5 iconic eateries in Dadar you must try to relish 'assal' Maharashtrian cuisine

Mumbairsquos Dadar area has been popular for many things ndash from being a shopping hub the birthplace of some of the most crucial political movements of Maharashtra to being an alltime favourite spot to relish authentic Maharashtrian cuisinesAsk a true Dadarkar what their favourite dish is and they will be spoilt for choice For some indulging in Prakash Hotelrsquos sabudana vada is all about reliving their childhood memories and for some biting into Ashok Vada pavrsquos steaming hot and spicy vada pav is a favourite regular snackBesides these iconic eateries not only serve scrumptious food but also have a rich history to tell They all collectively make up for the identity of Dadar and its culture If you plan on travelling to Dadar stopping by these eateries to relish some of the most delicious food will surely tantalise your taste buds like never beforeHere we share a curated list of some of these iconic eateries in Dadar1 Prakash Shakahari Upahaar KendraPreserving the Marathi culture for decades Prakash Shakahari Upahaar Kendra has been serving authentic Maharashtrian food for the past 73 years First established in 1946 in Girgoan by Shivram Govind Joglekar aka Kaka Joglekar the hotel is also located in Dadarrsquos Shivaji Park area since 1971 Kaka Joglekar first set foot in Mumbai in 1946 in search of a job That is when he thought of setting up a small food stall in GirgoanHis grandson Ashutosh Joglekar who currently runs the hotel says ldquoWe originally hail from the Konkan region When aajoba grandfather came to Mumbai he hardly had money for basic survival He first set up a stall in Girgaon outside a building The buildingrsquos owner Dr Bhalerao saw aajoba running the stall well and offered to help him set up a shop next to the building That is where it all started Once the hotel began running well aajoba thought of opening another branch in Dadar since it is home to maximum MaharashtriansrdquoHe adds ldquoMy aajoba alone used to cook all the dishes and serve the customers initially Then when the business expanded he appointed a few people to cook He personally used to teach them to cook these authentic dishes The same was done when he set up another branch here in DadarrdquoToday all dishes served at the hotel are original recipes of Kaka Joglekar Prakash Hotel is known for its famous Subdana Vada Misal and Piyush Other dishes that can be relished at Prakash Hotel include Thalipeeth Kothimbir Vadi Alu Vadi and PatticeThe hotel has been graced by many celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Pilgaonkar Ashish Vidyarthi Nana Patekar and Shivaji Satam who are the hotelrsquos regular customers Even politicians like Nitin Gadkari and Raj Thackeray often order food from here2 Gypsy CornerAnother iconic eatery in Dadar that should not be missed is the Gypsy Corner As the name goes the eatery is quite literally located in one small corner that has an occupancy of hardly 30 customers Gypsy Corner is famous for serving Maharashtrian meals from chapati Bharli Vangi and Kothimbir Vadi to Varan BhaatBhalchandra Jagannath Jadhav 56 who has been working as the cornerrsquos manager for the past 18 years mentions that the corner was established in 1981 and earlier served all kinds of foods from continental dishes to light snacks like pav bhaji and pizzas They also have a dedicated chat corner However to cater to the taste buds of Marathi people in Dadar the corner started serving authentic Marathi dishes along with other food itemsToday one can savour Marathi dishes like Thalipeeth Misal Pav Batata Vada Kothimbir Vadi Usal Batata Bhaji Puri Bhakri Matar Pattice Pithla Bhakri Vangyachi Bharit Masale Bhaat and much moreThis eatery too is a famous spot among various celebrities especially those belonging to the Marathi film industry Though Jadhav chose not to reveal the names of the celebrities citing privacy concerns he says ldquoAlmost every other day we have at least one celebrity coming to the corner to grab a few quick bitesrdquoMidday Online also spoke to one of the most loyal customers of Gypsy Corner who stepped out relishing a meal Anuja Dalvi born and brought up in Dadar has been eating at the corner since her childhood Some of her favourite dishes here are Dahi Batata Puri Thalipeeth and Misal Pav She says ldquoI either visit the place or order from here almost every day Especially after work I prefer eating food from hererdquo3 Hotel Gomantak Boarding HouseOne of the oldest hotels serving delectable Goan seafood is the Gomantak Boarding House established by Ramnath Gopal Borkar in 1952 Borkar hailed from the Konkan region of Maharashtra He came to Mumbai in search of livelihood Located near Dadarrsquos popular Plaza Cinema Gomantak Hotel used to be crowded with workers from the neighbouring Kohinoor mill Sunil Borkar the son of Borkar who now runs the hotel with his elder brother Sudhir Borkar says ldquoWe used to serve mill workers with a rice plate This consisted of steamed rice a piece of local fish fry mdash either Surmai or Halwa and some fish gravy That is how the hotelrsquos food rose to popularityrdquoAs the hotelrsquos popularity rose the menu saw various additions that included Gomantak Special Thali chicken mutton and fish fish fry tisrya prawns and muttonchicken sukha among many othersSunil Borkar proudly points out that Gomantak Hotel is one of the rare ones that serves soft boneless mutton dishes which makes it a favourite of manyThis seafood restaurant also is famous among actors like Bharat Jadhav Siddharth Jadhav and Jhonny Lever Sunil says ldquoSome actors are regular visitors and mostly order our thalis and fish fryrdquoHe adds ldquoWhen customers give us feedback about how much they love the food served at our hotel it makes our day Ultimately customer satisfaction is what we aim forrdquo4 Tibbrsquos FrankieA famous frankie brand across Mumbai finds its strong roots in Dadarrsquos Shivaji Park out of the many outlets in Mumbai Helmed by Yogesh Powar a 53yearold resident of Dadar this Tibbs Corner was established in 1993 Prior to this Powar only sold icecreams and soft drinks from 1987 Tibbs Corner is a franchise owned by a Punjabi individual named Amarjit Singh TibbPowar says ldquoMumbai is the birthplace of frankie It is a Mumbai staple just like vada pav isrdquo The frankie seller began selling this dish observing customer demand for this item Initially frankie had only three variations mdash chicken mutton and veg frankie ldquoThe classic chicken and mutton frankie is relished by old customers of Dadar even todayrdquo says PowarFrankie is a popular snacking and meal option among Dadarkars Its unique taste is unlike any other roll The blend of unique masala and meat gravy coupled with sliced onions rolled inside a flatbread is what makes Tibbrsquos Frankie uniqueWhen asked what makes him happy Powar reminisces ldquoWhen the customer takes his first bite and satisfies his cravings the happiness that reflects on his face thereafter is what makes me happy Earlier we used to serve frankie in a small plastic cover that collected the leftover meat soup and gravy After finishing the frankie the customers would sip on the gravy from the plastic cover Watching them relish the item used to truly make me happyrdquo Now the frankie is served in a rolled paper that soaks in all the gravyNow the frankie is served in numerous variations ranging from schezwan frankie to chipotle rolls to cater to a wider customer base5 Ashok Vada PavWhen we think of eating a vada pav in Dadar Ashok Vada Pav is the first one that crosses our mind Needless to say this stall serves a loaded bulky vada pav one that is rare Besides its spicy green and red chutney coupled with chura is what makes it so popularEstablished in 1978 the vada pav that we relish at Rs 30 was earlier sold for just 30 paiseAshok Thakur the man behind one of Mumbairsquos most famous vada pav stalls says ldquoI opened the stall because I couldnrsquot find a job anywhere I needed to do this for my survivalrdquo Today his stall has been visited by prominent Indian personalities like Sachin Tendulkar and Shabana AzmiThakur who loves to cater to the customerrsquos needs and chutney choices standing at the stalls says ldquoI donrsquot add any artificial flavours or even baking soda in the batata vada We prepare vadas in the way they are prepared at home The red chutney I serve along with the vada pav is my speciality which is made from over 44 ingredientsrdquoAt the stall Thakur is often spotted urging customers to eat another vada pav after gulping down the first with much loveWhile these are a handful of popular eateries in Dadar that continue to tingle every Dadarkarrsquos taste buds there are many others like Mama Kanes Swatchha Upahar Griha Aaswad Light of Bharat Shree Krishna Batatawada and Gokuldas that are surely worth trying