Matunga was laid out under the same 1899 Improvement Trust scheme as Dadar, and filled with Tamil, Kannada and Malayali families who came to work in the city’s offices and mills. It became the South Indian quarter of Mumbai and still is: the Udupi restaurants around King’s Circle — Cafe Madras, Cafe Mysore, Ram Ashraya, Mani’s — the temples, the flower and banana-leaf market, and Ruia and Podar colleges.
The Five Gardens, five circular gardens laid out at the junction with the Parsi Colony, are the centre of the planned suburb, and the Sunday morning crowd at the Udupi rooms is one of the city’s fixed habits.
What is here
The landmarks and institutions the locality is known for| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Cafe Madras 1940 | King’s Circle | The Udupi room the others are measured against. |
| Cafe Mysore 1936 | King’s Circle | Udupi; the other old one. |
| Ruia College and Podar College 1937 / 1941 | Matunga | The two colleges that made Matunga a student locality. |
| Matunga flower and vegetable market | Matunga | Banana leaves, jasmine and the South Indian kitchen’s shopping. |
| Five Gardens 1920s | Matunga / Dadar Parsi Colony | The five garden squares at the centre of the planned suburb. |
On this site
18 places in Matunga King s Circle already written up here — shops, eating houses, markets and institutionsRelated pages
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A note on this page. A short page, by design: what the locality is, what it is known for, and the places on this site that are in it. The seven localities written street by street are on the Localities page. WelcomeToMumbai.in is independent, takes no commission and does not rank or endorse.