1 Leaping Windows
Mumbai’s first library café was an instant hit. From Marvel and DC to Amar Chitra Katha, Leaping Windows is your gateway to a gigantic collection of comics, graphic novels, and even manga. You can become a member and borrow the books as it’s much cheaper than actually buying them. You can also gift a 3, 6, or 12 month membership to the book-lover in your life. They also deliver their comics anywhere in Mumbai, but who would want to miss this opportunity. Grab your friends and sit on bean bags with comic books and delve into the sweet reminder of your childhood.
2 AB Celestial
Another one of Mumbai’s first, this luxurious floatel, has been imported from the US, and will hopefully be the crown jewel of the unique restaurants that have emerged in Mumbai. AB Celestial consists of a 24-hour coffee shop, a banquet hall, as well as a high-end lounge.
3. The Yoga House
Hidden in the niches of Bandra, The Yoga House has adopted ancient Indian culture at its roots, and aims to be the ultimate place to detoxify. This yoga studio offers 35+ yoga classes. A restaurant whose focus is not just on the stomach, but on the mind and body, and overall health. Healthy options on the menu ensure that you will leave this place feeling full and without any regrets.
4 Cat Café Studio
What started off as acts of kindness (rescuing injured cats and nursing them to health), has now turned into the Cat Café Studio. This quaint café disguised as a shelter, not only lets you adopt a cat (with thorough background checks, of course), but also lets you play with them free of cost. If these felines and the prospect of food isn’t enough to get you here, they also have free WiFi along with books and some board games.
5. Pravas
This authentic Gujarati restaurant that looks like you’re dining in a train will take your Gujju roots on a Pravas that is a journey. The bogie-styled restaurant is a new addition to Kamala Mills, and as you might have guessed, is pure vegetarian. The striking décor comes with quirky elements like luggage trunks, upside-down umbrellas, lanterns, and big lights.
6 Creeda Board Game Cafe
The concept of board games in restaurants might not be novel anymore, but a café that offers more than 200 games, definitely is. Creeda steps aside from the usual Jenga and UNO and offers games you’ve probably not even heard of. Head here for some fun time with your family or friends or your SO, that’ll probably turn sour if you’re the competitive kind.
7. Mirchi and Mime
This Powai restaurant hires only the hearing and speech impaired, ensuring employment of the differently abled. The happiest staff you’ll find will greet you and serve you for an entirely new dining experience. The menu illustrates instructions on how to communicate and place your order, as well as inform them if you’re satisfied with the food.
8. Rainforest Resto-Bar
With the kind of aesthetics that would please Bear Grylls and intimidate children, Rainforest has stuck around in India for a long time. The cave-like entrance and dark lighting coupled with waterfalls and faux wildlife, Rainforest has successfully managed to recreate the atmosphere of a jungle right in the middle of the city.
9 UFO’s Revolving Restaurant
A revolving restaurant with the feel of what the inside of a UFO might look like; is another addition to Mumbai’s restaurants. The circular bar and purple lights add to its space charm. Dine at this enigmatic restaurant in Kandivali for an out-of-the-world experience.
10. Bhaijaanz
By Salman Khan fans, for Salman Khan fans. The walls are decorated, and covered entirely, with large portraits, collages, and smaller photo frames of this star. Even the menu is a clever twist on few of his movies.
11.
Ocean
A private dining room set against the backdrop of some majestic marine creatures surely doesn’t come cheap. You can book this room for meetings, special events, or a get-together underneath Sahara Star’s aquarium. They are also willing to customize the menu for you and make sure the food matches the mood. The surrounding gives you all the reason to zone out and pretend you’re a mermaid/merman stuck below the ocean.
12. The Hive
Gone are the days when successful entrepreneurs would have local coffee shops like CCD to thank for a working space during their embryonic stages. The Hive provides space for startups where budding entrepreneurs can sit and brainstorm. A bungalow turned into all the things you could fit into it; this massive, spacious abode can also serve as a recording studio, workshop and seminar space, an indoor and outdoor performance stage, along with an organic cafe.
13
Bombay to Barcelona Cafe
This cafe too doubles as a library but yet there is something extra ordinary about this place. Bombay to Barcelona Cafe is more than just a café, but a heartwarming story of a former street kid who stood up on his feet and has made it his life’s mission to give homeless kids a way to lead a normal life. They also grow their produce, something you can see right outside this little cafe. Another special thing about this library cum café is that all the books here are donated and should be returned with notes about what you loved in the book. This cafe is all about warmth and smiles and kindness. They also let the underprivileged eat for free. All of the profits made by this cafe go towards helping the ones in need. Humanity found in this part of Mumbai.
14 Village
The pan-Indian restaurant hosts a buffet and multiple live counters serving dosa, pav bhaji, and so on. The rustic décor and sheer colorfulness of this place are topped off with dhol, bhangra, puppet shows, and garba. A true village experience in its entirety.
15 Pratap’s Wild Dining / Pratap the Dhaba
Another restaurant with a tropical Rainforest setting in the name of Pratap’s Wild Dining emerged a few years ago. The Dhaba is another one of Pratap’s chains and has succeeded in providing a Dhaba feel with some lip-smacking Punjabi food. Both not-so-unique concepts that have still managed to make a mark on the Mumbaikars.
16. Junkyard Cafe
Subtle themes and elegant settings were a thing of the past. More and more restaurants are embracing the raw magnetism of a different dining environment. Junkyard Cafe, as the name suggests, resembles an old, grungy garage with its number plates and gramophones.
17. Maximum Gaming
India’s very first gaming cafe that has managed to stay hidden in the niches of Khar has recently been brought to light. The founder, Dipica Jerome, a video game and cosplay enthusiast, came up with the idea and materialized it a while ago. The café has 18 gaming PCs and a plethora of games to choose from, ensuring hours of seclusion in a dingy, dark room.
18. Central Perk
This FRIENDS themed cafe on the outskirts of Mumbai has been an instant hit. The iconic sofa and the Central Perk board will make you reminisce about the gem of a show, while you’re gorging on some Unagi Omelette.
