A culinary shift is brewing in the burbs. Once known for its sushi bars and small-plate cafés, Bandra seems to be turning into the new Matunga with better lighting and design-led South Indian food menus. Alongside older favourites like Madras Diaries, Tanjore Tiffin Room, Kari Apla and the ‘don’t-know-why-but-there’s-always-a-queue-outside-Benne’, newer eateries like Nanna House, Uppu and the soon-to-open Ammakai, signal of this shift — one that blends heritage with hype, and tradition with trend.

Many credit Benne with sparking Mumbai’s — and especially Bandra’s — dosa revival, a title its founders accept with humility. “You’re being very generous,” smile Founders Akhil Iyer and Shriya Narayan., adding, “But yes, it’s wonderful to see people giving this food the love it deserves. Watching new South Indian restaurants open in Bandra feels more like validation than a form of competition. It means the cuisine has found its moment — and that’s something to celebrate.”