5 Best Restaurants in Mumbai, India

Among the most beloved lunch spots for South Mumbai's workaday crowd, this quaint little café is the ideal spot to grab a soy latte and a quick bite while resting your feet. The fresh juices and salads are cheap but clean and safe for foreigners, the Wi-Fi is free, and the interior, while a bit cramped, is bright and pleasant---and best of all, the sandwiches, like the KGC Special (arugula, vegetarian mayo, and Padano cheese on grilled flat bread), are light but extremely tasty when snuggled up to a hot (or more preferably iced) cup of joe. It's in a popular neighborhood, just a stone's throw from Jehangir Art Gallery and Kenneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue.

One of Mumbai's best restaurants, The Table was launched by a pair of Indian restaurateurs and a young American chef from San Francisco; suitably enough, the food is American fare but is inflected with flavors from around the world. The lofted upper floor is perfect for romantic dinners; below is a more lively and sociable setting, with a large, eponymous, communal table extending from the bar. The delicious breads are made at The Table's sister space in central Mumbai, Mag Street Kitchen, and it also uses ingredients from its own organic farm.

One of the city's most popular dining and drinking spots, the roomy, open, yet strangely utilitarian Café Zoe serves European and continental breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners, and drinks. Depending on what time you arrive at this converted industrial compound, the crowd may include young parents feeding their one-year-old daughter sweet bites of Belgian waffles, local journalists shoveling down hot minestrone soup while using the free Wi-Fi, dating couples sharing a romantic dinner of seafood and pasta, or young partygoers drinking cocktails in a dim but sensuous atmosphere after midnight.

This Belgian bakery, a stone's throw from the Gateway of India, offers great breads, fresh ingredients, and a giant communal table. There's a wine selection, too, and evening specials might include grilled salmon or seared lamb chops. It's a good option when you're sweating it out in South Mumbai, or for those who need a break from Indian food and want to check email on the free Wi-Fi.

India's French influence might be strongest in sunny Pondicherry, on the east coast, but with two Frenchmen at the helm, this tiny crepe joint can provide a taste of it right here in Mumbai (branches have blossomed across Mumbai, including in Bandra and Powai). Try the Méditerranée, with grilled chicken, olive tapenade, mozzarella, and tomatoes, or the Italie, with arugula, a tomato coulis, mozzarella, and oregano, or build your own crepe from an extensive list of ingredients.