Mumbai’s food and bar scene thrived in 2025 with regional flavours and more

Better togetherThis year was great for Mumbairsquos food and drink landscape and for India overall feels Gresham Fernandes of Bandra Born ldquoThe pool of chef talent is steering clear from the generic commercial menus and taking their passions to the next level Bandra itself has regional Thai cuisine at Bangg oldschool global hits at Kasperrsquos and Mexican at Mezcalita A good FampB programme doesnrsquot always mean transformation Most times it is about serving a better version without adding something new Across India NVU Project and Lupa in Bengaluru are speaking the same languagerdquo says FernandesTribal Negroni and Mahua Combo ShotBar popups took off ldquoWe hosted a few from Thailand and South East Asia In turn it was heartening to see international bar teams raise an interest in our Mahua cocktails Wersquore pouring Sazarac as well as Last Word a ginbased cocktail from the Prohibition Era with the tribal spirit says a lotrdquo he adds For Fernandes the highlight is the camaraderie among chefs who are extending support and sharing local vendors making kitchen life easy ldquoWe want everyone to do betterrdquoGresham Fernandes and Rahul PunjabiThe footprint is expanding across the city too With Rahul Punjabirsquos Bang Bang Noodle making the trek to Goregaon and NESCO turning into an FampB hub Fernandes also confirms they are looking to open Smoke House Deli in Borivli ldquoTake Abhishek Tulaskarrsquos The Maratha Kitchen that is serving Maharashtrian including Kolhapuri food like never beforerdquo he says adding ldquoThe locavore movement that is bringing in tribal ingredients and foods into different menus will continue to grow The pie has become smaller and micro eateries will rule the yearrdquo Clean eatingCocktails Shiso Sonic and Minus PICS COURTESYCHAIYOSChef Ajay Chopra who has partnered with Paashh that focuses on nourishing meals makes an interesting observation ldquoFocus on health has become more precise From being conscious eaters people have become conscious readers of labels It is not just about the calorie count anymore Guests are curious about the origins of their food use of organic produce and lactofermented elementsrdquo he shares This year regional cooking became global ldquoIt was assumed regional food is for home But in the last year wersquove seen the rise of many restaurants and many popups and home chefs who are doing their regional food That was the trend high point that will continuerdquo he saysAjay ChopraAt Paashh they use products from Koji Boy a Goan fermentary that crafts products using koji ldquoWe enquire about season products here We also check out Groundup Chef Punersquos experimental kitchen and fermentary by Gayatri Desai for her sriracha or strawberry ketchup and improvise For summer I am already fermenting beetroot pickle which will be ready to use in a carpacciordquo says Chopra who calls this an exciting timeOn the bars frontA spread of dim sumsWhile Gen Zers may be drinking more coffee than alcohol the shift has upped the demand for premium liquors for the want of quality drinks This along with zero proof menus that are striving to identify as anything more than just a mocktail or juiceDeepthi NairCocktaildriven bars are also on a rise and bar chefs have realised wellmade simple drinks drives in the crowd Chef Karan Bane has designed a bar programme for Chaiyo bar at Seefah ldquoOur bar ideology was always to use the kitchen ingredients in cocktails and give them a different taste while keeping flavours clean We never add chilli in our cocktails because our food is already flamboyant with the use of Thai herbs and spicesrdquoA lunch spread at Rameshwaram Cafeacutersquos Bengaluru outlet PICS COURTESYtherameshwaramcafe Wikimedia CommonsReadytoeat elevatedFrom fermentaries to pickles our pantries have never been more tempting All monsoon a jar of stone ground mango and raw mustard spread by Smallbatchin accompanied our mealsRagi MuddeChefs craft gourmet cooking and dipping sauces to help ease and elevate home cooking Happy Monk made sure our cravings for dimsums were satiated Founder Deepthi Nair has created 17 variations as a frozen product ldquoIt goes through a natural preservation process without preservatives We blastfreeze it to 35 degrees Our clients are welltravelled and love eating good food at homerdquo says Nair Breaking the fourth wall Gaurav Dabrai cofounder Eateratti Experiences Fampb Strategy is excited to see a rise in patrons being open to different cuisines ldquoGuests are confident to walk into smaller restaurants which wasnrsquot the trend earlierrdquo says DabraiRaghavendra Rao and Sushmita SarmahldquoEntertainment has also become a key draw along with food and service Food at events has also improved Earlier people were more concerned about being seen Organisers are paying attention to food and presentationrdquo says Dabrai who set up a 100day bar in collaboration with G5A this July In summer 2026 he is coming out with a micro eatery and cocktail bar in South MumbaiGet set for eventbased food experiences which offers a new way to discover food Cofounders Sushmita Sarmah and Prasad Ramamurthy of The Gathering that held its first edition in Delhi brings its taste to Mumbai in January The event partners chefs with artists to curate a foodmeetsarts experience ldquoChefs are conserving traditions experimenting with flavours and techniques and therefore making space for what makes them unique Shared experiences around a table make people be part of a narrative rather than just have a mealrdquoSimply southWersquore all craving South Indian beyond idlidosa The wait for Rameshwaram Cafeacute to open its doors at Eros this January makes us drool more Founder Raghavendra Rao says ldquoSouth Indian food is no longer restricted to the four states mdash It has become wholly Indian by demand Every Indian wants to know more about the dishes and even globally so For Mumbai in addition to the usual suspects the menu will feature Ragi Mudde a dense round dumpling Gongura Rice from Andhra and Telangana and Avakai Muddapappu from Andhra Pradesh Wersquoll serve a different rasam every dayrdquo says Rao