One Night in Mumbai

Tushar Amin, 33, Editor, FHM
The first thing you must do is go to a very small place in Kala Ghoda called the Magna Book Gallery & Nutrition Centre, tel: (91-22) 2267 1763. It’s an old café that most people don’t even know about, on the balcony of a bookshop. You’ll get very good herbal teas and sandwiches there, and it’s the perfect meeting place before going out for the evening.

From there, look around the Jehangir Art Gallery just next door. Artists show their new work all the time, and it’s also home to Café Samovar, tel: (91-22) 2204 7276. Try the parathas. Around 9, a very good place to go to in Lower Parel is called the Blue Frog, tel: (91-22) 4033 2300. It’s the ultimate in the contemporary-music scene in Mumbai right now. They have live music most nights, and you’ll discover completely unknown but very good bands. They also serve very good continental food.

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The best places to have a good time postmidnight are the street eating joints. There’s a huge array of menus and cuisines at Juhu beach — you can get biryani, kebabs and pretty much everything Indian.

Shalini Mehta, 27, Stylist
Toto’s Garage Pub and Restaurant in Bandra West, tel: (91-22) 2600 5494, is a great place to hang out. I like it for its garage décor — there’s a very grunge feel to it. If you’re hungry, try their Shanghai Chicken. But if you’d rather go elsewhere for dinner, head to Out of the Blue, tel: (91-22) 2600 3000, a lounge place off Carter Road with romantic lighting, good music and Mediterranean-style food. End the night at any of the nearby coffee shops, which stay open late.

Ameya Haldive, 25, Guitarist and Vocalist, Tripwire
There are great pubs in the city, but the problems with Mumbai are the distances you have to travel and the constraints of public transport. If you’re in Colaba, I’d go to Café Mondegar, tel: (91-22) 2202 0591, which has nearly the best music that I’ve heard anywhere. If you’re in or near Andheri West, try Firangi Paani, tel: (91-22) 2674 4144 — it’s a very Indian watering hole. For a classy dinner, go to Not Just Jazz by the Bay, tel: (91-22) 2285 1876. It’s popular among both locals and tourists. End your evening at any of the nearby beaches, where you can bring your own nightcap and stay till dawn.

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