The best things to do in Chembur

Stroll at a surreal landmark: the Diamond Garden. After all, you’re in the garden suburb.  The garden attracts many for featuring a decommissioned fighter jet that sits in the middle of a park. It’s a fantastic, green-filled spot to sit and wonder how a jet landed in a suburban garden.

Sight some green at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club. It’s notoriously exclusive – meaning you’ll need a member to sign you in – but if you can get inside, the 18-hole golf course is excellent. On the other hand, The Courtroom has become the modern face of Chembur’s fitness scene. Head here for pickleball or padel. 

Chembur resident Chetan Soorenji has also performed a miracle here. He’s turned his property into a thriving passion fruit farm and a bee-friendly micro-forest, calling it Forest Garden Microfarms. It’s a masterclass in urban sustainability. This is where to buy the most authentic and hyper-local honey and passionfruit in the city.

Chembur is a treasure trove of Art Deco architecture.Clem Cot is a 1953 villa featuring an asymmetrical front elevation, angular bay windows, and a long balcony. Find Belvedere, built by Professor Aloysius Soares in 1933, a quaint summer house on Central Avenue Road, a classic example of Chembur's early residential architecture. Hitkari Baug & Rukmini Villa are well-known neighbourhood mansions defined by arched wooden galleries and prominent, jutting balconies. Stroll around the Catholic Colony and Chembur Gaothan; both are pockets known for low-density layouts, tree-lined streets, and surviving Art Deco grillwork.

Fine Arts & Cultural Centre is sort of the cerebral heart of the suburb. Catch a Marathi or Hindi play here; it’s raw, intellectual, and deeply rooted in the local culture.

Adagio, meanwhile, is like a living room for the analogue-obsessed. Their weekly vinyl listening sessions, intimate open-mic nights, and guitar and ukulele workshops are a great way to disconnect from the digital noise.

Chembur Camp, the street where migrant Sindhi families set up their businesses, has offerings you won’t find anywhere else in Mumbai. 

At Sindh Pani Puri, you can stick to the basics like a pani puri. But you can also sample the Butter Papri Chaat, a post-Partition dish made by the community using items they found in Mumbai, like a mini kadak pav, which is bathed in pani puri water and topped with all your chaat fixings, and sweet and tangy chutneys.

Sattu Sweets is a legendary bastion of Sindhi confectionery; get the Singhur ji Mithai or Sev Barfi here for its textures. And, Tosha, a fried dough dunked in sugar syrup, best eaten with some gathiya on the side. 

Next door, Gopal’s is a literal hole-in-the-wall that slow-cooks a degh full of Sindhi mutton for hours. For a lighter snack, the Keema Pattice is a must-have, while the Mutton Tawa Masala and the Mutton Chop will satisfy every carnivorous craving. 

If you have room for more dessert, Sai Sagar is perhaps the only spot that serves up a Sindhi-style falooda; it has kulfi or ice cream (take your pick), vermicelli, rabri, syrups, and no milk. The recipe is closer to the Persian faloodeh, the predecessor of the Indian falooda. 

Chef Rachi Gupta has made Bread Bar Chembur’s sourdough headquarters. Artisanal loaves that are perfect to take home are one thing, but keep an eye on their seasonal specials. Better yet, visit them for their Chicken Parm Sandwich, Ham & Cheese Melt, and their desserts like Pate A Choux, Brioche Doughnuts, and more.

You won’t find a friendlier place for pets than Greg’s Cafe. There’s great coffee, all-day breakfast, and the usual cafe fare. All of which you can enjoy with your pet right beside you. There’s also a giant coffee mug at the door, which makes for a cute photo-op if your pet is chill enough to get inside it and pose. 

The environmentally conscious would love a bite at Gracias Granny. A Mexican cafe, this spot is vegan-friendly and does more for the environment than most with simple practices they have woven into their operations. Their Mexican salad bowls are filling, tacos and burritos are dependable, and all milk-based drinks are made with either oat or almond milk. If you want real dairy, you pay extra – a simple flip of practice to get you to be more mindful of our planet. 

If tried and tested is your comfort zone, every Chemburite will recommend the two-decade-old Le Cafe. A veteran that still feels relevant, this all-day cafe serves a great cuppa alongside well-balanced cocktails. One of the first to serve European fare in Chembur, you can order their Savoury Waffles, Mascarpone Plum & Tomato Risotto, Gnocchi Pumpkin Feta, Oven Baked Lasagna, and more. 

Kerala cuisine reigns supreme in Chembur, as it has housed many Malayali families for generations. 

While Hotel Sunny, Udaya Lunch Home, and Kerala Cafe remain popular choices, The Moustache Chef is relatively new with simple interiors but a slightly more elevated experience. Their Chicken Nadan Curry or Meen Curry paired with appam is comforting, but the no-frills, home-style Chatti Chorru is what you should go for. 

An old neighbourhood favourite, Ivy Restaurant is an undisputed choice for Mangalorean food. Getting the Mangalorean Gassi with Neer Dosa, the Ghee Roast, or the Kori Roti here is a no-brainer.

Toshin is the namesake of Chef Toshin Shetty who turned his family’s hotel legacy into patisserie art. His macarons, chocolate tablets, artisanal sorbets, Tiramisu, and other cakes have a precision that puts many patissiers to shame.

The wave of modern mithai brought to life Hatti & Giraffe. They take traditional flavours and deconstruct them into sleek, modern, inventive formats. Available to order only, their namkeen and mithai options are the quick, high-end sugar fix you need.

For artisanal scoops, Gelato Bar, the sister brand of Bread Bar, offers dense, rich, and perfect palate cleansers after a carb-heavy meal. Try to grab their Chocolate & Cherry gelato before the season ends.