Bandra is called the queen of Mumbai’s suburbs. The people who live here represent an eclectic mix of communities, professions, religions and now even nationalities. It is possibly Mumbai’s most cosmopolitan and free-spirited suburb.
Bandra has a huge proportion of creative folks – writers, artists, poets, visualisers, fashion designers, bloggers – who live and work out of here. Many of them prefer to head to Bandra’s many cafes to work. Most of these places are not too crowded during the day, a few offer free WiFi and all serve some pretty nice food.
Some of the popular spots are as follows:
Candies@McRonnel
It gets a bit crowded downstairs but the café offers ample seating on its upper floors. The food here is reasonably priced and the warm vibe is unbeatable. The chicken sandwiches and scrambled eggs make for a good breakfast and the double shot cappuccino can really fuel one’s creative juices.
Smokehouse Deli, Bandra
This is pretty empty in the mornings allowing one to work in peace. The seating is comfortable. They have a good range of eggs and serve some lovely pancakes too. The service is very friendly.
The Bagel Shop
With its free WiFi and cane chairs, The Bagel Shop has long been popular with people looking for a place to work out of. The wide range of bagels served here and fresh fruit juices keep one going while one chases deadlines. The Goan chorizo bagel here is an interesting fusion dish.
Gostana
This little café serving healthy burgers with steamed patties is a favourite with those who like to work undisturbed. It was one of the first cafes to offer free WiFi in bandra. You will often find the owner, Arpana, at the counter taking care of things. On a good day her Labrador, Apple and Beagle, Chikoo could be around too.
Birdsong Café
Bandra and Mumbai’s first organic café is located in the quiet lanes of Waroda Road. It is fairly empty during the mornings, the seating is comfortable, the WiFi is free and the food makes you feel nice and healthy. The thick hot chocolate makes for a good reward in the middle of a busy day at work.
Written By
Kalyan Karmakar authors the popular award winning blog, Finely Chopped and is an authority on the food of Mumbai. His extensive knowledge of the city's food scene has been featured in publications such as Femina, Mumbai Mirror and BCC Good Food. He was one of the founding critics of EazyDiner's Mumbai team.
