5 Must Visit Maharashtrian Restaurants In Dadar

Dadar – this ever so busy suburb of Mumbai has played a pivotal role in the history of Mumbai and also plays an important role in connecting the different parts of the city with each other.
Besides being an important historical and geographical landmark of Mumbai, Dadar is famous for its eateries including a large number of eateries that serve the quintessential Maharashtrian Cuisine. Many of these restaurants which are more than 5 decades old serve a wide variety of lip smacking Maharashtrian fare ranging from Thalipeeth to Misal Pav to Wada Pav to Sabudana Wada to name a few.

We present 5 must visit Maharashtrian Food Joints in Dadar that will leave you asking for more courtesy their amazing and delicious variety of dishes.

1. Mama Kane’s Swatcha Uphar Gruha
   
   In 1910, Mr. Narayan Vishnu Kane moved from Pen to Mumbai and started Dakshini Brahmananche Swatcha Uphar Griha  to serve home cooked vegetarian meals to labourers who hailed from Konkan region and worked in and around Dadar. He started this venture as there was a severe paucity of such eateries in this vicinity during that time.
   Initially they served only tea and bhajiyas. But later, Narayan Kane’s son – Shankar Kane introduced Misal Pav and Batata Wada which made the hotel extremely popular in a short span of time. Incidentally, Shankar Kane’s nephews used to lovingly call him as Mama and later on so did the customers. And that’s how the hotel got it’s name – Mama Kane.
   Must Have Dishes: Thalipeeth, Misal Pav
   Address: 222, Smruti Kunj, Tulsi Pipe Road, Senapati Bapat Marg, Dadar (West)
2. Panshikar and Co
   
   In the year 1931, Bhalchandra Panshikar migrated from Panshi village (located on the Goa – Maharashtra border) to Mumbai with an intent of earning a better livelihood.
   He soon established Panshikar and Co a traditional Maharashtrian Snacks & Sweets Restaurant in Dadar. which soon became a big name and an integral aprt of Dadar’s culinary history.
   In its 87 years of existence, the restaurant has come to be counted amongst one of the best restaurants in Mumbai and Dadar serving traditional Maharashtrian snacks and sweets.
   Their most popular dishes include the Puneri Misal, Thalipith, Batata Wada (Potato Fritters) and Puri Bhaji.
   Like several Maharashtrian restaurants, they also have a special menu dedicated to people who keep a Upavas (fast). This menu includes Farali Misal, Sabudana Wada (Sago Fritters) and Farali Pattice.
   Among their sweets, the Dink Laadu (a traditional Maharashtrian sweet which is made from jaggery and coconut among others), Kandi Naram Pedhe and Anjeer Barfi are the most popular and the ones which their loyal patrons swear by.
   Presently the restaurant is being managed by the 4th generation members of Bhalchandra Panshikar’s family and has preserved and continues to serve authentic delicacies.
   Must Have Dishes:  Puneri Misal Pav, Thalipeeth, Kothimbir Wadi
   Must Have Sweets: Dink Laadu, Anjeer Barfi, Kandi Naram Pedhe
   Address: Gananath Building, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lokmanya Tilak Colony, Dadar West

    

3. Aaswaad
   
   Mr. Srikrishna Sarjoshi wanted to start a restaurant that would provide quality Maharashtrian food that would be served in a clean and comfortable environment and would cater to a large audience.
   And thus he established Aaswad Restaurant in the year 1986.  And within a short span of time, the restaurant which was originally located diagonally opposite of the Sena Bhavan in Dadar has grown from a modest space to an air conditioned restaurant with a very large dining space.
   Among their dishes, while the Misal Pav, Thalipeeth, Dalimbi Usal and Matki Usal are popular and extremely yum, we recommend the Bharli Vangi (Stuffed Brinjal), Varan Bhaat and Zhunka Bhakar.
   Varan Bhaat is a part of the Traditional Maharashtrian cuisine and includes a simple dal which is prepared from toor dal and seasoned with mustard seeds, curry leaves and served with plain rice and ghee.
   Similarly, Zhunka Bhakar is an important of the staple Maharashtrian cuisine. Zhunka is prepared from besan or gram flour, green chillies, onions and served with Bhakri – a flat Indian bread made out of Jowar or Flour.
   Must Have Dishes:  Bharli Vaangi, Zhunka Bhakar, Varan Bhaat
   Address: 61, Sadanand, Opp. Amar Hind Mandal, Gokhale Road (North), Dadar (West)
4. Prakash Restaurant
   
   In 1947, Shivram Govind Joglekar launched Prakash Dugdha Mandir in Girgaum, a small outlet that served tea, milk and Piyush among other dishes.
   Later in the year 1971, he started Prakash Restaurant in Dadar, a no frills enterprise that serves a host of traditional Maharashtrian Dishes which include Puri Bhaji, Masale Bhat, Misal Pav and Alu Wadi. Located at Ranade Road in Shivaji Park, the restaurant is extremely popular and is flocked by several patrons who swear by their food. Their customers also include several celebrities including Sachin Tendulkar. While we love almost all the dishes served by them, we cant recommend enough of their thecha – the super spicy accompaniment which is served along with several traditional dishes.In our opinion, nothing comes close to the thecha served at Prakash.
   What also caught our attention is that Prakash is perhaps the only restaurant that serves Misal without the Pav.
   Must Have Dishes:  Misal, Pohe, Piyush, Masale Bhaat
   Address: Horizon Towers, Ranade Road, Shivaji Park, Dadar (West)
5. Gypsy Corner
   
   Gypsy Corner is run by Rahul Limaye who took over the contract of running Gypsy Corner in 1981 after graduating from Dadar Catering College. Initially, Gypsy served Juices and Pav Bhaji, but Limaye was keen to experiment with the dishes. And so he began selling grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and later started the popular Gypsy Chinese Corner and turned it into an American fast food corner which was well known for its grilled lamb chops and crunchy chicken.
   A few years later, Limaye and his wife Smita, decided to convert Gypsy Corner into a Maharashtrian restaurant. They observed that the traditional Maharashtrian places such as Prakash and Mama Kane had still the old-world charm and served the same set menu of vada pav, missal and Piyush among other staple Marathi dishes. And thus the current and extremely popular menu of Gypsy’s Marathi dishes was born.
   Since then, Gypsy Corner has become a hot favourite for Upvas (fasting) food. Their trademark and popular dishes include Thalipeeth, Misal, Sabudana Wada and Bharli Wangi among others.
   Must Have Dishes: Wangyache Bharit, Masale Bhat, Dalimbi Usal, Kalaa Vatana Ussal, Khamang Kakdi
   Address: 120, Keluskar Rd, Shivaji Park, Dadar West