
Hill Road and Linking Road shawarma counters	Bandra West	The everyday version of this food, eaten standing.
Bandra and Khar bar kitchens	Bandra West, Khar, Lokhandwala	The densest concentration of burger-and-beer rooms in the city.
Hearsch Bakery 1936	Waroda Road, Bandra West	East Indian bakery; pao, patties, macaroons, plum cake at Christmas.
Candies 1989	Pali Hill, Bandra West	A Bandra institution; bakery, sandwiches and cakes in a rambling house.
A1 Bakery	Bandra West	Neighbourhood bread, cake and khari.
American Express Bakery 1908	Bandra	The suburban branch of the Byculla bakery.
Suzette 2009	Bandra West	Creperie and French cafe baking.
Le15 Patisserie 2011	Bandra and city-wide	Macarons and modern pastry.
Bandra and Khar chocolatiers	Bandra West, Khar	Small-batch and bean-to-bar makers.

Worth knowing

• Hill Road and Linking Road are different streets with different trades; both are walkable from the station.
• Bargain on the pavement. Start at about a third of the asking price.
• The East Indian villages — Ranwar, Chuim, Pali — are residential lanes, not an attraction. Walk, don’t photograph people’s homes.
• The Bandra Fair runs a week from the Sunday after 8 September.
• Bandra Kurla Complex is across the highway and is a different place entirely.
• Weekday afternoons are civilised; evenings and weekends the whole suburb is full.

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