Located amid Little India’s swarm of sari shops, Bombay Chowpatty is one part video-rental shop, one part eatery. Named after Mumbai’s most beloved beach, the restaurant dishes out street-style eats from India’s cultural capital. Bollywood flicks play in the background as patrons tuck into favourites like chana bhatura, bhel puri and paneer kathi rolls. Menu favourite the Bombay burger is a take on vada pav, a traditional commuter snack in Mumbai. There, commuters — crammed into the ubiquitous trains that shuttle people around the city — yell orders at burger vendors through open windows or train doors, and a rapid burger-cash exchange ensues. Here, things are a little more low-key and more hospitality focused. A white bun — twice the size of the original — holds a veg-friendly potato patty topped with a heap of chickpeas, onions and tomatoes. Other commuter-inspired snack foods to try are the samosas, just because they have to be one of, if not the, best in Toronto.
