Prerna Makhija

Editor's note: This guide maps where to go out in Andheri West, from cafés and restaurants to bars (the cheap and pricey kinds), shops, and more. The area's massive, and not to be underestimated – with so much to do that even locals can get flummoxed. As with every neighbourhood, there are exalted institutions that sometimes turn out to be misses, and hidden gems that don't make it to most lists. This one saves you the bother.  Andheri West is like Mumbai’s arrivals hall for a surprising number of people. Students turn up with overstuffed suitcases, actors with fresh headshots, dancers with knee braces and writers with WIP scripts, all carrying the number of somebody who knows somebody in casting. The neighbourhood has long drawn newcomers chasing work in television and film, and they’ve built an entire economy around their ambition. Lokhandwala, Oshiwara and Link Road form a dense little universe of apartment towers, markets, studios and commercial blocks where you can conduct an alarming amount of your life without leaving the neighbourhood. There are restaurants for every budget, bars for when the audition did or did not go well, coffee shops full of laptops and and shopping that ranges from costume-jewellery treasure hunts to Oshiwara’s antique shops, where old film props, carved furniture and assorted oddities from demolished homes sit, waiting for their next life. Our guide sifts through the abundance. Alongside the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops worth braving Link

Mumbai’s surrounded by water, which is a cruel joke if you enjoy swimming. The sea only looks lovely from a distance; public pools involve timings, lane discipline and silicone caps so tight you give up trying to put one on and go home dry. Private club pools are private in the way only old Bombay gymkhanas can be private – bureaucratic, faintly feudal and lovely if you already happen to be inside. Hotel pools are the loophole. Many of the city’s best ones are open to non-resident guests through day passes, brunch packages, spa access or memberships, though you usually have to call and ask nicely.  Lucky for you, we’ve done the admin. Some of these pools are long enough for proper cardio; most are better for lounging with a drink and a club sandwich. A few come with whirlpools, cabanas, steam and sauna rooms, padel courts or direct beach access. There are Juhu old-timers that remind us of childhood because, wonderfully, they still look the same and then there’s the newer, shinier pools with recovery menus and biohacking add-ons like cryotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen chambers. We’ve picked pools that are clean, well-run and generous with space, which matters in a city that gives you so little of it. We’ve tried enough of them to say this with conviction – Mumbai’s pool scene is much better than anyone will tell you. Here are our top picks. 

drnk apartment sits on the ground floor of a newly redeveloped Andheri building, alongsideBengaluru import AlienKind, Dessert Therapy Kitchen and Korean QSR Seoul Dak. Together, they form an after-hours circuit for the neighbourhood’s younger set. We arrive late, after dinner, when most cafés are easing into decaf mode. Hip-hop and R&B fill a New York loft-like space, where metallic tables, sofa seating and a supersized peach-coloured light installation behind the bar make everyone look as though they have wandered into a James Turrell work. The place is smaller than we imagined but thehaze, music and cheerful young crowd more than make up for it. drnk may present itself as a coffee shop that serves food, but we prefer to treat it as a dessert parlour. Protein pancakes, bowls and 18g protein lattes offer a veneer of satisfaction, but the menu’s true instincts are gloriously indulgent with pancake stacks, loaded fries, grilled cheese toasties and drinks modelled after cakes, doughnuts and puddings.The warm S’mores Chocolate French Toast proves this case very well. It arrives soaked in hot chocolate and covered with torched marshmallows, graham-cracker rubble and a glassy brûléed crust. It is far too sweet, completely excessive and – regrettably for our dignity – quickly demolished. The thecha grilled cheese is an excellent counterpoint. Thecha is a fiery Maharashtrian condiment traditionally made by pounding green chillies, garlic and peanuts together. drnk makes its version f

I’ve been watching far too much For All Mankind, so AlienKind’s commitment to life on Mars works rather well on me. The Bengaluru-born quick-service café landed in Oshiwara with sealed UFO burgers, elaborate smoothies and enough chrome to launch a small spacecraft. Everything is washed in a Martian red-orange glow. A colossal alien bust surveys the room while helmets and other bits of imagined space gear are exhibited like museum objects. The ceiling LED screens play footage of planet trajectories and spacecraft machinery while digital ticker tapes run around the walls. Even the chairs, tables and surprisingly comfortable banquettes are upholstered or finished in silver. AlienKind ultimately looks as though it belongs just outside a Star Wars: HyperspaceMountain ride at Disneyland. I’ve been noticing this strain of amusement-park restaurant design across Mumbai. Places such as Staqx and Steam Room also feel increasingly like sets where the spectacle, merchandise potential and long queues are part of the experience. The menu speaks fluent wellness TikTok. There’s blue spirulina, beetroot powder, vegan collagen and multivitamins in everything we order. Drinks are divided into Galactic Smoothies, Celestial Juices, Cloudy cups (milkshakes) and the premium Quantum Series. The packaging is equally impressive and the substantial plastic cup has a sculpted lid and orange flip cap. AlienKind has clearly spent heavily on its branding, and at least the money is on full display. We go st

Laxmi Industrial Estate has long been Andheri West’s destination for furniture, lighting and home decor. So I wasn't expecting to find one of the neighbourhood’s most unusual fitness studios lodged between the design stores. Behind a storefront, lined with natural conches and seashells, is Kalari Warriors, where Kerala’s ancient martial art shares an 800-square-foot mirrored studio with some of India’s oldest performing traditions. Founded by Arpit Singh in 2014, Kalari Warriors teaches Kalaripayattu, a martial art believed to have originated in Kerala over 2,000 years ago. Animal postures, leaps, kicks, stretches and breathing exercises come together in a practice that builds strength, flexibility and balance before students graduate to training with wooden and metal weapons. It’s a rather refreshing alternative for anyone whose interest in burpees has begun to wane. Singh also trains actors and dancers so the Bollywood connection is not entirely in our heads. What makes the studio especially interesting is that Singh also opens it to other traditional movement practices. On our visit, dance teacher Gokul Sorari is leading a Chhau class as a largely female group prepares for a performance. Originating in Odisha, Chhau blends martial arts with storytelling, mythology and dance, demanding explosive jumps and sweeping movements. Around us, performers adjust their costumes, carefully line their eyes with dramatic kajal and prepare for practice. Moments later, they are springing