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to snack—is Kailash Parbat (Sheela Mahal, 1st Pasta Lane, Colaba; 022/2281-2112), which serves authentic Sindhi food brought to Bombay by the Mulchandani family when they moved here from Karachi following Partition. Pay first, and then approach the relevant counter with your receipt. Ask for a portion of pani puri (you’ll get six for Rs 25) which are like little mouthful-size explosions of flavor. The puri is a round hollow pocket of deep-fried flour; the puri wallah pokes a hole in it with his thumb and stuffs it full of chickpeas, sprouted mung beans, and mashed potato. Then he dips it in a vat of tamarind chutney to add a hint of sweet, and then into cold pani (water), flavored with mint and chilies. He’ll plop it on your plate and you pop the entire thing in your mouth—it’ll be the start of an addictive relationship. After you’ve had your fill, march back to the cash register and order a kesar pista lassi. It takes awhile to prepare—elegantly topped off with a layer of thick curd and a sprinkle of saffron—but your patience will be suitably rewarded with one of the most delicious drinks you’ve ever tasted.

You get to eat real Mumbai-style street food under very sanitary (if busy and noisy) conditions at Swati Snacks, in Tardeo (248 Karai Estate, Tardeo Rd.; 022/6580-8406 or 022/2352-4994; daily 11am–11pm), where there’s inevitably a (fast-moving) queue for the restaurant, but you’re also able to buy from the take-away window. They too have excellent pani puri, but are famous for panki chatni, thin pancakes steamed in banana leaf, and superb peru nu shak (spiced guava eaten with Indian bread). Locals come here more for the traditional Gujarati dishes not found anywhere else. You can also sip a soothing glass of hygienic sugar cane juice and round out your meal with homemade fruit-flavored ice creams.

You can enjoy fare similar to Swati’s without the potentially long wait and in a quieter, more composed, setting at Soam (Sadguru Sadan, opposite Babulnath temple, Chowpatty; 022/2369-8080; noon–11pm), a vegetarian joint with a bright, contemporary ambience and some dedicated healthier options on its menu.

Bandra’s famous hygienic street-food stop is Elco Pani Puri Centre at Elco Arcade on Hill Road ( 022/2645-7677), once a street stall that famously operated illegally, but has since expanded to include an air-conditioned restaurant that, like Kailash Parbat, uses filtered water to prepare its snacks. You can venture inside for a more staid experience, but we still prefer the spontaneous people-watching that happens outside where you stand at the efficient pani puri counter (buy your coupon at the nearby cash register first) where the delicious mouth-size morsels are handed over one by one. Afterwards, order a glass of fresh watermelon juice, and grab a plastic stool so you can tuck into a plate of bhel puri—crushed puris mixed with sev (tiny noodles made from chickpea flour), puffed rice, chopped boiled potato, onion, coriander, chili, and a couple of sweet and tangy chutneys.

Britannia IRANI This no-nonsense, no-frills, 90-year-old Irani (Persian) restaurant is the last of a dying breed of establishments once found on every corner of South Mumbai. The environment is simple and functional, with little room for extras like presentation and ambience. Most people come here to consume one or more of three excellent dishes: Berry pulao (a version of the Iranian zereshk polow) is the outstanding signature dish, made with succulent spiced boneless mutton (or chicken), fragrant long-grain basmati rice, and tart barberries imported from Iran. Patra ni machchi is pomfret fish coated in chutney made with cilantro, coconut, and assorted spices; wrapped in a banana leaf; and steamed—always moist and flaky with flavors all the way down to the bone. The mutton dhansak is a combination of fragrant brown rice and thick dal in which the meat has been cooked—a dense, hearty meal that tastes a million times better than it looks. (Vegetarians, though catered to, should give this restaurant a miss.)

Ram Gulam Rd., opposite New Customs House,