Neighbourhoods
Fort and Colaba
Mumbai’s oldest – and liveliest – precincts.
Fort is the birthplace of Bombay, on one of seven islands that were connected to make the city a fortified trading port of the British East India Company. Built in the early 20th century in the Edwardian style, Ballard Estate was Fort’s first planned precinct for mercantile activity. The area is now home to art venues such as Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke – a champion of South Asian artists, which helped introduce Bhupen Khakhar and Shilpa Gupta to the West – and avant garde agency Chatterjee & Lal. On your way up to the latter’s third-floor location, you can see (and smell) Gujarati-language newspaper Mumbai Samachar’s printing press at work. For some retail therapy, pop into architect Rooshad Shroff’s studio, where he combines various crafts such as carpentry and hand embroidery.
Then head south into Colaba, which was once a flourishing fishing hamlet thanks to the nearby ports. Grab a coffee or a coffee-based cocktail at Araku, a café and roastery whose high-quality beans originate from tribe-managed lands in eastern India. Colaba is also home to Mumbai’s art district, where more than a dozen galleries are within walking distance of each other. Check out Jhaveri Contemporary and Gallery Maskara, as well as the collectable design pieces at Aequo. By day’s end, dine at the members-only Royal Bombay Yacht Club, which serves Anglo-Indian fare such as eggs kejriwal (toast with fried egg topped with cheese and green chillies). Alternatively, reserve a window spot at The Table, where past hits have included Kashmiri morel-mushroom risotto and pan-roasted Cornish hen.
Ranwar
Village charm with the convenience of the city.
In northern Mumbai’s Bandra suburb, Ranwar is a former fishing hamlet inhabited by the east Indian Catholic community. Though the village has been subsumed by the city, you still get a feel of the susegaad (laid-back) life when you stroll through the pedestrian-only core, where elderly aunties dry shrimp in the afternoon sun, garlanded crucifixes and icons are found on street corners and Konkani music lilts through open windows.
Here you’ll find Capsul, a shop specialising in streetwear and lifestyle labels from India and overseas – Komono from Antwerp, London’s No Problemo and Mumbai’s Jaywalking among them – and there’s competition next door at Veg Non Veg. Get your caffeine fix at Mary Lodge by Subko, which has been remodelled by Mumbai’s Stand Design, and order a drip microlot coffee whose beans come from southern India. There are more speciality brews down the road at Veronica’s, where chefs also assemble what is arguably the city’s best pastrami sandwich. Also make sure to visit Kobe, which serves a unique Bombay dish called a “sizzler”: expect meats and vegetables served on a hot iron pan and lathered in sauce.
Churchgate
The destination for Unesco-listed art deco architecture and culture.
Spreading westwards from Fort, this area was reclaimed from the Arabian Sea in the 1860s and today is home to some of Mumbai’s priciest real estate. A gentle stroll along the Oval Maidan, a heritage sporting ground, is a great way to see a mix of Unesco-listed, late-19th-century Victorian gothic architecture, alongside the city’s take on art deco. One such landmark is Eros Cinema, which was built in 1938. Now it houses not only a modern multiplex but also Swadesh’s flagship, a shop for Indian handicraft objects and textiles. Along the road are restaurants that many Mumbaiites frequent: try Gaylord, which serves lobster thermidor, classic shepherd’s pie and chicken Kyiv. Also check out Sobo 20 for Gallic-Creole staples, including gumbo with andouille sausage and okra.
In the evening, head to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Nariman Point, where you can watch experimental theatre and opera. Within the centre is Flint, which offers a menu that focuses on smoking, grilling and charring: there’s Texas-style barbecue ribs, a Cubano sando with smoked pulled pork and charred corn empanadas with manchego cheese. The cocktail to order is the bacon-washed bloody mary with mustard, dark soy and feta.
