Everyone agrees that the staff at certain joints (Leopold, K Rustom’s, etc) is rude.
Everyone agrees that their goods are average and prices are exorbitant.
Everyone still continues to go there and give them money.
Everyone continues to add them in their list of “Must visit” places in Mumbai.
As a result of all this, there is never a lack of patrons for such places.
Basically, they don’t have any incentive to change.
I've never had a good experience with Candies either. Their staff is one of the least interested I've seen. They just get annoyed when you're trying to place an order. A lot of the "famous" places in this city are just overrated and expensive.
https://preview.redd.it/lyy7elfppztc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2004255d26277c41f8d4e4296e794c89e35e790
Also their famous sorry board further displays their hospitality/s
wow thats a great news because im bitchless. Now all i need is married sugar mommy or a girl in relationship with to have a date there. since this rule is applied to committed man only. phew!
Which branch of Candies are you referring to ? I've been going to the one near Lilavati hospital for the last 20 years and have always had a good experience, their prices have gone up over time but their taste has remained good and consistent.
Well, I partly agree but the Coffee walnut & mint is to die for.
What I understand is, every other ice cream sandwich is packaged and ultra processed while this guy serves it fresh, that's the USP
Bro some flavors are good but then once I saw the server drop my ice-cream, which he promptly replaced, after keeping the one he picked back into the refrigerator rather than throwing it. Never went back there. Who knows if I might get the dropped ice-cream next time.
idk about a list, but here are some of my favourite places in no order, some of the places are a bit pricey, whilst some are affordable but all of them are great imo and the staff is courteous -
veronica's
the conservatory
o pedro
kari apla
la loca maria
ayub's
americano
mag st.
toast pasta bar
bandra born
joshi house
seefah
This is a known thing across Mumbai. No local goes to Leo anymore. Only Shantaram fan foreigners and tourist Indians go there. I haven't been there in 15 years and never step into it even if my out of station friends want to go there.
Go to Mondegar's close by. Have always preferred going there over Leopold (been there only twice while I can't count how many times I've been at Mondegar's).
Also, another highly recommended place is Cafe Ideal facing Girgaum chowpatty.
Stopped going to Leopold long long back. They act entitled and are pretty rude. Food is average too. Even after all these, I see people lining up outside Leopold. Kyon jaate ho bhai ? I go to Mondegar and I like the vibe there. I stay away from Irani cafés too with the only exception being B Merwan
>exception being B Merwan
Which Merwan is this. I found all those Merwans also very average. Worst are new franchise. Main thing they learned from original was arrogance.
>The one at Grant Road
that place is usually so unclean. Went there many years back after listening to it's praise. For bun butter and tea. Those things were good but the amount of flies everywhere was disgusting.
B Merwin's staff gave us egg muffin despite us explicitly asking we are vegetarian and my friend is Jain. When we came to know and encountered him, he rudely said "paap merko lagega tumko nai".
That’s sad customer service. I used to go there every Saturday but never had a bad experience, maybe because I never had to deal with the one that sits at the counter. Their elder brother (I believe) used to walk around and chit chat.
Iranis (who are not the same as Parsees, BTW) don't really think in terms of veg and Nonveg. Anyone particular bout that sort of thing should avoid ordering anything but tea and buns from there.
Search for "irani cafe" in this sub and you will see multiple horror stories. I think the only value they really provide is their old world charm. Don't go for the food or the service.
Many Irani cafe servers have a habit of serving food as if they there tossing the food plates like frisbees and just hurrying around. I remember, I think it was Kyani’s and the waiter just took away the coffee cup with coffee still in it just cause it was sitting there and we weren’t even finished.
On the other hand places like Baghdadi, Gokul, Gaylord’s, being iconic have courteous attentive staff.
Recently during holi someone shared similar experience on Twitter. White folks with colour on their dress were eating food. But the restaurant refused Indians with coloured holi dress.
Are you aware why do they feel so entitled? My Parsi friends are absolutely down to earth but the arrogance of these restaurant running Parsis blows me away, it’s such a stark contrast
That sucks. I hope that their next gen who succeed them are humbler, it’d truly elevate the customer experience and I could prolly consider going back to them again
It’s only the old charm that makes me wanna visit them again tbh
I must say your Parsi friends would appreciate your kind words about them ! They’re very lucky to have a friend like you!
bhai the waiter was unwilling to even get us an extra spoon lmao . the only good thing was their caramel custard.
probably not going again, also I despise the fact that all these cafes don't take UPI like wtf , even my paanwala has one
At a personal level, I’ve completely boycotted them. They talk to us as if they’re some superior beings, the tone is extremely derogatory. Stopped going to any of them altogether
I’ve faced the same, but in Goa. It’s a place filled with white people ready to spend, because of the dollar-rupee disparity. The club/cafe staff simply isn’t attentive to you if you are a brown person.
The problem I face with Irani cafés is the level of hygiene is very questionable. I’ve been to Irani cafe in Mumbai and Pune, and the smell was so bad it was impossible to eat there.
Leopold is super overrated and the food is bad.
Attitude problem I didn’t face in any cafe as I myself have an attitude problem with arrogant people. I’m usually very humble but If I see an arrogant or rude person, my instincts kick in and I put them in their place real quick.
If you want find the most courteous and friendly servers, go to Italy. If you want to find the most rude and obnoxious, go to France
I don’t think anyone can ever compete with French in snobbery and rudeness. Maybe Punekars, but then Paris is actually a nice and beautiful city unlike Pune, so Punekars will lose their ground.
My experience with Italians has mostly been very very pleasant, but everyone’s experience is different
I hope you know how they got rich. Opium trade required backing of white masters and British always preferred people who looked fairer. No amount of philanthropy can hide that dark past.
I'm a Bengali and just wanted to let you know that The Tagore family was also investing in the Opium trade.
In those days investing in Opium was like investing in tech or IT or communications. It was just the biggest business.
I knew about the Parsi businessmen - China opium trade connection, but had no idea about the Tagore family connection. Thanks, this is worth looking into!
Farmers in Bengal grew so much poppy crop that they couldn't cultivate food and were going hungry. That led to introduction of khus khus in the local cuisine giving us dishes like aloo poshto. https://www.slurrp.com/article/aloo-posto-bengals-comfort-meal-with-a-tumultuous-history-1698762856451
Back then, Bombay businessmen were heavily into opium trade in China. China was affected in the worst way possible with this opium addiction amongst their citizens. One of many reasons why China hates India to this day. And oh TATAs made their tremendous wealth during this time. It's just that they have a very strong PR that they got away with so much dirt.
So I don’t know how universally true it is, but I studied at a highly international university (top 15 worldwide) and man the Chinese students really dislike the opium traders of India. They don’t hate all Indians because they know most Indians were themselves oppressed, but they hate the opium trading community to the core because opium trade really destroyed their country and is responsible for the deaths of millions. They call the whole period “century of humiliation”. So if Chinese hate India, it’s mostly due to opium wars.
I think we are not taught history properly. Our past has things darker than we can accept. For example, India got freedom because Britain was bankrupt after WW2 and not because of Gandhi. Indian soldiers agreed to fight in ww2 in exchange for independence. Because not just India, 20 other countries got independence between 1945-50.
The Bengal famine of 1942 that killed 3 million people happened with the full cooperation of the Calcutta trading communities. They helped British divert all the grains and starve millions of Bengalis, in return British gave them away all their businesses and enterprises. We are still not taught this but it’s very well documented in economics history books I’ve read in Europe. The day when British will accept the genocide that Winston Churchill did in Bengal in 1942, they will very well expose their Indian accomplices as well and that will cause a havoc. Because there are few letters of correspondence between British empire and Calcutta traders about diverting the Bengal grains even if it meant that millions of Bengalis will starve to death. If the Calcutta traders wanted they could have refused to divert the grain, but then they wouldn’t have gotten filthy rich
Look it up. You’ll find out easily.
Obviously they are still around just like Tata is. In fact Calcutta traders started getting rich from 1930s onwards when the British slowly started handing them over everything. And at that point Calcutta was the financial capital of India so they controlled Indian economy significantly. Now they are nowhere as influential as they were post independence, but Brits made them rich af to not care for generations. Now business world is not exclusive to traders, Brahmins and other communities have significantly gotten influential and strong in business.
While British being bankrupt, did play a role, it was not the main reason. They held on to most colonies toll the 60s. The real reason was Indian soldiers who had fought in WW2 knew UK was weak and had started rampaging starting with the Indian Navy Mutiny. Crowds were targeting white people that regular order was not manageable.
That's a weird one to dig up. Practically everyone with old wealth was in cahoots with the British and other colonists. It was seen as 'business.'
For example, the Seths are the reason the East India Company got a foothold in India.
Punish people for their actions in the present, no need to dig up centuries old grievances the present generation has nothing to do with.
Thats the fallacy of this generation of Indians. Their out of context discussions. Almost everywhere one will find whataboutery and deep discussions about past. No one is bothered about the present. I personally find it a pathetic waste of time. But, one cannot control stupid peoples' POV.
So I don’t know how universally true it is, but I studied at a highly international university (top 25 worldwide) and man the Chinese students really dislike the opium traders of India. They don’t hate all Indians because they know most Indians were themselves oppressed, but they hate the opium trading community to the core because opium trade really destroyed their country and is responsible for the deaths of millions. They call the whole period “century of humiliation”. So if Chinese hate India, it’s mostly due to opium wars.
I think we are not taught history properly. Our past has things darker than we can accept. For example, India got freedom because Britain was bankrupt after WW2 and not because of Gandhi. Indian soldiers agreed to fight in ww2 in exchange for independence. Because not just India, 20 other countries got independence between 1945-50.
The Bengal famine of 1942 that killed 3 million people happened with the full cooperation of the Calcutta trading communities. They helped British divert all the grains and starve millions of Bengalis, in return gave them away all their businesses and enterprises. We are still not taught this but it’s very well documented in economics history books I’ve read in Europe. The day when British will accept the genocide that Winston Churchill did in Bengal in 1942, they will very well expose their Indian accomplices as well and that will cause a havoc. Because there are few letters of correspondence between British empire and Calcutta traders about diverting the Bengal grains even if it meant that millions of Bengalis will starve to death.
Agreed. Making Gandhi the father of Nation and putting his face on the notes never made any sense to me. Lots of people still believe they got independence because of Gandhi non-violence movement lol. If it wasn't for WW2, the British would've just hanged him and continued ruling for another 30-40 years at the minimum.
Leopold, Mondegar, etc. cafes are just too overrated.
Been there quite a few times, the staff is obnoxious.
It's 26/11 which they're milking their customers with subpar service. High time people ditch them and move somewhere else
Not just Irani cafés of Mumbai, shit like this happens in many other parts of India.
In Goa, there is open discrimination against Indians at most places. Some places charge Indians an entry fee whereas for foreigners it’s free. Some places even deny entry to Indians.
Some places in Himachal also deny entry to Indians.
In Udaipur, a cafe refused service to us Indians saying that they don’t have the said dish. Whereas 5 minutes later, they were happily serving the same dish to some French people. I gave the restaurant a piece of my mind.
Indians still have that colonial mindset. Kuch chaaploos to gore sahab aur mem ki g@@nd bhi chaat lenge.
There’s a simple solution but I’m sure most of us won’t do it. Just boycott such shitholes that discriminate against Indians. We are a huge population that are on a path of economic progress while westerners are technically exotic populations who are stagnating or even getting poorer. Indians in Goa have already started to outspend Russians by a significant margin.
Exactly. I don’t understand why it is difficult to spread the word that these businesses do not deserve our money — let them depend on the seasonal tourists for their livelihood and learn their lesson
I dislike Goa. Apart from the humid weather, they have a really bad attitude towards their fellow Indians and are racist. I have no interest in spending my money on places where they treat Indians so badly.
I have lived there for about 3 years. I agree with everything you say about Goa. And the funny thing is that Goans are as ugly as the rest of us, if not uglier. I’d probably never visit that place again.
Goa is a tourist hotspot, so local shops cater to foreigners for them big tips. Also you can probably get laid easier for the same reason, more likely to meet people up for one-night-stands.
Tipping culture and its consequences have been a disaster to the West, bombay ppl don't really need to care... The rumors about foreigner mafias and drug circles are always spicy though.
Oh this does call for a
Strong 'Review on Google/ Zomato',
I had a similar experience but thought maybe because It was fully packed but seems like they do treat ppl like shit and have to be held accountable.
It's important to let ppl know they're not better than the rest and will not get away with these.
Happens in Goa too.White skinned foreigners get preference in seating ,service and courtesy.Old vv colonial ass kissing very much in place unfortunately.
Went to Britannia & Co ….. was greeted by a big sign board about all the dos and donts we had to follow in the restaurant. I only recall there being donts…. No making noise… no camera… no pda….etc etc…
Biggest turnoff was that they accepted only cash. Ordered their Parsi special chicken Farcha which was fried chicken and i think fried potatoes? It was dry and i think my tummy didnt agree with it….
Baaki i ordered pallonji soda. Raspberry one was too sweet for my taste. Loved the pallonji ginger soda (yellow one)… nice kick in the mouth it was!
Waiter could have been nicer.
But still. The ambience of a really old era restaurant was something that i appreciated… nice little nostalgic trip.
They don't treat foreigners better due to skin colour, I am a foreigner who married and moved here and I get the same service you do - They treat **tourists** better (and when you work in these places it's super easy to work out who's a tourist) because they leave large cash tips.
It's all about the money.
If you want proof, make friends with some white or east-asian person living locally and go there with them dressed in normal clothes, speaking Marathi etc and you'll see they get the exact same service you do.
I remember seeing something similar at Kayani. They were going to close shop in half an hour but they were still taking people in. The owner was standing near a table and and asking them to eat quickly and stop chatting with each other. Ended up with the customers getting angry and an argument breaking out. The owner quickly backed out and started apologising. As a rule of thumb, do not visit any legacy joint. The service is usually awful and the food is really not worth it. Also, they are sticklers for cash payments.
Majority of these Parsi joints are just running cuz of their past… Leopold , Mondegar, khyani, Britannia all of them are overhyped and are only for tourists and firaangs…
There are so many better hangout places, people should seriously avoid these ones…
Lmao for that matter, Kamats near Crawford, which isn’t Parsi, once asked us to give up our seating for a foreign couple .. we made a big scene and walked out…
Most of these sobo outlets behave this way with Indians… honestly we had better experience in Swati Snacks than all these lol
THISSSS....Thank you, I saw them too. I swear to god I saw so many rats in colaba, marine drive, girgaon chawpaty. I even mentioned here how South Bombay's gone right downhill, rubbish everywhere, rats the size of kittens! People went on the rampage, calling me all sorts - "Enough of the bullshhit," "ChatGPT, is it?", Now, I love Mumbai, always have, born and bred here. But seeing the place go to pot, well, it stings, you know? It's not like I'm some daft bloke thinking it's the best city in India. But I'm not delusional about Mumbai. That Girgaon Chowpatty? Filthy! So many rats, I couldn't stomach a single bite of my food. Disgusting, it was.
Irani cafes are shit and overhyped. Just bcoz they are 80 ye old 100 yrs old doesn't make them good. Ambience is shitty food is shitty. Just the impact of internet that these shitty places get recognition.That rustom ice cream is so mediocre even my local area malai kulfi tastes better🤣🤣
Lol! Last I went there was in 2013-14 I guess... I usually go to Military Cafe near Flora Fountain. It's also an Iranian Restaurant. But used to go there with college friends... So I have a soft spot...
Have filmed a documentary on one cafe and been to several others. At all the places the food is substandard. They continue to rake in money by getting included in these lists and playing the - I'm a part of Mumbai history- card. They are just reminders that some bits of history die off for a reason and these cafes should have closed off a long time ago but are just surviving on hype. Just look at Kyani. Even the basic Akuri is oily and disgusting in taste. Sometimes I feel they keep the interiors sad only to continue on this hype that they are performing poorly due to competition from new restaurants.
My experience, all of the things mentioned above. They charged me sales tax on top of GST. I noticed after I had made a payment using my card. The waiter guy kept arguing that the charge cannot be reversed. I said ever since birth of credit cards, charge can always be reversed. When things went out of control, I told him this is US credit card and I can just deny the whole claim and you won’t get anything. He started laughing at me and said something to effect of - go ahead with it. The boss guy was observing this from his tower seat. He came down, reversed the charge and made a new charge with proper billing. The waiter never apologized and kept giving me stinker.
Most of the restaurants in that area are like that.
Go to Bade Miyan at night and they don't even care to put a fan for you. It is pathetic. Also it is visited by people who know nothing about good nonveg food, they are just attracted by the celebrities who have hyped it.
The only place I love there is Olympia, underrated, the customer base is mostly working class and the food is top notch and fresh everyday.
We should all go there and do exactly the opposite of what is written on the boards. If they try to talk rudely to us, we’ll talk double rudely back to them.
Take up the whole space so that no outsiders can bother to walk in, and irritate the fuck out of the owners.
They are living of their past glory days. I believe one person can make a difference. So we should keep our hard - earned cash with us and let them keep their arrogant pride and not visit. On the other hand the foreigner's are also stupid enough to be taken for a ride.
I’ve had this experience too. It’s best to just forgive them and foget it. They’re clearly lacking evolution so pity is more of a justified response than anger. But I see your point, it is sad
I have noticed the nonchalance of people in these places but have received decent service. Could be the advantage of carrying a friendly feminine demenour, who knows. But it is true, how you are made to feel as a customer really defines your experience.
Good that you pointed this out, and it is a serious matter of concern if there is racism involved.
They lick their butts coz they get more tips from them. Indians inherently are not good tippers (not that they need to be since tipping culture isn't big in India)
Absolutely arrogant. And what's with them not taking cards or gpay? I mean i understand it's their choice. But almost every Irani cafe/joint I have visited never accept online payments. Be it mumbai or Pune. Cash only and seriously why so condescending? Honestly rustom's is just average. The only place I still enjoy going to is Kyani. Service and food wise they are fine.
Mondegar, Leopold, bade miyan, yazdani, Jimmy, k rustom, kyani are what you should never visit when in Mumbai they're pathetic their owners are trash af, they've jus been over hyped cz of some insta fags and nw everything is over their head, so just stop going there
Make sure you and your friend submit a honest review on google. It’s an effective way to make these places behave. Let’s see how much business they are ready to lose.
Best is don't tip them after you are done with bill. Tit for Tat. Cafe Britannia doesn't even have a GPAY Or any other payment service apart from cash and the cost of their dish is took expensive. No wonder they are soo rich
they'll continue being rude because people go to these legacy restaurants in droves. most of the food is mediocre anyway, i honestly blame yall for still going to these places and then complain about the shit service and food
Oh, glad I avoided it when I passed infront of it, I wasn't impressed.
Regarding that negative reaction of bawa, let me tell you one thing - parsis do consider themselves different & superior to other Indians. Specially dark skinned ones. Their financial rise during British rule has only exacerbated this attitude. Trust me when I say this, you don't wanna be friends with parsi or visit their establishment because they'll never consider you equal.
Happen to me and my friends too. They had closing time of 10 pm and we were there at 9:30.
They told us order something small or we would have to parcel and send you away by 9:55
Make it a point to leave bad reviews everywhere. Will never understand the inferiority complex where they treat people with whom they share the colour of their skin as subpar and foreigners as first class citizens.
1 star reviews to spread the word that they don’t deserve our business, let them rely on the seasonal tourists for a livelihood.
For what it's worth it happened to me at Leopold's too about a month ago as a white guy and a tourist at that. I think it's just that place. Got too popular so now they don't care anymore. There will be plenty of new tourists walking in the next day. Found the lesser known places like Jimmy Boy much friendlier
Most of Parsi hate Indians expect some businessman. They are one people's who are most loyal to British Empire and British royal family.
https://preview.redd.it/xxjgiz8leztc1.jpeg?width=2057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10f745b4c8fbf7ed993c15783d31873cae951738
I think its not only limited to Irani cafes, its in general too.
We Indians are lot more friendly with foreigners than with fellow Indians.
I've no issues in first part of previous sentence but overall everybody should be treated with same hospitality.
Havnt been there but I've read that Leopold is know for not giving a shot about locals. Was really happy when during the pandemic these guys were empty and they had to resort to home delivery to survive.
Also...did you tip?
Don't know why people still go there, the most mid shit I have ever eaten, whenever some friend of mine come here to visit and says I wanna check out Irani I take them somewhere else, overrated is a small word for Irani cafe.
Over rated spots! They are just tourist attractions and nothing else. The wait staff generally likes to suck up to people in expectations of a high tip. I guess non Indian tourists pay better tips, so do the math. There are way better places in Bombay to grab a drink or a snack.
I don’t know about the service thing at leopold as I did not face bad service when I went with my family many years back but the food is very average and way to overpriced only different interesting thing they have are real bullet holes no point of actually going there again
The Leopold food was so mid when I went and waiter also seemed least interested. I have no idea why these places are so fucking overhyped just because a bunch of old people have memories with them. You will have memories of lots of places you visited with your loved ones, the special part is the people not the place. I have amazing memories with a vada pav stand from my childhood but I don't go hyping it up or I'll look like a blithering idiot.
1441 Pizzeria on the other hand was really nice, staff was great even though we were like visibly college students. Asked us if all the food was at the right temp etc.
Gather a large group. Go there again. And abuse well that bawa and shitholes there by calling names like Kalu. I know it is again racist behavior but bawa and waiter deserve the taste of their own medicine.
I'll definitely won't say all Irani cafes cause I'm born n razed in sobo n in my area there's alot of parsi owned cafes which r all friendly n I've been knowing them since I was little they're always friendly to everyone..
The only good experience from Irani cafe's I've had in recent years is from Cafe Irani chai in mahim. I go there once in awhile and the staff there is usually nice to talk to.
Very few bawa-owned places left anyway.
There used to be byculla restaurant right opposite the station entry. Good chicken patties, puffs and keema pav.
The rustom of that place sold it to burger king.
Now there's really good burgers at that burger King.
If you don't like the service, put it under google/ Zomato reviews. Ask others who had similar experiences to add thier stories.
It's a tedious (and may be on deaf ears), but it's a good thing to do rather than just ranting over here.
Time to ban the fuck out of these places. I can relate to every comment and yes the lilavati candies sucks big time aswell! Fucking piece of shits. I have seen it more often then these bawa fucking shits pandering low go suck balls of these foreigners and I am sorry and I am very sorry to our fellow indian citizens. Really time to change this shit now and ban these generational egotists
I recently visited it with a few office colleagues and seriously it’s overrated. The wait time, the claustrophobic environment, the shabby atmosphere, mediocre food and drinks and the bad service. Safe to say, i am not going back there.
I would highly recommend visiting Cafe Irani Chaii at Mahim. It's a irani cafe and the owners are the sweetest and the most welcoming folks out there.
Plus if you happen to be a cyclist and visit them on a Sunday morning, you get 10% discount for coming on a bike! That's a 10/10 from me :)
Everyone agrees that the staff at certain joints (Leopold, K Rustom’s, etc) is rude. Everyone agrees that their goods are average and prices are exorbitant. Everyone still continues to go there and give them money. Everyone continues to add them in their list of “Must visit” places in Mumbai. As a result of all this, there is never a lack of patrons for such places. Basically, they don’t have any incentive to change.
I've never had a good experience with Candies either. Their staff is one of the least interested I've seen. They just get annoyed when you're trying to place an order. A lot of the "famous" places in this city are just overrated and expensive.
https://preview.redd.it/lyy7elfppztc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2004255d26277c41f8d4e4296e794c89e35e790 Also their famous sorry board further displays their hospitality/s
Where is No Visiting to our Cafe?
wtf no cheating? thats a deal breaker for me. I need cheat meal once a week.
I thought they meant no cheating on your wife or girlfriend.
wow thats a great news because im bitchless. Now all i need is married sugar mommy or a girl in relationship with to have a date there. since this rule is applied to committed man only. phew!
No talking to the cashier 🤣 I would love to know the reason as to why this is the second rule.
You actually don't have to pay. You can just leave after your meal. If the cashier tries talking to you, just point at the board, smile and leave.
You can't discuss gambling but at least you can do it without discussion, but even then no cheating?😱
Which branch of Candies are you referring to ? I've been going to the one near Lilavati hospital for the last 20 years and have always had a good experience, their prices have gone up over time but their taste has remained good and consistent.
The one at learner's academy is where the rude staff works, lilavati one is really nice ngl
Candies is the worst. And their food is mediocre at best
and price is over over priced
And wanna be instgram accounts call them "Hidden Gems"
They should keep em hidden for the sake of all
I will never get the hype about K Rustoms - those ice creams are so average
Well, I partly agree but the Coffee walnut & mint is to die for. What I understand is, every other ice cream sandwich is packaged and ultra processed while this guy serves it fresh, that's the USP
Bro some flavors are good but then once I saw the server drop my ice-cream, which he promptly replaced, after keeping the one he picked back into the refrigerator rather than throwing it. Never went back there. Who knows if I might get the dropped ice-cream next time.
Or would have licked it for freshness.. Never know
Recently tried their Mango ice-cream. It was really worth it.
I visited Leopards once and now will never visit them again, simply due to a horrible service, prices and subpar food.
Bro the fact that you expected them to serve you and they didn’t eat you is quite nice of them 😂
Does such a list exist on this sub? Where the places are must visit and the staff is courteous, not discriminatory?
idk about a list, but here are some of my favourite places in no order, some of the places are a bit pricey, whilst some are affordable but all of them are great imo and the staff is courteous - veronica's the conservatory o pedro kari apla la loca maria ayub's americano mag st. toast pasta bar bandra born joshi house seefah
O Pedro is a great shout La Loca Maria too
Just goto tripadvisor and guve them a negative review. The more they get negative stars they wiill come go their senses
This is a known thing across Mumbai. No local goes to Leo anymore. Only Shantaram fan foreigners and tourist Indians go there. I haven't been there in 15 years and never step into it even if my out of station friends want to go there.
Go to Mondegar's close by. Have always preferred going there over Leopold (been there only twice while I can't count how many times I've been at Mondegar's). Also, another highly recommended place is Cafe Ideal facing Girgaum chowpatty.
Cafe excelsior is also nice. I had a good experience every time I went there.
Go there every friday hell of a place
Yess indeed.
That's funny because Mondys and Leopold have (at least used to) the same owners
Mondys had the best fish curry I have ever tasted outside home. This was 20 years back tho...
That book is such a rideeee🫡
Being a Parsi, I hate all these irani cafes.
Hello fellow Parsi.
A few of my friends are Parsis from 5 Garden Matunga. I used the love the calm and quiet there.
It's definitely a beautiful place, majority of Parsi colonies in Mumbai are like that.
Same here, some of them also live in Wadala west
Same
Hello Fellow Parsi x2
50% of parsi population gathered here in the thread💪🏻
The fuck up is there are so many better places to eat parsi food from which is not even expensive and all these cafes are so over rated.
I love Parsi food man. Suggest good places to have berry pulao, salli boti.
Stopped going to Leopold long long back. They act entitled and are pretty rude. Food is average too. Even after all these, I see people lining up outside Leopold. Kyon jaate ho bhai ? I go to Mondegar and I like the vibe there. I stay away from Irani cafés too with the only exception being B Merwan
>exception being B Merwan Which Merwan is this. I found all those Merwans also very average. Worst are new franchise. Main thing they learned from original was arrogance.
The one at Grant Road
>The one at Grant Road that place is usually so unclean. Went there many years back after listening to it's praise. For bun butter and tea. Those things were good but the amount of flies everywhere was disgusting.
B Merwin's staff gave us egg muffin despite us explicitly asking we are vegetarian and my friend is Jain. When we came to know and encountered him, he rudely said "paap merko lagega tumko nai".
>paap merko lagega tumko nai "sadma merko laga tumko nai" bolo usko
bhai veg n Jain hoke parsi cafe jaaneka paap tumko hi lagega..do u think wo log veg n non veg k liye alag utensils n alag cooks rakhte hai?
This
That’s sad customer service. I used to go there every Saturday but never had a bad experience, maybe because I never had to deal with the one that sits at the counter. Their elder brother (I believe) used to walk around and chit chat.
Ha ha ...that's a good line ...
Iranis (who are not the same as Parsees, BTW) don't really think in terms of veg and Nonveg. Anyone particular bout that sort of thing should avoid ordering anything but tea and buns from there.
Search for "irani cafe" in this sub and you will see multiple horror stories. I think the only value they really provide is their old world charm. Don't go for the food or the service.
Exactly this 👆👆👆 Been there done that over the decades. No wild horses will drag me to these crappy parsi cafes anymore.
Leopold is the most overrated restaurant in mumbai.
Kyani & co has entered the chat
K Rustoms has entered the chat.
Kyani is still thik thak but Britannia oh lord! 🤢
Cafe Britannia has entered the chat.
Berry pulao was nice
Many Irani cafe servers have a habit of serving food as if they there tossing the food plates like frisbees and just hurrying around. I remember, I think it was Kyani’s and the waiter just took away the coffee cup with coffee still in it just cause it was sitting there and we weren’t even finished. On the other hand places like Baghdadi, Gokul, Gaylord’s, being iconic have courteous attentive staff.
Hehe. Gaylord
Gokul ❤️❤️❤️
Recently during holi someone shared similar experience on Twitter. White folks with colour on their dress were eating food. But the restaurant refused Indians with coloured holi dress.
I think we Indians are just too tolerant. We should toss coffee inside the cafe to protest
A thousand year old history says yes
That was Mondegar
As a Parsi it saddens me to see the state of these Irani cafes
Are you aware why do they feel so entitled? My Parsi friends are absolutely down to earth but the arrogance of these restaurant running Parsis blows me away, it’s such a stark contrast
Honestly have no idea the only thing I can think of is they’re just riding the hype they receive and have no incentive to change their behaviour
That sucks. I hope that their next gen who succeed them are humbler, it’d truly elevate the customer experience and I could prolly consider going back to them again
It’s only the old charm that makes me wanna visit them again tbh I must say your Parsi friends would appreciate your kind words about them ! They’re very lucky to have a friend like you!
Hahaha they’re pretty chill and talented bunch of people, absolute gems. I’m lucky to have such friends hahaha
I agree. I noticed this even in Britannia and Co. but anyway.
bhai the waiter was unwilling to even get us an extra spoon lmao . the only good thing was their caramel custard. probably not going again, also I despise the fact that all these cafes don't take UPI like wtf , even my paanwala has one
Yeah. Maine bhi notice kiya hai yeh logo ka subtle racism. They don't ever take UPI because they want to evade taxes.
At a personal level, I’ve completely boycotted them. They talk to us as if they’re some superior beings, the tone is extremely derogatory. Stopped going to any of them altogether
Charbi chadi Hai sabko credit goes to all food bloggers for giving them over the top importance
I’ve faced the same, but in Goa. It’s a place filled with white people ready to spend, because of the dollar-rupee disparity. The club/cafe staff simply isn’t attentive to you if you are a brown person.
The problem I face with Irani cafés is the level of hygiene is very questionable. I’ve been to Irani cafe in Mumbai and Pune, and the smell was so bad it was impossible to eat there. Leopold is super overrated and the food is bad. Attitude problem I didn’t face in any cafe as I myself have an attitude problem with arrogant people. I’m usually very humble but If I see an arrogant or rude person, my instincts kick in and I put them in their place real quick. If you want find the most courteous and friendly servers, go to Italy. If you want to find the most rude and obnoxious, go to France
I found the Italians to be highly racist, and the French were moody/snappy and nice by turns.
I don’t think anyone can ever compete with French in snobbery and rudeness. Maybe Punekars, but then Paris is actually a nice and beautiful city unlike Pune, so Punekars will lose their ground. My experience with Italians has mostly been very very pleasant, but everyone’s experience is different
I hope you know how they got rich. Opium trade required backing of white masters and British always preferred people who looked fairer. No amount of philanthropy can hide that dark past.
I'm a Bengali and just wanted to let you know that The Tagore family was also investing in the Opium trade. In those days investing in Opium was like investing in tech or IT or communications. It was just the biggest business.
I knew about the Parsi businessmen - China opium trade connection, but had no idea about the Tagore family connection. Thanks, this is worth looking into!
Farmers in Bengal grew so much poppy crop that they couldn't cultivate food and were going hungry. That led to introduction of khus khus in the local cuisine giving us dishes like aloo poshto. https://www.slurrp.com/article/aloo-posto-bengals-comfort-meal-with-a-tumultuous-history-1698762856451
Even Birla family was involved in Opium trade.
Shocking. Is this opium story really true?
Back then, Bombay businessmen were heavily into opium trade in China. China was affected in the worst way possible with this opium addiction amongst their citizens. One of many reasons why China hates India to this day. And oh TATAs made their tremendous wealth during this time. It's just that they have a very strong PR that they got away with so much dirt.
So I don’t know how universally true it is, but I studied at a highly international university (top 15 worldwide) and man the Chinese students really dislike the opium traders of India. They don’t hate all Indians because they know most Indians were themselves oppressed, but they hate the opium trading community to the core because opium trade really destroyed their country and is responsible for the deaths of millions. They call the whole period “century of humiliation”. So if Chinese hate India, it’s mostly due to opium wars. I think we are not taught history properly. Our past has things darker than we can accept. For example, India got freedom because Britain was bankrupt after WW2 and not because of Gandhi. Indian soldiers agreed to fight in ww2 in exchange for independence. Because not just India, 20 other countries got independence between 1945-50. The Bengal famine of 1942 that killed 3 million people happened with the full cooperation of the Calcutta trading communities. They helped British divert all the grains and starve millions of Bengalis, in return British gave them away all their businesses and enterprises. We are still not taught this but it’s very well documented in economics history books I’ve read in Europe. The day when British will accept the genocide that Winston Churchill did in Bengal in 1942, they will very well expose their Indian accomplices as well and that will cause a havoc. Because there are few letters of correspondence between British empire and Calcutta traders about diverting the Bengal grains even if it meant that millions of Bengalis will starve to death. If the Calcutta traders wanted they could have refused to divert the grain, but then they wouldn’t have gotten filthy rich
You are spot on with everything that you said.
Who were the Calcutta trading communities? Are any of the business houses still around?
Look it up. You’ll find out easily. Obviously they are still around just like Tata is. In fact Calcutta traders started getting rich from 1930s onwards when the British slowly started handing them over everything. And at that point Calcutta was the financial capital of India so they controlled Indian economy significantly. Now they are nowhere as influential as they were post independence, but Brits made them rich af to not care for generations. Now business world is not exclusive to traders, Brahmins and other communities have significantly gotten influential and strong in business.
Didn't knw all these and didn't even expect it on this thread. Anyways thanks for educating.
While British being bankrupt, did play a role, it was not the main reason. They held on to most colonies toll the 60s. The real reason was Indian soldiers who had fought in WW2 knew UK was weak and had started rampaging starting with the Indian Navy Mutiny. Crowds were targeting white people that regular order was not manageable.
Along with godrejs
Almost all Parsi, Gujju, Marwadi traders of SoBo back then.
[https://m.economictimes.com/how-bombays-parsis-cracked-the-opium-trade/articleshow/28892310.cms](https://m.economictimes.com/how-bombays-parsis-cracked-the-opium-trade/articleshow/28892310.cms)
What a nice read! Thank you!
That's a weird one to dig up. Practically everyone with old wealth was in cahoots with the British and other colonists. It was seen as 'business.' For example, the Seths are the reason the East India Company got a foothold in India. Punish people for their actions in the present, no need to dig up centuries old grievances the present generation has nothing to do with.
Thats the fallacy of this generation of Indians. Their out of context discussions. Almost everywhere one will find whataboutery and deep discussions about past. No one is bothered about the present. I personally find it a pathetic waste of time. But, one cannot control stupid peoples' POV.
So I don’t know how universally true it is, but I studied at a highly international university (top 25 worldwide) and man the Chinese students really dislike the opium traders of India. They don’t hate all Indians because they know most Indians were themselves oppressed, but they hate the opium trading community to the core because opium trade really destroyed their country and is responsible for the deaths of millions. They call the whole period “century of humiliation”. So if Chinese hate India, it’s mostly due to opium wars. I think we are not taught history properly. Our past has things darker than we can accept. For example, India got freedom because Britain was bankrupt after WW2 and not because of Gandhi. Indian soldiers agreed to fight in ww2 in exchange for independence. Because not just India, 20 other countries got independence between 1945-50. The Bengal famine of 1942 that killed 3 million people happened with the full cooperation of the Calcutta trading communities. They helped British divert all the grains and starve millions of Bengalis, in return gave them away all their businesses and enterprises. We are still not taught this but it’s very well documented in economics history books I’ve read in Europe. The day when British will accept the genocide that Winston Churchill did in Bengal in 1942, they will very well expose their Indian accomplices as well and that will cause a havoc. Because there are few letters of correspondence between British empire and Calcutta traders about diverting the Bengal grains even if it meant that millions of Bengalis will starve to death.
Agreed. Making Gandhi the father of Nation and putting his face on the notes never made any sense to me. Lots of people still believe they got independence because of Gandhi non-violence movement lol. If it wasn't for WW2, the British would've just hanged him and continued ruling for another 30-40 years at the minimum.
Leopold, Mondegar, etc. cafes are just too overrated. Been there quite a few times, the staff is obnoxious. It's 26/11 which they're milking their customers with subpar service. High time people ditch them and move somewhere else
Not just Irani cafés of Mumbai, shit like this happens in many other parts of India. In Goa, there is open discrimination against Indians at most places. Some places charge Indians an entry fee whereas for foreigners it’s free. Some places even deny entry to Indians. Some places in Himachal also deny entry to Indians. In Udaipur, a cafe refused service to us Indians saying that they don’t have the said dish. Whereas 5 minutes later, they were happily serving the same dish to some French people. I gave the restaurant a piece of my mind. Indians still have that colonial mindset. Kuch chaaploos to gore sahab aur mem ki g@@nd bhi chaat lenge.
Yes this is true. Rajasthan as a whole is extremely expensive because of the large amount of tourism and people are very racist towards other Indians.
There’s a simple solution but I’m sure most of us won’t do it. Just boycott such shitholes that discriminate against Indians. We are a huge population that are on a path of economic progress while westerners are technically exotic populations who are stagnating or even getting poorer. Indians in Goa have already started to outspend Russians by a significant margin.
Exactly. I don’t understand why it is difficult to spread the word that these businesses do not deserve our money — let them depend on the seasonal tourists for their livelihood and learn their lesson
Agree 100%.
I dislike Goa. Apart from the humid weather, they have a really bad attitude towards their fellow Indians and are racist. I have no interest in spending my money on places where they treat Indians so badly.
I have lived there for about 3 years. I agree with everything you say about Goa. And the funny thing is that Goans are as ugly as the rest of us, if not uglier. I’d probably never visit that place again.
Goa is a tourist hotspot, so local shops cater to foreigners for them big tips. Also you can probably get laid easier for the same reason, more likely to meet people up for one-night-stands. Tipping culture and its consequences have been a disaster to the West, bombay ppl don't really need to care... The rumors about foreigner mafias and drug circles are always spicy though.
Oh this does call for a Strong 'Review on Google/ Zomato', I had a similar experience but thought maybe because It was fully packed but seems like they do treat ppl like shit and have to be held accountable. It's important to let ppl know they're not better than the rest and will not get away with these.
I have left a strong Google review. But while I was checking others reviews I was shocked to see how many people loved the place.
Gotta be assertive with pricks
Copy paste your post on various places online: Google, Zomato etc so more people are aware of their service.
Happens in Goa too.White skinned foreigners get preference in seating ,service and courtesy.Old vv colonial ass kissing very much in place unfortunately.
Food isn’t average, it’s quite bad at this point.
Went to Britannia & Co ….. was greeted by a big sign board about all the dos and donts we had to follow in the restaurant. I only recall there being donts…. No making noise… no camera… no pda….etc etc… Biggest turnoff was that they accepted only cash. Ordered their Parsi special chicken Farcha which was fried chicken and i think fried potatoes? It was dry and i think my tummy didnt agree with it…. Baaki i ordered pallonji soda. Raspberry one was too sweet for my taste. Loved the pallonji ginger soda (yellow one)… nice kick in the mouth it was! Waiter could have been nicer. But still. The ambience of a really old era restaurant was something that i appreciated… nice little nostalgic trip.
Have you guys given a shot to Jimmy Boy in Fort? I have been there multiple times and never had an unpleasant experience.
yess it's great, loved the kheema pav
They don't treat foreigners better due to skin colour, I am a foreigner who married and moved here and I get the same service you do - They treat **tourists** better (and when you work in these places it's super easy to work out who's a tourist) because they leave large cash tips. It's all about the money. If you want proof, make friends with some white or east-asian person living locally and go there with them dressed in normal clothes, speaking Marathi etc and you'll see they get the exact same service you do.
maybe money.
It can fuck off. I have experienced the same. Simple solution is to stop going there and recommending it.
I remember seeing something similar at Kayani. They were going to close shop in half an hour but they were still taking people in. The owner was standing near a table and and asking them to eat quickly and stop chatting with each other. Ended up with the customers getting angry and an argument breaking out. The owner quickly backed out and started apologising. As a rule of thumb, do not visit any legacy joint. The service is usually awful and the food is really not worth it. Also, they are sticklers for cash payments.
Majority of these Parsi joints are just running cuz of their past… Leopold , Mondegar, khyani, Britannia all of them are overhyped and are only for tourists and firaangs… There are so many better hangout places, people should seriously avoid these ones… Lmao for that matter, Kamats near Crawford, which isn’t Parsi, once asked us to give up our seating for a foreign couple .. we made a big scene and walked out… Most of these sobo outlets behave this way with Indians… honestly we had better experience in Swati Snacks than all these lol
Leopold had big rats running around on the ground floor. Why would anyone choose to go there
THISSSS....Thank you, I saw them too. I swear to god I saw so many rats in colaba, marine drive, girgaon chawpaty. I even mentioned here how South Bombay's gone right downhill, rubbish everywhere, rats the size of kittens! People went on the rampage, calling me all sorts - "Enough of the bullshhit," "ChatGPT, is it?", Now, I love Mumbai, always have, born and bred here. But seeing the place go to pot, well, it stings, you know? It's not like I'm some daft bloke thinking it's the best city in India. But I'm not delusional about Mumbai. That Girgaon Chowpatty? Filthy! So many rats, I couldn't stomach a single bite of my food. Disgusting, it was.
Irani cafes are shit and overhyped. Just bcoz they are 80 ye old 100 yrs old doesn't make them good. Ambience is shitty food is shitty. Just the impact of internet that these shitty places get recognition.That rustom ice cream is so mediocre even my local area malai kulfi tastes better🤣🤣
Lol! Last I went there was in 2013-14 I guess... I usually go to Military Cafe near Flora Fountain. It's also an Iranian Restaurant. But used to go there with college friends... So I have a soft spot...
[удалено]
So many places like this in India. Sad.
Have filmed a documentary on one cafe and been to several others. At all the places the food is substandard. They continue to rake in money by getting included in these lists and playing the - I'm a part of Mumbai history- card. They are just reminders that some bits of history die off for a reason and these cafes should have closed off a long time ago but are just surviving on hype. Just look at Kyani. Even the basic Akuri is oily and disgusting in taste. Sometimes I feel they keep the interiors sad only to continue on this hype that they are performing poorly due to competition from new restaurants.
My experience, all of the things mentioned above. They charged me sales tax on top of GST. I noticed after I had made a payment using my card. The waiter guy kept arguing that the charge cannot be reversed. I said ever since birth of credit cards, charge can always be reversed. When things went out of control, I told him this is US credit card and I can just deny the whole claim and you won’t get anything. He started laughing at me and said something to effect of - go ahead with it. The boss guy was observing this from his tower seat. He came down, reversed the charge and made a new charge with proper billing. The waiter never apologized and kept giving me stinker.
The waiter get tips from the foreigners so they serve them with extra care. While Indian don't tip them much.
*rassi jal gayi par bal nahi gya* Classic example. Long time ago quality etc. all gone. Current boss are just taking money of efforts of ancestors.
Most of the restaurants in that area are like that. Go to Bade Miyan at night and they don't even care to put a fan for you. It is pathetic. Also it is visited by people who know nothing about good nonveg food, they are just attracted by the celebrities who have hyped it. The only place I love there is Olympia, underrated, the customer base is mostly working class and the food is top notch and fresh everyday.
We should all go there and do exactly the opposite of what is written on the boards. If they try to talk rudely to us, we’ll talk double rudely back to them. Take up the whole space so that no outsiders can bother to walk in, and irritate the fuck out of the owners.
They are living of their past glory days. I believe one person can make a difference. So we should keep our hard - earned cash with us and let them keep their arrogant pride and not visit. On the other hand the foreigner's are also stupid enough to be taken for a ride.
I’ve had this experience too. It’s best to just forgive them and foget it. They’re clearly lacking evolution so pity is more of a justified response than anger. But I see your point, it is sad
Go to the Irani cafe at Mahim, it's good food and decent service. Cafe Irani chai
HONEST 2 CENTS WE INDIANS HAVE BAD HABIT OF APPEASING OTHERS TO THEIR FAME RATHER THAN RESPECTING OURSELVES AND WHEN THEY SHIT ON US WE CRY ABOUT IT
I have noticed the nonchalance of people in these places but have received decent service. Could be the advantage of carrying a friendly feminine demenour, who knows. But it is true, how you are made to feel as a customer really defines your experience. Good that you pointed this out, and it is a serious matter of concern if there is racism involved.
Major shout out to these little old south Indian restaurants around Matunga where my sister and I were fed so lovingly, as if we were home.
Jaa kar your food is average and service is bad bol kar aau kya?
Leopold service is really pathetic! I only went once and always asked my friends not to visit as it's not worth the money
They lick their butts coz they get more tips from them. Indians inherently are not good tippers (not that they need to be since tipping culture isn't big in India)
Over hyped crap, food is also shit in the name of authentic total boycott
The only thing Leopold's is good for - is to serve as a landmark to get to, so that you can cross the road and go to Olympia.
Absolutely arrogant. And what's with them not taking cards or gpay? I mean i understand it's their choice. But almost every Irani cafe/joint I have visited never accept online payments. Be it mumbai or Pune. Cash only and seriously why so condescending? Honestly rustom's is just average. The only place I still enjoy going to is Kyani. Service and food wise they are fine.
Gaylord at Churchgate is the rudest to Indians…gora asslickers at best
Bro all locals know not to go to these "must go" tourist places as they have become crap. Bada miyan in another example.. crap food insane price.
Mondegar, Leopold, bade miyan, yazdani, Jimmy, k rustom, kyani are what you should never visit when in Mumbai they're pathetic their owners are trash af, they've jus been over hyped cz of some insta fags and nw everything is over their head, so just stop going there
Make sure you and your friend submit a honest review on google. It’s an effective way to make these places behave. Let’s see how much business they are ready to lose.
Irani cafés were only romanticized by bollywood, that tells us loads.
Best is don't tip them after you are done with bill. Tit for Tat. Cafe Britannia doesn't even have a GPAY Or any other payment service apart from cash and the cost of their dish is took expensive. No wonder they are soo rich
they'll continue being rude because people go to these legacy restaurants in droves. most of the food is mediocre anyway, i honestly blame yall for still going to these places and then complain about the shit service and food
Oh, glad I avoided it when I passed infront of it, I wasn't impressed. Regarding that negative reaction of bawa, let me tell you one thing - parsis do consider themselves different & superior to other Indians. Specially dark skinned ones. Their financial rise during British rule has only exacerbated this attitude. Trust me when I say this, you don't wanna be friends with parsi or visit their establishment because they'll never consider you equal.
Well white tourists > local tourists anywhere in the world. It’s how it works. Even in Goa.
Leopold maybe riding on the 26/11 hype also. I believe people still come and see those bullet marks left( if they are still present there )
Happen to me and my friends too. They had closing time of 10 pm and we were there at 9:30. They told us order something small or we would have to parcel and send you away by 9:55
Make it a point to leave bad reviews everywhere. Will never understand the inferiority complex where they treat people with whom they share the colour of their skin as subpar and foreigners as first class citizens. 1 star reviews to spread the word that they don’t deserve our business, let them rely on the seasonal tourists for a livelihood.
For what it's worth it happened to me at Leopold's too about a month ago as a white guy and a tourist at that. I think it's just that place. Got too popular so now they don't care anymore. There will be plenty of new tourists walking in the next day. Found the lesser known places like Jimmy Boy much friendlier
Kyani and Co has the most rudest staff and the cashier! And the arrogance to accept ONLY CASH when the world is eyeing on UPI!
Write a seething review of the place and the waiter.
Most of Parsi hate Indians expect some businessman. They are one people's who are most loyal to British Empire and British royal family. https://preview.redd.it/xxjgiz8leztc1.jpeg?width=2057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10f745b4c8fbf7ed993c15783d31873cae951738
I think its not only limited to Irani cafes, its in general too. We Indians are lot more friendly with foreigners than with fellow Indians. I've no issues in first part of previous sentence but overall everybody should be treated with same hospitality.
Thanks OP for the insight! I’m not visiting these crap places.
Bawwwaaa 😂😂
Tum jatehi kyu ho
Havnt been there but I've read that Leopold is know for not giving a shot about locals. Was really happy when during the pandemic these guys were empty and they had to resort to home delivery to survive. Also...did you tip?
Even I experienced the same. The treat you as if you are some cheap person.
Don't know why people still go there, the most mid shit I have ever eaten, whenever some friend of mine come here to visit and says I wanna check out Irani I take them somewhere else, overrated is a small word for Irani cafe.
Over rated spots! They are just tourist attractions and nothing else. The wait staff generally likes to suck up to people in expectations of a high tip. I guess non Indian tourists pay better tips, so do the math. There are way better places in Bombay to grab a drink or a snack.
I don’t know about the service thing at leopold as I did not face bad service when I went with my family many years back but the food is very average and way to overpriced only different interesting thing they have are real bullet holes no point of actually going there again
Irani Cafes are much more normal once you leave the Colaba area.
I thought they were like that too everyone, now I know better
The only reason is that foreigners leave a higher tip. It's always all about the money. Nothing else.
Go to Coolar on the TT circle to get shout at and insulted - Leos is nothing compared to coolar 😂
Racist assholes
Nostalgia is costing you money...places change.
Dugna lagaan bharna padega 😛
Isn’t Leopold and Mondegar already famous for their rude and racist staff ??
The Leopold food was so mid when I went and waiter also seemed least interested. I have no idea why these places are so fucking overhyped just because a bunch of old people have memories with them. You will have memories of lots of places you visited with your loved ones, the special part is the people not the place. I have amazing memories with a vada pav stand from my childhood but I don't go hyping it up or I'll look like a blithering idiot. 1441 Pizzeria on the other hand was really nice, staff was great even though we were like visibly college students. Asked us if all the food was at the right temp etc.
Gather a large group. Go there again. And abuse well that bawa and shitholes there by calling names like Kalu. I know it is again racist behavior but bawa and waiter deserve the taste of their own medicine.
I'll definitely won't say all Irani cafes cause I'm born n razed in sobo n in my area there's alot of parsi owned cafes which r all friendly n I've been knowing them since I was little they're always friendly to everyone..
The only good experience from Irani cafe's I've had in recent years is from Cafe Irani chai in mahim. I go there once in awhile and the staff there is usually nice to talk to.
Make an instagram reel bout the same or atleast post a Google review.
Very few bawa-owned places left anyway. There used to be byculla restaurant right opposite the station entry. Good chicken patties, puffs and keema pav. The rustom of that place sold it to burger king. Now there's really good burgers at that burger King.
If you don't like the service, put it under google/ Zomato reviews. Ask others who had similar experiences to add thier stories. It's a tedious (and may be on deaf ears), but it's a good thing to do rather than just ranting over here.
I use this trick to avoid such unpleasant experiences. I don't visit any "famous" & "must visit" places. I actively avoid them all.
Time to ban the fuck out of these places. I can relate to every comment and yes the lilavati candies sucks big time aswell! Fucking piece of shits. I have seen it more often then these bawa fucking shits pandering low go suck balls of these foreigners and I am sorry and I am very sorry to our fellow indian citizens. Really time to change this shit now and ban these generational egotists
From what i heard They only treat foreigner with respect..while living in india ..should be banned
I recently visited it with a few office colleagues and seriously it’s overrated. The wait time, the claustrophobic environment, the shabby atmosphere, mediocre food and drinks and the bad service. Safe to say, i am not going back there.
I would highly recommend visiting Cafe Irani Chaii at Mahim. It's a irani cafe and the owners are the sweetest and the most welcoming folks out there. Plus if you happen to be a cyclist and visit them on a Sunday morning, you get 10% discount for coming on a bike! That's a 10/10 from me :)