This 12-Seat Chef’s Counter in Mumbai Is One of the World’s Top Restaurants

“Welcome to my dinner party,” chef Hussain Shahzad says with a flourish, kicking off a lively evening at Papa’s Bombay. There’s no better way to describe Shahzad’s unpretentious 12-seat chef’s counter experience in Mumbai’s Bandra neighborhood than a boisterous dinner party: Drinks are generously refreshed, general manager Madhusudhan Kashyap shows up with card tricks, convivial chatter erupts among diners across the intimate room, personal knick knacks like old boxing trophies and vintage pictures are scattered about, and the playlist flits between 2000s-era bangers by Backstreet Boys, Mary J. Blige, Sean Paul, and Shakira. Shahzad, Kashyap, and their team sing and shimmy along between courses, giving a playful vibe that sets the stage for one of the most inventive meals I’ve had in recent memory. 

Papa’s, which opened in early 2024, is the latest offering from Hunger Inc., one of Mumbai’s most beloved — and prolific — restaurant groups, with destinations that have made a restaurant-group groupie out of me. A pilgrimage at the flagship Bombay Canteen is a requisite on every visit to Mumbai; if I’m there for a longer spell, I make a point to stop by O Pedro, an ode to Goan cuisine. Veronica’s is a must for oversized po’boys and burgers, while Bombay Sweet Shop doles out craveable confections like kaju marzipan bonbons and gulab jamun churros. 

The late, great New York City chef Floyd Cardoz, a Mumbai native, was a Hunger Inc. cofounder, and the newest restaurant is a tribute to him: Shahzad and the rest of the team fondly called him Papaji. Steps from where Cardoz grew up and tucked away above Veronica’s in the rafters of an 80-year-old former bakery — diners at the sandwich shop below might not even realize it exists — Papa’s is where Shahzad retreats to loosen up and have fun, with quirky dishes like the Bugs Bunny — a rabbit shawarma topped with garlic toum, gooseberry and jalapeño hot sauce, and dusted with red fever ants (get it?) — a Waldorf salad-inspired palate cleanser with green apple slush and stewed cherries, and a corn soup with yak’s milk cheese. Drinks are no less clever, and come served with a wink. “Do you like pizza?” bartender Harish Subramanian asks me before brandishing the Papa’s Hut, laced with marinara, basil, and chilli oil and served alongside a bite-size pizza in a box.  

Each course tells a story, and if it’s not the kind of menu you were expecting from a fine-dining Indian restaurant, well, that’s kind of the point. “There’s all this question over, ‘Is this Indian food or not?’” says Shahzad “It’s innovative Indian food. The bigger debate should be, ‘Is it delicious or not?’” That’s not up for debate. Papa’s is another can’t-miss stop on my Mumbai culinary itinerary — and among the Top 15 International Restaurants recognized in Food & Wine’s 2025 Global Tastemakers awards. The 12 spots book out quickly each month — see if you’re lucky enough to score a seat at Papa’s party.

To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of all 165 winners, visit foodandwine.com/globaltastemakers.