Ethical Eateries in Mumbai India + Sustainable Travel Tips

Updated February 2020

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the largest city in India, a resolute metropolitan with a thousand faces. This capital of the state of Maharashtra spans a whopping 600 km2 so you’ll seldom be spoilt for choice when you want to dine out in this city. But what if dining out could also involve supporting a worthwhile cause? Many venues throughout the city are choosing to use the culinary experience in a positive way and support ethical movements, whether it be social or environmental. Below are some examples of these ethical eateries spread throughout the city of Mumbai where guests can dine for a cause.

 

Mirchi & Mime – Dine and support the speech & hearing-impaired

Mirchi & Mime is a trendy dining restaurant in the Mumbai’s Powei district that serves modern-Indian cuisine with a twist. Diners are provided with “good food served quietly” as they are waited on exclusively by speech & hearing-impaired service staff. While dining, guests are taught some phrases in sign language such as ‘excuse me’, ’yes’ and ‘no’, to assist with communication and exchange. Founded by social entrepreneurs Prashant Isshar and Anuj Shah, the restaurant chain provides employment to over 500 speech and hearing impaired members of the community.

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Sustainable travel tip: Join TribesForGOOD on a Sustainability Walk in South Mumbai. The walk introduces travellers to local enterprises run by social innovators that are making an impact not only on the environment but on people too. Explore Colaba, a gentrified area perfect for exploring on foot while you discuss the social impact initiatives across Mumbai with a focus on women, the environment, public spaces and giving back.

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Cafe Arpan – Dine and support the differently-abled

Located in Mumbai’s Juhu district, Cafe Arpan provides sustainable employment to the differently-abled, including staff with autism and Down syndrome. The ethical cafe is an initiative of Yash Charitable Trust, a non-profit organisation helping persons with developmental difficulties successfully transition into adulthood. The cafe opened it’s doors in August of 2018 after founder Dr Sushama Nagarkar, who raises an autistic daughter, ran a successful crowdfunding campaign that gained support for this worthwhile cause from far and wide.

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Sustainable travel tip: Join Be The Local Tours on an educational walk through Dharavi supporting young adults, who have grown up in Dharavi, through education and training.  The tour actively breaks stereotypical depictions of slums as you witness an innovative industry that plays an imperative role in Mumbai’s city-wide waste management. Read more about my experience with Be The Local Tours here. 

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Cat Café Studio – Dine and support animal welfare

The Cat Café Studio is Mumbai’s first cat cafe and is located in Andheri West. Appealing to cat and coffee lovers alike, this cafe is a social enterprise that rescues and nurtures stray cats until they are well enough for adoption. At any given time the Cat Café Studio hosts between 30 to 40 cats and diners can lounge in their company while sipping on some freshly brewed coffee or tea.

The Pantry – Dine and ditch the plastic

This up-market restaurant located in the eccentric Kala Ghoda district of Mumbai provides a sleek space for guests to dine on a number exquisite dishes created using locally sourced and organic ingredients. The restaurant’s commitment to sustainability shines through in their menu as “local” is the main priority. The restaurant has also joined the plastic-free movement providing guests with steel straws and table water. The Pantry also offers space on their floor to sell products supporting a number of local artisans.

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Sustainable travel tip: Join TribesForGOOD and Hara World on Mumbai walking tours that support the development of arts, culture and sustainability. The walking tours, named “Conscious Fashion in Colaba” and “The Role of Development on Arts & Culture in Bandra,” provide a glimpse into India’s sustainable and resourceful epoch while helping the city develop options for responsible tourism. Read more about the experiences here. 

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Bombay to Barcelona Library Cafe – Dine and support marginalised youth

Founded by former street child turned famous author Amin Sheikh, the Bombay to Barcelona Café is a social enterprise that supports disadvantaged youth in Mumbai by providing employment opportunities and supporting partner NGO Snehasadan. After a struggling youth on the streets of Mumbai Amin became inspired to help others avoid the same fate and recently opened the café, with the aim to provide equal opportunity to the youth of Mumbai and help them to reach their full potential.

For more ethical eateries around the world, check out my Ethical Eateries Series