The BEST cake shop in Colaba. PERIOD. "Theobroma (θεό βρῶμα)" in Greek literally food of the gods and it is rightly so. I'm forever in love with this place. It is a small shop with little wooden chairs and square tables and is always crowded. Ordering here is is very easy - close your eyes, take a deep breath and pick anything at random ... you cannot go wrong here (okay, maybe not the rainbow cake). This is a place where you can safely say 'Shut up and take my money'.

Colaba is an absolute gem of a place for living, dining, shopping, chilling and what not!!! There are many good restaurants on the Colaba Causeway. Some of my favourite ones in no particular order are : • Piccadilly - Lebanese and Iranian restaurant Try the Chicken or Mutton Shawarma in Piccadilly • Cafe Churchill Chicken sausages in firecracker sauce and Pollo Valdostana are highly recommended but I believe you cannot go wrong in Churchill ... just pick anything. • Theobroma for cakes and pastries • For kababs and North Indian delicacies try Khyber in Kala Ghoda which is a few minutes' walk from the Gateway of India • For the very best of Indianised Chinese food, go to Ling's Pavillion or if you want to try out your own culinary skills, do it right from the wok in All Stir Fry If you want to chill over delicious snacks and towers of beer, then Leopold Cafe and Cafe Mondegar are the places to be. Leopold is very popular among foreigners but a bit expensive. Try the Beef Chilly or the pastas with your drink and enjoy the buzz . The music might be a bit loud though. Both of these are right on the Causeway ... ask anyone for directions. You can try The Irish House , near Khyber in Kala Ghoda if you are looking for a proper pub. There are quite a few nice pubs in this area. Then there is Gokul, just behind the Taj which is a shady-looking bar cum restaurant. If you love an energetic noisy crowd, cheap booze and excellent food then Gokul is a must visit. NOT for hygiene aficionados Coffee shops : There are two Starbucks in this area, one right behind the Taj Mahal Hotel which is small . The other much larger one is in Horniman Circle, near the Asiatic Society. The coffee is average but the decor is beautiful. You can visit the Prince of Wales Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Arts if you have time. Take a walk along the by-lanes of Kala Ghoda and you will come across blue synagogues, nice little coffee shops , beautiful art galleries and many unexpected gems. And of course, the Marine Drive. Take a cab or walk for about ~20 min from Colaba to reach the marine drive and enjoy the sunset on the Arabian Sea

There is a saying that if you do not visit Gokul, you will not get through the TIFR (my institute) 's interview. Many-a-PhD has been dedicated to this haven for hapless researchers stuck in South Bombay with a meager fellowship to spend. If we have nowhere to go (because of time and/or money) , there is always Gokul . Given it's location at the heart of Colaba right behind the Taj , Gokul provides food and drinks at unbelievably low prices. Gokul is shady. Gokul is crammed. Gokul is so noisy that you have to shout to your partners sharing the same table. Gokul's AC runs in binary state. But Gokul has the best Dal-fry in town. Add to it the Surmai fry....Chicken Afghani.... Prawn and Mutton sukha (whose fame has spread worldwide) ... chicken chilly dry .... just to name a few. You can get Chicken and paneer charcoal rolls (my personal favourites) from Healthy Bites below if you ask for them. And Gokul has the TV. It plays cricket matches or NatGeo/Animal planet. For drinks you have beer, vodka, cheap whiskies etc. Try Masala papad, Tomato dal and egg pakora with drinks. The food is not what you will call great but it is pretty decent in general. You will be disappointed if you expect a high level of hygiene. But it is a nice friendly place. The charm of Gokul passes on from one generation to another, from the professor to his student, from the senior to his junior. If you want to have fun with friends over cheap food and booze and be yourself, Gokul is the place to be .

Even though I like the food and ambiance here, I must say that Leopold is definitely over-hyped especially among the foreigners. The beef chilly is fantastic. So are the pastas. Great place to hang out with friends over a tower of beer, provided you get a table (especially during the weekends). Differential treatment with locals compared to foreigners have been reported but I have never personally experienced it. Service is average. The bar upstairs is crammed up and stag entry is restricted. Music is LOUD and although the "DJ" does try to play your requests, the music collection is average. If you are visiting Mumbai and have local friends, Leopold is worth a try for a lazy evening and to a experience the truly cosmopolitan essence of Mumbai .

This is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in South Mumbai. Very good food and drinks at competitive prices. The waiters are friendly and prompt. The crowd and the buzz create the atmosphere that is quintessentially Mumbai. Top it up with funky artwork on the walls and the jukebox. Been there so many times, but it never grows old.