Ah, Fat Finger Syndrome. That definitely explains it.
Of the many, many amazing things about India, here we are discussing broccoli 
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You could even say “Of the many amazing b
cruciferous vegetables in India, here we are discussing broccoli.”
Yeah - didn’t really anticipate a thread drift to broccoli. Mea culpa.
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You got most of my favorite mumbai restaurants 
I would also add: Cafe Madras in Matunga (or you can pick your favorite from one of the multiple excellent places in that area: Cafe Mysore, Ram Ashrey, Arya Bhavan et al)
Prakash or Aaswad for Mahasratrian in Dadar (or Aram if you are near VT)
Guru Kripa in Sion for their Samosas and Sindhi Food
Both Bandra and the fort area have excellent “western style cafes”. I’ve had breakfast at a couple of cafes in Fort (NutCracker, Kala Ghoda Cafe etc) and while not a must-go-to, good options if u r spending a long time in Mumbai
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I love biriyani. I always eat too much of it when visiting family in Kolkata. The typical Kolkata biriyani is a very different beast to what you get in other parts of India - a bit milder and lighter in colour, with (shock, horror!) big chunks of curried potato lurking within alongside the meat (if you get 2 pieces of meat in the serving, it’s ‘special’ biriyani!).
I buy Shaan brand ‘Bombay biriyani’ masala in a box to occasionally make biriyani at home and it is a much stronger spice mix than you would use to make Kolkata-style biriyani. I believe Bombay biriyani is a category of biriyani in its own right, but I might be mistaken. I did a Google search for ‘best Bombay biriyani in Mumbai’ and got a Google map with some interesting results, but I’m not sure they are all for Bombay-style biriyani. On a reddit thread (I’m not very familiar with using reddit), there was a lot of support for BBC (Borivali Biriyani Centre) Mira Road being the best. But it is miles away from anywhere we would be staying. I know I can get really top notch biriyani in the 5-star hotels with in-house restaurants specialising in North Indian or Hyderabadi cuisine, But I’m looking for a homespun Bombay biriyani. I’m going to look up the more interesting sounding restaurants on this Google map which are near where we might be staying. One of the places is called ‘Biriyani by kilo’ - that’s a philosophy I can get behind!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dke2ZP6Ly1Q9KyFB9
Hmmm. I just tested this Google Maps link and it is not showing all the restaurants I could see when I first created this post using my laptop (now I’m reading this on my phone). Google Maps is still a bit of a challenge for me - I get the feeling I’m not maximising its potential.
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I love potato in biryani.
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I have had biryanis in Maharashtra with potatoes in them. For certain large parties my family used to hire a specialized biryani chef, and he put potatoes in this. Ah, the aromas from his large pot as the food cooked on the sigdi!
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My Dad had a grand plan to try every “biryani of significance” in India. He wasn’t a huge fan of biryani with potatoes, but he nobly put aside his biases in service to the mission and tried several Bombay-Style biryanis in Mumbai. His list has a check for the places he tried, two checks for the places he tried that were good, and a check and a star for places he found to have incredible biryani. A downward arrow indicates a real dud.
None of the Bombay-style biryanis he tried over the years got the star, but, FWIW, Aflatoon Family Restaurant (mainly a Malvani seafood place that also serves a solid BB) and Ayub (mainly a late-night kebab place) got a respectable two checks. (Sadly, Biryani Daawat got a downward arrow.) The list is several years old, so if you want to try any of these places, best to call and confirm that they still exist and that they still serve Bombay Biryani.
Happy eating!
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That’s a worthy goal, but also a very ambitious one. Did he really travel all over the country eating biryani?
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I’ve been following this YouTube channel and maybe the places listed would be helpful for Mumbai biryani?
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Yes, he did. He’d go once or twice a year with an itinerary of all the biryanis he would try on that trip. Cholesterol be damned!
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Your dad sounds like an intrepid Chowhound!
I’ve looked up the two places you mentioned in your post - they both still seem to be in operation. Aflaatoon Family Restaurant appears to be located in Thane, so will probably be too far for us to consider on our short trip. It was the subject of this tempting Instagram reel:
Ayub’s is in Kala Ghoda, where we will probably spend some time because my husband loves modern art and it seems to have some museums he’ll be interested in. So will try to check it out - looks like opening times are 16:30 to 01:30.
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Thanks 
! Will watch this after work today.
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Oh wow @Amandarama , this is not to be watched on an empty stomach!
I think I might definitely try 2 out of the 3 places he’s mentioned if we are in the area. The middle place doesn’t look too conducive to a comfortable meal - he was literally standing at a table in front of a gigantic pot and eating from a paper plate…lol.
These are great examples of biryani in Mumbai, but Bombay biryani is probably something different - a style which has originated in Maharashtra in the vicinity of Mumbai. The ones he has showcased here are from North India (Lucknow) and South India (Andhra). The middle example from the Muslim caterer near Khar Mosque - looks like a mishmash of different types available according to the day of the week.
I looked at my biryani cookbook by Pratibha Karan and the index has this:
It could be that the Mumbai-origin biriyanis are only available in home cooking or Maharashtrian cuisine focussed restaurants.
Thanks for signposting me to this YouTube channel, it’s entertaining and informative!
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Well, I’m glad the channel is informative, at least! I’m glad you enjoyed it - if you do come across the Bombay biryani in your visit, I hope you will post it I’m very much in the learning stage when it comes to biryani, although I do enjoy making it.
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It’s like the presenter mentions at the beginning of the video - it’s said there are upto 365 types of biryani, one for each day of the year!
The part I liked most was at the beginning where he starts off holding a knife and fork, then goes “Should I just use my fingers?”, ditches the knife and fork and digs in with his fingers. That’s my kind of guy.
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If you’re looking for tasters …
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I think you should message this hammy dude and ask him where to find real Bombay-style biryani. If he doesn’t know, seems like he’d find out. Maybe he’ll have time to knock out a video on the subject before your trip.
Maybe try this food blogger as well: https://www.mumbai-food-feed.com/post/bombay-s-biryani-trail-3-must-try-spots
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I’ve now seen the video. The second place he visits appears merely to ladle rice onto separately cooked meat. This sort of thing passes for biryani in the U.S., but in India?
