Food Secrets: These 10 Khau Gallis Are the Best Street Food Destinations in Mumbai

A foodie’s paradise, Mumbai’s Khau Gallis offer some of the most lip-smacking street food in the city. For the uninitiated, in Marathi, khau means treat and galli means a small lane.

A melting pot of cultures and refreshingly diverse influences, street food in Mumbai offers a unique potpourri of flavours that is incredibly satisfying. And Khau Gullies are where one can feel the pulse of Mumbai’s culinary culture.

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Khau Gallis are an integral part of Mumbai’s metropolitan culture. Usually located near railway stations, colleges and offices, these narrow bylanes, with their roadside carts and hole-in-the wall eateries, offer visual and gastronomic treats. Packed with crowds making beelines for their favourite snacks, sweets and more, Khau Gallis remain supremely busy from the lunch hours to when the clock strikes midnight.

The most inspiring thing about Khau Gallis is that they offer scores of variations of every dish available. On top of that these culinary delights satisfy your taste buds without burning too big a hole in your pocket!

Here’s a look at some of the popular Khau Gallis of Mumbai that you must check out on your next trip to the city.

1. Carter Road Khau Galli

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Cool sea breeze, young crowd and a great vibe – the Carter Road Khau Galli near the Bandra promenade offers more than just great food. Packed with famous street food joints and small eateries that serve up an explosion of flavours and textures, this Galli’s star attraction is the ubiquitous shawarma. The stalls also offer a wide range of other culinary delights, such as momos, falafels, wok-fried Chinese preparations, and spicy, lime sprinkled corn on a cob. Don’t forget to dig into scoops of frozen yogurts, sweet cupcakes or freshly made waffles for dessert.

Must try places:

• Carter’s Blue
• Kepchaki Momos
• Lassi Te Parrontthe

2. SNDT to Cross Maidan Khau Galli

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Popular with college students and office goers, this lane near Marine Lines is best for those late working hours. Manchurian rice, alu baby corn chaat, pav bhaji, cheese paneer frankie, and the Bombay sandwich are popular here. If you fancy a non-veg meal, cross over to the Cross Maidan for some delicious chicken curry with hot rotis. Or, if you need a quick fix, grab a butter pav and bhajiyas with a milkshake and you are good to go!

Must try places:

• Hans Ras Mandir
• Lenin Pav Bhaji Centre
• Raju’s Chinese

3, Ghatkopar Khau Galli

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If you are looking for delicious, vegetarian food then Ghatkopar should be on your list. The dish to watch out for at this Khau Galli is the ‘remix dosa’, guaranteed to make any dosa lover rejoice. The mind-boggling varieties of fresh, crisp dosas, stuffed with every kind of delicious filling, make Ghatkopar a must visit Khau Galli. Do not miss the out-of-the-world Cheese Burst Sada Dosa, the Thousand Island Dosa and Ice Cream Dosa !

Must try places:

• Jinny Dosa
• Sai Swad Dosa
• Hot Spot

4. Mohammed Ali Road Khau Galli

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Gastronomic heaven for meat lovers, the Khau Galli at Mohammed Ali Road provides a plethora of options for all kinds of foodies. From sizzling tikkas, fluffy naans, succulent kebabs, and mouth watering malpuas, there is something for everyone on this street that runs alongside Minara Masjid. However, the star of this eat street is the delectable Mughlai food, especially during Ramzan. Legendary restaurants sell Nalli Nihari and Haleem that are a favourite with Bollywood stars, and the famous Suleiman Bakery has the best phirni in the city.

Must try places:

• Bademiyan
• Noor Mohammedi Hotel
• Sulemaan Usmaan Mithaiwala

5. Kharghar Khau Galli

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The street near Utsav Chowk in Kharghar turns into a fully functional and chaotic Khau Galli in the evenings. A clean road, fresh air and a huge fountain in the middle of the road are just some of the incentives to attract people to this eat street for evening snacks. While you are here, head straight to the momo vendor who makes perfectly steamed momos with generous chicken and vegetarian fillings and serves them with a spicy Schezwan sauce.

Must try places:

• Darjeeling Sikkim Momos
• Kharghar Fry Corner
• Little China Fast Food

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6. Tardeo Khau Galli

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A Khau Galli in the heart of Mumbai, the Tardeo eat street, caters to office goers trying to catch a quick lunch. One can easily get a proper meal at Tardeo, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian, with something to cater to every taste – from puri bhaji and South Indian lunch thali to shawarmas and mutton biryanis.

Must try places:

• Sardar’s Pav Bhaji
• Mamaji’s Grill and Pizza
• Hotel Sai Gomantak Restaurant

7. Zaveri Bazaar Khau Galli

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Zaveri Bazaar is the popular jewellery, gold and diamond hub of Mumbai. The iconic Zaveri Bazaar Khau Galli is an integral part of it and never fails to deliver culinary delights to its customers at extremely pocket-friendly rates. Hungry businessmen and busy shoppers have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to the street food here, which is predominantly a blend of local and Gujarati flavours. Remember to try the unique pudla, kachoris, papdi and moong dhal bhajiyas, along with a cold badam shake or freshly pressed sugarcane juice at Zaveri Bazaar!

Must try places:

• Bhagat Tarachand
• Mohanbhai Pudlawala
• Jagannath Chaturbhuj

8. Princess Street Khau Galli

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Bang opposite the bustling Mangaldas Market lies a foodie’s paradise, the Princess Street Khau Galli. It has a decent collection of food stalls laden with a variety of freshly prepared snacks and beverages that cater to the hunger pangs of all the exhausted shoppers in the area. Take a break from shopping at Mangaldas and Crawford Market and try the dal pakwans, samosa toasts, badam barfis and the scrumptious ice halwas at these stalls.

Must try places:

• Parsi Dairy Farm
• Kitchen Garden’
• Chandu Halwai

9. Mahim Khau Galli

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Mahim Khau Galli is a legendary street food destination among Mumbaikars and tourists alike, especially for its mouth watering non-vegetarian fare. Once known as Balamia Road, Mahim Khau Galli is lined with stalls selling yummy eats like baida roti, khiri, sheekh, khichda ( a heavenly concoction of meat, lentils, rice and spice) and melt-in-the-mouth chicken tandoori. Don’t miss the mix ice-cream falooda and the dry kulfi falooda at Baba Falooda, the most famous falooda place of Mahim.

Must try places:

• Hussain Khichdawala
• Makhdoom Masahab
• Garib Nawaz

10. Chembur Khau Galli

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While Chembur Khau Galli isn’t always the easiest place to reach from other parts of Mumbai, it’s worth visiting over the weekend for a little slice of foodie heaven; it has speciality Sindhi and Punjabi eateries. Unlike most Khau Gallis in Mumbai that offer staples like Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav and various kinds of dosas; the unpretentious, hole-in-the-wall eateries here concentrate purely on regional specialities such as koki, kulchas, dal pakwas, and ragda pattice, along with an array of sweets.

Must try places:

• Bhat Vishranti Gruha
• Vig refreshments
• Sainath Dhaba

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Also Read: Street Eats : A Foodie’s Guide to Sarafa Market, Where Indore Comes Alive Every Night

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