30 March,2025 11:18 AM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Pandya
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In Mumbai's ever-evolving dining scene, standing still isn't an option. As diners crave fresh experiences, restaurateurs are daringly reinventing successful concepts to stay ahead of the curve. Chirag Maru, a hospitality realty entrepreneur, breaks down the challenges in Mumbai's F&B scene. "Many unorganised players are driving up rents, making it hard for restaurants to survive. For instance, Bandra's ground-level rents stand at Rs 800 per sq ft (carpet), reaching Rs 1,200 in new buildings, but deals remain scarce due to soaring rates. Without a strong concept, restaurants shut down quickly. Unlike Bengaluru and Delhi, the city lacks innovation. The real success lies in spotting outdated ideas and turning them into trends," he adds. Sunday mid-day spoke to restaurateurs and chefs who took a leap of faith.
Restaurateur Pankaj Gupta doesn't mince words when he says that last year was the most difficult Bombay he has catered to in the previous 15 years. Footfalls dropped as experiential events like music fests and flea markets ate into the weekend crowd. Competition also surged with new spaces," says Gupta, who runs Kerala Quarters and Oye Kake.
Pankaj Gupta did some quick thinking and replaced Cirqa Dining Room with Kerala Quarters, a meat-forward Kerala cuisine restaurant. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
In August 2023, Gupta launched Cirqa as a dynamic cocktail bar with a 1960s vibe, running successfully for 18 months. "The space was built to evolve in a city where restaurant concepts go stale in 2-3 years," he says. Early last year, Gupta made a tough call when Cirqa Dining Room failed to match the cocktail bar's success. He shut it down and replaced it with Kerala Quarters, a speciality sit-down restaurant. "Closing the dining room was a clear example of pulling the plug. Customers connected with Cirqa, the bar, not the dining space. It's better to shut down before it drains your resources."
Initially set to open in South Mumbai in 2025, Kerala Quarters launched in Lower Parel in November 2024. "This was the first time I studied the local audience before deciding on the location. With South Mumbai's predominantly vegetarian and Jain options, Lower Parel was a better fit for our meat-forward Kerala cuisine."
When Salt Water Café opened at Bandra Reclamation, it quickly became a community hub. Regulars claimed it as their own - dropping in for coffee, lingering over long lunches, or unwinding with drinks. "We'd see the same faces at different hours. It became a place that fit into every part of their day," recalls founder-chef Gresham Fernandes.
Gresham Fernandes led Salt Water Cafe for 15 years. Bandra Born started as a limited pop-up for two weeks, which eventually stayed. Pic/Ashish Raje
But nostalgia has its limits. "You can't be stuck in it. People's tastes and habits change - you need to excite them today, not just remind them of yesterday," he says. In 2023, the team embraced change. "Diners wanted something more social, high-energy. The way they ate, drank, and socialised had shifted," Fernandes explains.
Bandra Born was the answer - a 12-week pop-up built for what the neighbourhood had become. The love it got gave Fernandes the confidence to convert it to a restaurant. Gen Z seeks spontaneity and boldness. Bandra Born delivers just that - punchy cocktails, shareable plates, and a vibe that mirrors Bandra's eclectic energy.
In 2023, restaurateur Rizwan Amlani teamed up with entrepreneur Vicky Singh to bring a fresh, playful concept to the city's culinary scene. A Mexican restaurant and tequila-forward bar came up in Churchgate at Amlani's family-owned spot, which has evolved through four transformations since his father opened Berry's, a multi-cuisine bar and restaurant, in the 1960s.
Mezcalita launched in 2023 as an authentic Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. It replaced Soufflé, a classic French restaurant. Pic/Ashish Raje
"The Churchgate area has always evolved with the city, reflecting different eras," says Amlani. The first big shift came in 2003 when his brother, Riyaaz Amlani, CEO of Impresario Group, opened Mocha with partners Kiran Salaskar and Varun Shahani when he spotted the gap and created a space for coffee and conversations. Mocha eventually made way for Salt Water Café, the French-inspired Soufflé, and now, Mezcalita.
Evolution in the restaurant business comes from listening closely to your guests. "While working in the space, you start receiving feedback. The key is to keep your eyes and ears open - and be bold enough to act on it, even if it means changing an existing concept," says Amlani, for whom evolution is constant - and every change is an investment.
"We always set aside funds for the next step, asking ourselves what the neighbourhood needs." Mezcalita was born from that mindset, crafted to offer an authentic Mexican experience for a discerning, well-travelled crowd. "Mexican cuisine is complex; only someone from Mexico can do it justice. We even flew in a local artist to paint the murals. The vibe should rival any top Mexican restaurant worldwide. I'm proud we've brought that to Mumbai." The numbers back it up, with retention rates hitting 35 per cent this month and peaking at 50 per cent.
But evolution goes beyond concept. Amlani stresses the need for constant upkeep - refreshing décor, updating menus, and training staff. Financial foresight is crucial too. "Having someone who understands business planning and projections is essential. COVID-19 taught us the importance of a contingency fund. We work with the mindset that we must be ready for another crisis. Restaurateurs will never forget that period," he says.
Before COVID, Andheri's nightlife thrived in high-energy spaces where you could let loose and dance till dawn. Same Place Same Time catered to that crowd, with live music and a party vibe. For actor-turned-restaurateur Khushank Arora, it was his first venture into F&B. "I had no culinary or hospitality background. I just put everything I knew into one package and delivered it - casual dining, fusion food. Back then, people wanted everything on the platter, and it worked," he says.
Khushank Arora has created a mudhouse to accommodate Zeki, a community bistro and bar in Andheri. Pic/Nimesh Dave
Last week, Arora launched Zeki - an all-day community bistro and bar born from introspection. "I travelled, read, and questioned how to improve my product. Andheri had become saturated with casual dining and fusion - butter chicken pasta, tikka risotto. I was in the same boat," he admits, adding, "Change is the only constant. The decision to shut down Same Place Same Time was an intentional and pre-calculated move to offer an evolved product."
Andheri is often seen as a low-spending market, but Arora disagrees. "The issue wasn't the audience; it was the sameness. Nothing was customised or targeted toward those craving a genuine experience." Zeki reflects on this shift. "People want to slow down, even when they go out. Zeki offers that - a mud-house-inspired space, calming and serene, where the food is all about good produce and unhurried cooking."
Aditya Hegde's F&B journey began at 15, joining the family business of catering to city gymkhanas. In 2017, he launched Gymkhana 91 to give Mumbaikars a taste of these iconic clubs. "Apart from members, most don't get that experience," he says. The menu spanned global flavours - grills, Italian, Asian curries, dim sums, kebabs, and gymkhana classics. Their Sunday brunches sold out days in advance.
Gymkhana 91 ran for eight years before paving the way for Permit & Co at Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel. Pic/Nimesh Dave
But things shifted after the Kamala Mills fire and the lockdown. "Post COVID-19, we saw a surge in diners but eventually the market began to shift in terms of space design and F&B curation. We adapted a different format and were doing the numbers but it wasn't the vision. This was the right time to pivot to a concept which would do justice to the space - something different but familiar."
He points out a dramatic shift in recent years. "Platforms meant for discovery are now just discount-driven ordering apps. The cost of acquiring customers has skyrocketed. We spend on app performance marketing, PR, social media, and influencer collaborations. The way we connect with guests outside the restaurant has completely changed," he says.
Once a dining hotspot, Lower Parel has ceded its crown to Bandra. The pandemic taught Hegde a crucial lesson: "When things go south, return to the basics." This led to embracing the post-prohibition era when permit rooms became lively social hubs after drinking was legalised in the '60s. "Permit rooms welcomed everyone - much like how we socialise today. There's so much space for organic storytelling in this concept," he adds. To keep the Permit & Co buzz alive, Hegde is planning a Permit Room bar crawl across Mumbai.
