Samrat Mumbai

Do not let the fact that Samrat serves only vegetarian food scare you off. This is not your typical vegetarian restaurant with boring, bland food. Even people who are ardently against vegetarian cuisine frequent Samrat often; it is very popular with local office workers, college students and families.

Though there is a large menu here (a lot of Punjabi and Gujrati dishes), most diners come for the vegetarian Thalis. Included in the Thalis are a delicious variety of vegetable dishes, along with aromatic Indian rice, parathas and puris, and several sweets, such as a refreshing fruit salad (much needed to cool down from Bombay’s heat) and sticky Gulab Jamun. My all time favorite Indian dish is pretty much anything that has Paneer in it and lucky for me, Samrat has a good number of selections with the savory, soft Indian cheese. Palak Paneer is a standout here- its creamy spinach seasoned with just the right balance of coriander, cumin and salt and the Paneer perfectly moist. Bindhi Masala is also another personal favorite at Samrat, a heady blend of onion, tomatoes and garam masala tossed with chopped okra. With such intense flavors, who could possibly miss non-vegetarian dishes?

Every part of the Thali is unlimited with the exception of the sweets, though they provide plenty to begin with that you couldn’t possibly need more. Service is surprisingly attentive and generous in terms of pushing you to eat your fill. Samrat is an incredible value for fabulous Thalis; a truly authentic Indian experience.

Prem Court 119, Jamshedji Tata Road, Churchgate, Mumbai