Alright, back to Bombay and back to another South Bombay classic: Shree Thaker Bhojanalay. Located in Kalbadevi, Shree Thaker Bhojanalay has been around since 1945 and is famous for its vegetarian Gujarati food served in unlimited thalis. Gujarati restaurant food has a reputation for excess and Shree Thaker Bhojanalay is certainly where you can see that being earned. The large stainless thali that was set down in front of me had 10 bowls on it, which were filled and refilled with various things over the course of the meal; to say nothing of chutneys, fried things and breads that were set down elsewhere on the thali. A constant flow of staff keeps rotating between tables, offering refills and urging customers to eat (though do be mindful of the signs all around the restaurant reminding people not to waste food). A meal here will take at least three years of your life but it’s a delicious way to go.

Before you degrade your lifespan though you have to get in and get a table. If you’re not connected there are no reservations, and there’s always a crowd. The key is to be eating alone, or at the most in a pair. As a pair you have a decent chance at a two-top. As a singleton, however, you have a shot at being sat down very quickly at a table with other singletons. I arrived by myself for lunch on a Friday to find a surging crowd in the corridor outside the dining room on the second floor. But when I went in, I got a seat right away with three strangers who were beginning their meals.

There’s not much to say about the meal except that it’s excessive and extremely delicious. I do not know Gujarati food very well and stopped trying to keep track of what every single thing was very early. My favourites included the khasta kachori (which was one of the day’s specials), the karonda sabzi (karonda is a type of berry that looks like a green olive), the chana and the various dals; the kadhi I found a bit too sweet for my taste). Among the breads I enjoyed the ragi/millet roti with the vegetables, and the mini-puris with the excellent aamras—it may be very hot and humid in Bombay in late-April but there are mangoes.

I can also tell you that it’s very good value. I paid Rs. 700. One of the people at my table told me that when he first started eating there—in the late 80s or early 90s—it was closer to Rs. 100 for the unlimited thali; but Rs. 700 in 2026 for unlimited food of this quality and variety is not bad at all. That’s less than $8 USD at the current exchange rate, in case you’re wondering.

For a look at the restaurant and my over-the-top lunch, launch the slideshow below. Scroll down to see what’s coming next on the food front.

Okay, what’s coming up this week on the food front? Tomorrow, I’ll have a review of Myriel in St. Paul. This was a dinner eaten this past weekend. After that I’ll return to my backlogged reports. There’ll be one from Seoul in May and another from Delhi in 2025. Look for those on Friday and Sunday, respectively.