Best Malvani Prawn Biryani Places In Mumbai
By Devi Poojari
Malvani cuisine has been a long-standing aspect of Mumbai’s food culture – especially since the conversations about regional Indian cooking have been amplified in the past few years. As a unique biryani variety found in the region, Malvani Prawn Biryani is a delicacy that both seafood lovers and biryani lovers must enjoy while in Mumbai. Check out some of the best places to get this dish across the city.
Mahesh Lunch Home
A popular celebrity seafood restaurant located in the posh locality of Juhu, Mahesh Lunch Home is also the popular favourite for most – thanks to the delicious Butter Garlic Crab served here. The Prawns Mahesh Special Biryani comes highly recommended for a main course meal with tender but large prawns coated in a fiery red masala, served mixed with long grains of basmati rice and whole spices. Don’t forget to enjoy it with some raita on the side!Ab’s Lunch Home
Adarsh says, “The quality and quantity of biryani at AB's will surprise everyone equally – more than 10 pieces of decently large prawns, with adequate amount of masala and rice to go with it, makes one portion shareable by two people. Enjoy it after a lemon squeezed on top.” Need we say more?Pratap Lunch Home
Coming in second in Adarsh’s list of recommendations is Pratap Lunch Home, which serves up an amalgamation of Malvani and Mangalorean seafood. According to him, Pratap is undoubtedly one of the oldest places in the city for an authentic seafood meal. Their prawns biryani will definitely bring anyone back for more – primarily because of the long grain basmati rice they use and their recipe is not for the faint-hearted who cannot handle the authenticity of a spicy Manglorean prawns biryani.Jai Hind Lunch Home
An iconic seafood establishment of the suburbs, Jai Hind is an institution in itself when it comes to serving some exceptionally good seafood delicacies. Known to have a rather ‘home-style’ preparation of the prawn biryani, Adarsh’s Mangalorean and Konkani friends swear by its taste, flavour and ability to taste great every single time!Nav Chaitanya
Different in flavours compared to most other prawn biryanis around the city, the rice dish at Nav Chaitanya can be classified as more of a pulao than biryani. That said, their kolambi bhaat made with short grain rice, is flavoured with a house-made spice blend mixed with ground coconut, which gives it an authentic Malvani taste and leaves you wanting more. Order a plate of crab lollipops on the side and you have a winner.Gajalee
The prawn biryani at Gajalee is a delicate yet beautiful balance of spices and the mild sweetness of fresh, tender prawns. It’s taste is said to grown on you as you enjoy one morsel after another. Abhishek also says that although largely a coastal food place, Gajalee also does an excellent mutton biryani for non-seafood lovers.Chaitanya Malvani
Known for their delicious crab lollipops, Chaitanya is something of a legend in its own right. The prawn biryani served at this restaurant, can either be enjoyed as part of a larger thali meal, or simply on its own – for true-blue biryani connoisseurs. Enjoy a hearty meal of vade, sol kadhi, javla, rawa fried prawns and more, before you take a nap worthy of this deliciousness.Fresh Catch
Known to deliver what’s promised – Fresh Catch, which was originally a Mahim-based restaurant, serves up a solid prawn pulao as well as a mixed seafood pulao, loaded with different types of clams, squid and fish. Made with freshwater prawns, the fragrant pulao is spiced just right and best enjoyed on its own or washed down with some sol kadhi.
Highway Gomantak
This non-descript establishment is a ten minute walk from Bandra station and transports you back three decades with its old-school aesthetics and food. Loveleen swears by their pomfret rava fry, followed by a meal of spicy prawn biryani and concluding it with silky, jelly-like kharvas. For those looking to sample a little bit of everything, the prawn thali is also one of their top-sellers.
Satkar Rice Plate House
If there is a restaurant worthy of mentioning on this list, it is this establishment stuck in time, serving up some of the most amazing seafood in the suburbs of Mumbai. Prawn thali accompanied by a spicytarri, bombil fry and crab cooked in a green masala are a knock out of the park in this iconic eatery.
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