A Definitive Guide To Thane's Food Street
For A Culinary Journey That is Global
Mumbai is famous for its many Food Streets called Khau Gallis in language that is a mixture of Marathi and Hindi. Our city Thane has its own areas popular for Street Food. In fact the city also has numerous Food Trucks which have run foul of residents as they cause congestion in residential localities. So finding several eateries in a quiet corner of Thane is a pleasant surprise. I am referring here to the Thane Khau Galli at Panchpakadi - which is two streets perpendicular to each other. The first one is Meenatai Thakre Road that can be accessed while approaching Panchpakadi from Hari Nivas Circle. The second Street is Madanlal Dhingra Road and is perpendicular to it and has more restaurants. These 2 streets bewteen them plus a few on Arun Kumar Vaidya Road host a, hold your breath whipping 48 eateries. Agreed most of them are small hole in the wall joints but the sheer variety is mind boggling. The type of eateries is a mix of restaurants, bakeries, cafes, fast food joints, ice cream parlours and a final category - fusion - which defies classification. Here's is the whole list of eateries as per my classification:
Icre cream: Giani's, Amul, Apsara, Ice Cream Works, The Naturals, Baskin Robbins, City Dairy, Cream chills, Flavour Stones, London Bubble Co.
Bakery: Brownie Point, Baker's Treat, Ribbons and Balloons, Monginis Cake Shop
Chocolate: Candy Kisses, Australia's The Chocolate Room, Sweet CountyGuilt Trip
Fast Food: MFC, Neapolitan Pizza, Domino's, Santosh Vada Pav, Momo Factory, Amor Churros, Samvene The Bagel Cafe, Pratmesh Fast Food, Pizzonomy, Belgian Waffle, Delhi Belly
Juices: Fusion, The J
Vegetarian restaurant: House of Bhagat Tarachand, Family Tree, Thambi, Utsav, Balaji Food Court
Non vegetarian restaurant: Jade Raven Family Restro bar, The Roast, Malvan
Farsaan and Chaat: Satranj, Prashant Corner, Krishna Sweets, South Indian Hot Chips
Chinese: Wok Express
Cafe: Cafe Coffee Day, The Bellagio Restro Cafe
Fusion: Nine Tables, Satte pe Satta, Oassis
Fusion, the Juice Shop
As the number of eateries is large and I have myself not eaten in all of them, here are some tips on eating our at Thane's Food Street.
Chaats are good at Krishna Sweets though some people prefer the popular Thane chain Prashant Corner. These two plus Satranj also sell snacks and sweets. Satranj has a stall for Delhi Soya Chop, a vegetarian kebab made of soy protein (they also have vegetable and paneer barbeque). Utsav is supposedly Thane's finest vegetarian (read Udupi) restaurant. Their pricing is high in keeping with their liveried waiters and air conditioned interiors. They are popular and so almost always crowded. Thambi is another good Udupi restaurant with a limited menu but tasty food and quick service. The House of Bhagat Tarachand is run by the family of the famous founder. It has colourful interiors and the usual favourties like Sev tamatar, Kutchi beer ( buttemilk served in beer bottles) and the dal with a layer of caramelised onions. I like Apsara's hand churned ice cream which they make with fresh fruit (unlike Naturals who use frozen fruit pulp, though real). Bagels if you didn't know are a doughnut like dish but not sweet and typically eaten with butter or cheese for breakfast - served by Samvene. Churro is a deep fried dough based pastry and available at Amor Churro. Do pick up some chips (try the tapioca) from Hot Chips.
South
South Indian Hot Chips
Planning a visit to Khau Galli: On Sundays the roads have less traffic and more parking. Do note that TMC has parking on one side on alternate days and that Thane Traffic Police enforce the rules (read: clamp car tyres parked wrongly). All of the restaurants are small and thus during peak times expect to wait. Here is the link to Google Maps list which shows you some of the eateries.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VZEq6p8HP8DeSQZo9
Bon Appetit!