Famous Street Food of Mumbai [Popular Dishes]

Mumbai, a city that never sleeps, will also have its food ready on a platter when you need it. The street food that ranges from dynamic to complementary to contrasting flavours bustles with Konkani food delight and makes a culinary experience for both food lovers and travellers.

Moreover, with locals in town who belong to different socio-economic classes and ethnicities and religions, roadside food is a must for the Mumbaikars. So let’s find out what makes the mouth-watering food of the region the way it is!

1. Pani Puri

Rolled out bread balls that are deep-fried and filled with cut potatoes, chickpeas, onion and chillies, and panipuri are every Mumbaikars love at first sight! This flavourful dish is then dipped in a chutney masala with tamarind and served, bursting a bubble of surprise in your mouth.

2. Gola

If you have grown up in hot temperatures of Indian summer, you would know that Mumbai, with its coastal influx, needs more street food that helps beat the blues. The Ice Gola is an Ice shaped in a circle filled with colourful syrups and served alongside sweet and salty spices. Sometimes lemon is also added to give a nice tinge flavour.

3. Vada Pav

Nothing comes close to a street food delight, as would a Vada Pav. This Indian burger is a deep-fried potato fritter filled inside a pan-fried bun called Pao or Pav. Today, it is available with many variations like cheese, mayo, onion, and even chicken!

4. Rolls

The Mumbaikars also love their egg rolls, which are roti fried on tawa and warm, savoury fillings of delicious meat and bursting flavours. They are also served with lemon and vegetables on the side.

5. Chicken Lollipops

You heard it right; this sweet red chicken drumstick coated with a mixture of various spices and little sugar and served alongside ginger sauce is a meal to crave more and more!

6. Kebab

The street food of Mumbai is known for its incredible and indulging Mutton and Chicken Kebabs. Cooked on skewers over flames, the chicken or lamb are usually coated with yoghurt mixed spices and served alongside l non and cut onions.

7. Lassi

While Lassi is famous across North India, Mumbai lassi is a saffron flavoured yoghurt drink that helps you beat Bombay’s heatwave.

8. Bombay Duck

Unlike its name, it’s a red fired fish similar in taste to a chicken lollipop. The small strips of fish are crispy on the outside and flaky and soft on the inside, making it an absolute seafood lover's delight.

9. Fried Prawns

As the name goes, prawns are coated in spices and deep-fried. Juicy on the outside and soft on the inside. Once you have it, you will end up asking for more and more!

10. Pav Bhaji

A buttery textured, thick spicy tomato-based curry that you dip the red Pai into and have, is an explosion of unique flavours that add deliciousness like never before.

Why Establish a Mumbai Street Food Business?

1. Popularity: Because of its popularity and wide range of choices, Mumbai Street Food is the one go stop and serves to appeal to almost all consumer taste buds owing to its insane culinary infusions.  Moreover, as consumers are always looking for vibrant and dynamic flavours, Mumbai food, with its wide sweet and savoury compilations, serves such delights!

2. Suits everyone’s taste: Today, food empires are expanding. Mumbai food offers success as it is easily accessible to people's taste. Moreover, street food businesses must have very few investments and Mumbai food is always preferred as you have a range of choices.

3. Returns on Investments: The cuisine is more often innovated than any food cuisines globally and has already drawn credibility for itself. Setting a business that already is known and serves customers’ tastes will only bring better profits on investments.

How to Establish a Mumbai Street Food Business?

1. Find your Location of Operation: You need first formally to understand where to set up your street food business. This will help you find the customer’s choices and preferences. For example: whether to set up in a crowded city area or suburban locality.

2. The Setup: You also need to find the kind of street food business to set up whether it’s a vehicle, food truck or a small-sized shop.

3. Lookout for Competitions: You do not want to do the same thing as your Competitors, as then it will take the customers from your business. Therefore innovate your options and food choices and set up your name in the market.

4. Apply for licenses and permits: Many food carts need certain fire or road permits. Similarly, you might need software like POS systems to help you smoothly run your business.

5. Requisite Employees: Every small street food establishment needs either 1 or 2 employees. Therefore you need not hire more people than needed and drain your resources.

6. Equipment and Ingredients: You need to set up a business with easily accessible resources and equipment used for multi-purposes.

7. Look for Investments: Based on the above criteria, you will help you find your business’s investment needs. You can utilise the power of a digital medium to finance your establishment. Many startup related credit facilities are being offered nowadays. However, exercise caution to re-check and verify the validity also of such services.

Once you have established your business, you will see the profits within 6 months-1 years. You need not get worried if the returns are not showing in the first month itself. Continue your business and get 30% of profits guaranteed within 1 year!

Also read:

1) Famous Street Foods of Lakshadweep
2) Famous Street Food of Delhi
3) Famous Street Food of Kolkata
4) Famous Street Foods in Gujarat
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FAQs

Q. Why are the Famous Mumbai Street Food with Locals?

Ans. From the seafood of Bombay Duck and Fried Shrimp to the spicy Pav Bhaji, whether it be the Kebabs or Vada Pav, these street foods are an absolute delight to the Mumbai locals and travellers alike.

Q. What is special about Mumbai Street Food?

Ans. Mumbai street food is dynamic, vibrant and colourful.  It is easily affordable and appeals to everyone’s taste buds. Moreover, it makes it lucrative for business owners to invest in Mumbai Street Food with limited investment.

Q. What could the investment in Mumbai Street Food look like?

Ans. The best part of Mumbai street food is that you can innovate any recipe while retaining some original elements, making it appealing to every consumer in India or Abroad. Moreover, food ingredients are easily accessible everywhere.

Q. What could the projected profits look like?

Ans. The limited investments and easily accessible resources lead to high profit for business owners and make it easier to earn better profits. The return on Mumbai street food business investments can range anywhere between 30-50% within a year.

So with all this information, be ready to rack in investments into the street food business and make everyone more aware of the tastiest meals of Mumbai food!