Mumbai has a sizeable Muslim population and there are specific areas like Bohri Mohalla, which few people know about and where the tavas are forever sizzling and tandoors crackling and emitting aromas that entice you to sample scrumptuous foods after sundown. This is the month of Ramadan or Ramzan as they call it here and this is when iftari packs are now becoming popular in some of the best restaurants in Mumbai. You can get a variety of Bohra, Mughlai, Surti, Moradabadi, North Indian style and even irani style Ramzan foods at some of the top restaurants in Mumbai. 

If you think Best is synonymous with Expensive or classy, you might be mistaken when it comes to iftari foods. Some of the best such foods originated in the bylanes of Central and South Mumbai and made their way into top restaurants in Mumbai, no doubt spurred by popular demand for food by people who would like to eat them in more congenial surroundings.

What should you eat? The traditional dates, fruits, sweets, naans and meat curries and biryani? There is more to iftari foods than you imagine. It could be a sumptuous spread if you like or a simple wholesome and hearty meal. Nothing like paaya. Paaya is the hoof or trotters typically simmered throughout the night in a large handi (pot) and it is said to be good for your bones and joints.  Talking of handis you must visit a joint with barah handis or twelve pots in which 12 different types of non-veg foods are cooking, each with its distinctive flavor. Give yourself a visual and gastronomic treat. Order out each and guzzle the flavorsome gravy and meat falling off the bone. Watching the cook dip his long handled spoon into each handi and expertly prepare a cocktail of cuisines can be a sight worth watching. This is something you may not get in the top restaurants in Mumbai but if want a superior experience, these tucked in the corner holes could well be the best restuarants in Mumbai for you.

You are not a full blown mughlai or non-veg foodie until you have samples nalli nihari. Nalli is the bone with buttery marrow inside. The dish is served piping hot, straight from a pot boiling over glowing embers. You pick the nalli, place one end in your mouth and suck. The marrow pops into your mouth and melts. Simply heavenly. Go even better and sample bheja nalli nihari, a mix of brains, marrowy bones and tender meat in a flavorful gravy. Perhaps you could find an equivalent in a top restaurant in Mumbai. Round it off with some chicken or mutton biryani, mughlai style, not hyderabadi style.

Now it is time for dessert. You can take your pick of mawa jalebi and nukti or sample malpua with rabdi, a nawabi delight. Something unique to South Mumbai is Fatima Bibi’s saandal, a rice, sugar and cream concoction you won’t find elsewhere. Devout muslims can fast and pray and devout foodes can feast and splurge during Ramzan in Mumbai at some of the best restaurants in Mumbai