If anyone has ever said that college days are really the best days, they are not exaggerating. We all often get nostalgic about our years at college days – relieve our sweet memories by catching up with friends. We decided to speak to Mumbaikars who’ve gone to college here as they tell us the iconic eating places they frequented during their college days so that we too can relive our good times. Happy nostalgia.
Mumbai Kids Reveal The College Food Addas You Must Try Out, Age No Bar
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Ten-Second Takeaway
HR College Of Commerce
Anubhav Chhabra graduated from HR College in 2015 with a Bachelors in B.com and he has shared the go-to places to eat with us. First up is obviously The J {bang opposite to college} with its range of insanely good fries.
He also swears by the Stadium Restaurant near the Churchgate station which is famous for its mutton biryani and keema pao. It’s cheap and good food, perfect for a student on a limited budget. He adds K Rustom Ice Cream opposite the Stadium restaurant is especially popular among the student community for its ice cream sandwiches. They have flavours like mint crunch, rum, raisin and so many more to choose from.
Wilson College
This beautiful and iconic college in SoBo is bang opposite Girgaun Chowpatty. Neeraj Krishnan, an alumni of Wilson, tells us how Bachelor’s was one place they swore by during his college days. It’s a pretty iconic eatery on Marine Lines, offers delicious rolls, sandwiches and shakes. Then he also talks about the food stalls on the beach which they gorged on almost daily. You can read our guide here.
For cheap drinking, Neeraj says Gokul has always been a favourite.
St. Xaviers College
Surbhi Bhatia, a Delhiite who’s doing her MA in Public Policy from St. Xavier’s College, takes us through what places Xaverities go to. Though their college canteen, Foyer, offers everything, Surbhi says there are other places a typical Xaverite frequents. Starting with a sandwich guy at the other gate of Xavier’s {from where the vehicles enter} is really popular with the students, she tells us.
Apart from the sandwich {who makes delicious chutney sandwiches and more} there is Kyani & Co. that a lot of students hang out at. The regular keema pao and Parsi chai is well within the budget of a student. It also helps that these Irani cafes are a delight to hang out in. For cheap drinking, Surbhi says a lot of the students go to Lalit and Sunlight – though she advises to go in large groups as these places can be shady.
Sophia's College For Women
Ankita Sorot graduated from Sophia’s College in 2015 and shares with us her many eateries that she lived by during her college days.
Starting off with the anda paav waala down the Sophia’s college lane road towards Breach candies which has now been converted into a small nondescript cafe {it stands right next to the cigerette shop}. On the same lane there is a pani puri wala as well, which Ankita says reminds her of the Delhi gol gappas.
Then of course, Anna’s Dosa stall outside Sophia’s – for delicious and warm dosas and uthappams – that everyone from Sophia’s loves. Under The Banyan Tree on Peddar Road – a tiny canteen like cafe – is a place where one always finds students from Sophia’s chilling. Ankita recommends the cold coffee and its special garlic bread as a must-try.
National College and Mithibai College
Neel from RD National College has his favourites as well. He talks about the famous Jay sandwich on Linking Road. The sandwiches are affordable and serve as good fillers in between lectures. Another place he says the students swear by is Ravi Rice outside Mithibai College. The dish he picked out is a favoruite, schezwan rice noodle in a big wok {veg, egg or chicken}.
#LBBTip: Other places Neel tells us includes the usual places like the Candies and the A1 Bakery {which opens up super early}.
IIT Mumbai
Naveen Shaji is currently studying Design at IIT Mumbai and has a lot of places to recommend. First up he talks about the cheap drinking place- Laxmi and Sunny {the latter being a slightly shady place, mostly filled with the IItian crowd. Both are just 200 metres away from the main gate.
Then there’s a tiny Mallu shop {Santosh Cafe} that serves up beef, succulent chicken biryani for INR 50 and as legend goes, served possibly the best chai – something IITians swear by.
Ramnarain Ruia College and R.A Poddar College
Moving away from SoBo and Bandra towards Matunga, Sneha Savla, an alumnae of Ruia College shows affection and loyalty towards Gulshan. It’s a cute and a small, old-school Irani cafe and she recommends it for maggi and bhurji pav {easy on the pockets as well}.
Another eatery Sneha recommends is the ‘Juice wala‘ in the corner. It supposedly serves the ‘best’ cold coffee and the most refreshing nimbu pani {lemon water}. Apart from this, Sneha tells us Rose Lime is a must try.
#LBBTip: Do you know of more iconic places around your college? Hit us up in the comments.