Last winter, I bumped into a photographer friend, Kiran Mungekar who I know from the Mumbai Weekend Shoot, at Kala Ghoda. It was good to see him after a few years.
Since it was almost lunch time and we were hungry, we wanted to have a proper meal and decided to head to Pancham Puriwala. Many of us associate North Indian food with Punjabi food. However, there is a whole bunch of other regional food that is often ignored.
Pancham Puriwala serves authentic UP style meals. A bit on the spicy side, but it is a very satisfying meal if you are hungry. This place, started in 1848, grew from small puri bhaji stall outside CSMT to a 2 storey eatery in over 100+ years. It could be possibly one of the oldest eateries in Mumbai that still exists. This is a no-frills, budget eating place with waiting times upto 20~30 minutes during peak hours.
The food is very fresh - hot puris from the kadhai to your plate. While they have different combinations on the menu, my favourite is the special Thali which was served with a variety of puris, bhindi, raswale aloo, chole, rajma, paneer, dal, raita, dahi vada, gulab jamun and Pulao.
There are lighter meal options if you have less appetite. Overall, very tasty food if you are in for something real desi.
Address: Pancham Puriwala, 8, 10, Perin Nariman St, Borabazar Precinct, Ballard Estate, Gate, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001