Best Family Restaurants in Mumbai
Buffets, mall restaurants and big tables: where to eat in Mumbai with children, parents or a group, and what to check before you go.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Eating out as a family in Mumbai usually means one of two things: a buffet, or a mall. The buffet is the local default for a big table, because it solves the problem of feeding people who want completely different food. The mall is the practical choice with small children, because of the lift, the pram access, the toilets and the parking, none of which the older standalone restaurants can be relied on for.
- Average cost
- ₹1,500 to ₹4,000 for a family of four
- Duration
- 1 to 2 hours
- Dress code
- Casual
- Best times
- Sunday brunch, booked in advance, Early evening, before the queue, Weekday lunch, for a quiet room
Our picks (24)
Lake View Cafe
The Bombay Canteen
O Pedro
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Ram Ashraya
Yauatcha Mumbai
Copper Chimney
Dakshinayan
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Delhi Se..
Global Fusion
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Persian Darbar, Lokhandwala
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Shenoy's
Americano
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Cafe Churchill
Corkage & Co
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Crystal Restaurant Chowpatty
Fifty Five East
Kyani & Co.
Moti Mahal
Nav Chaitanya
Prithvi Cafe
Samrat
Shree Thaker Bhojanalay
The Goose and Gridiron
The Punjabi's Kitchen & Bar
Where in the city
- Lower Parel
- Palladium and the surrounding mill compounds: the densest cluster of family restaurants in the city, all with parking underneath.
- Andheri and Malad
- The western suburb malls. Convenient if you are staying north, and busy at weekends.
- Powai
- Hiranandani Gardens, where the restaurants sit along walkable streets rather than inside a mall.
- Juhu and Bandra
- Beachside cafes and the hotel coffee shops, which are the calmest option with a toddler.
What to expect
Big tables, loud rooms and staff who are used to children. Most places will happily bring food for a child before the rest of the table, and split a bill without complaint.
Highlights
- Buffets that solve a mixed table
- Mall restaurants with parking and pram access
- Sunday brunch, the local institution
- Vegetarian and Jain options as standard
Tips
- Buffets are the sensible choice for a mixed table, and Sunday brunch is the institution. Book it, because the good ones fill by Friday.
- Highchairs are reliable in hotels and mall restaurants and scarce in older standalone places. Ask when you book rather than when you arrive.
- On a weekend, be seated before 8pm or expect to wait. Mumbai eats late and the wait at 9pm can be an hour.
- Portions are generous and sharing is normal. Order less than you think and add to it.
- Vegetarian food is everywhere and well made, not an afterthought. Jain food is widely available if you ask.
Booking tips
- Give the real head count, including children, so they seat you properly.
- Ask about the buffet price for children; many charge half under a certain height or age.
- For more than eight people, ask whether there is a set menu, which is usually faster and cheaper.
- Check parking before you drive. In Bandra and Juhu it is the deciding factor.