Some restaurants serve Indian food. Mohalla Canteen serves a memory. Step inside and the “POV: Bombay 1985” feeling hits straight away: green wooden chairs, checked tablecloths, a beamed wooden ceiling, shuttered windows and shelves of old steel utensils, like a neighbourhood canteen in an old Mumbai lane, right in Al Nahda, Dubai. We visited recently, and this is what it was like.
The old India vibe
The details do the work here. There is a carrom board waiting on the table, a vintage Coca-Cola counter and a chalkboard menu on the wall. Waiters in white shirts and bow ties pour cutting chai from a steel kettle at your table, the way it was served in the city’s old Irani cafés. It is the kind of place where you end up staying for one more chai and one more game.
What we ate
The menu mixes Irani café classics, Indian street food and Parsi and Bohra home-style dishes, and the portions are generous. The biryani arrived loaded with fried onions and fresh coriander, with long, fragrant grains. The keema pav came in a steel tray topped with grated cheese and soft buttered pav on the side, made for tearing and scooping. The chicken tikka, finished with crunchy sev, came with green chutney, raw onion rings and lemon, and the mutton naan chaap was the surprise of the night: naan stuffed with spiced mutton, toasted until crisp and cut into wedges, and gone in minutes.
From the open kitchen, you can watch the chefs work the woks over high flames, which adds to the feeling of eating at a busy Mumbai stall.
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Drinks to cool down
We finished with a round of cold drinks: a bright red sherbet, a lemon iced tea, a creamy cooler with a paper umbrella and a classic cola, all served in the small glasses you would find in an old canteen.
Tips for your visit
Go hungry and go in a group: the best way to eat here is to order several plates for the table and share. Start with a round of cutting chai while you decide, then pick one rice dish, one street-food plate and something you have not tried before, like the mutton naan chaap. Evenings and weekends get lively, so arrive a little early if you want a table with a carrom board. And if you grew up in India or Pakistan, expect a lot of “this tastes just like home” moments; if you did not, this is an easy, affordable introduction to the flavours of old neighbourhood canteens.
Good to know
- Address: 4, 7A Street, Al Nahda, Dubai
- Price: around AED 50 or less per person
- Good for: breakfast, lunch and dinner, families and groups of friends
- Website: mohallacanteen.ae · Instagram @mohallacanteen.ae
Our verdict
Mohalla Canteen is a fun, nostalgic night out for anyone who misses the taste of old Bombay, or wants to see what it felt like. Go with friends, order a few plates to share, ask for the carrom board and leave room for one more cutting chai.
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