MakaBawa Café Bar — Restaurant in Maharashtra

#customerexperience #supriyachaubal11 #lonavala

MakaBawa Café and Bar is a hidden gem. Their property is nested amongst mountains, unique view and tranquil on way to Machan Resorts / Amby Valley. Nature at its best.

Bar, Kitchen and café like seating at ground floor. It also has an upper deck with sofas and a separate smoking area (balcony). A small wooden structure near the parking are toilets (very clean, this says a lot).

A smart limited menu Goan, Parsi, Chinese and Continental. One can order alcohol, beer or Ardeshir range of cold drinks - raspberry, green apple, ice cream soda etc. Serving hours from breakfast until dinner.

The food in one word ‘fantastic’.

I personally recommend all starters we gobbled #mutton_cutlets, #chicken_wings in brown sauce, #chillichickendry. After a long drive and stopovers we were hungry. Our orders come quick. Great Portions. Drinks refreshing.

While in main course #Chicken_in_Bbq sauce was delish. The sauce dense, finger licking good. However #Lemon_grilled_fish a no no. Grilled Modso fish fillets was not juicy, taste wise not so tasty if you compare to other sea fish. The chef did try to give it a vinaigrette and lemony seasoning but one should opt for a spicer marinade or a different fish. Boils down to wrong ordering by me.

Parsi style chicken #Kheema left a spicy tingle. Bang on flavours! They serve chicken in #Vindaloo. Found it tastes quite like the pork one, consistency rich with masala, vinegar and balance overall. Both dishes were polished off with pao sourced from a local bakery (so fresh / density 💯 )

Any meal is incomplete without dessert. #Caramel_Custard and #Serradura - Dig in sinfully. Both puddings are yum and I was happy with my choices.

About Owners… Childhood friends who came together. Parizad ( a qualified chef who has worked in Goa and Africa). I found her passionate, soft spoken, helpful enough to choose options from menu in case you are confused. She came checking if we are satisfied with the food. Dealing with staff strictly yet gentle enough. Particular about cleanliness. 2nd Partner - Mr. Allan, he wasn’t around but one can sense the hard work this duo is chipping in to make “MakaBawa” an success.

Now these guys are not active on social media, no delivery apps, their food and interactions with customers / word of mouth makes them who they are today in a short span of two years. The place was almost full.

All in all - a great place to unwind, experience with Vfm

So the next time you escape to Lonavala, explore the best food that MakaBawa offers.

Location available on Google maps. To get a visual idea of where it is, you cross Bhartiya Vayu Sena and Lions Point, a stretch of narrow road leading towards Amby Valley, so stay attentive so you don’t overshoot the location.

Scroll through the visuals in the post… Follow me on Zomato, Google maps,...

We were on our way from Panvel to a location off Pawane Dam and took the Ambi Valley road. Off the Lion's Point, we saw Makabawa Cafe and stopped to have a tea as my colleagues drove from far. Everyone had their lunch before the drive and the stop was to just stretch with a tea.

The tea came in no time and the smiling chaps helped us with our cups and suggested we have a look at the menu. The names were tempting enough but our tummies not having enough space, we let go. Sipping our hot tea, we were struck with the simple but elegant ambience of the cafe, the Gurkha offroader standing in the yard and the guy on a tall structure sitting with a helmet and jacket having his beer. A fawn sits on the table near the entrance. Interesting boards dot the wall. On the wall opposite to the entrance were Clint Eastwood from The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and Bruce Springsteen. Rich wood furniture on the ground floor added to the ambience. The floors and tables were spotless hygenic. Cool breeze went through the cafe that added to the experience. Outside, the boards mentioning Makabawa were interesting in style and layout.

We were curious and tempted to find out more about this small, cosy and elegant place. I saw a gentleman with a pony and jeans shirt typing away on his laptop in a calm and composed stature. I went across and asked if he owned the place! He introduced himself as Allan and with a warm handshake and a smile.

Mr. Allan spoke with a lot of warmth and nostalgia, telling us his rich experience as a marine engineer who traveled the globe and worked on oil rigs in deep oceans. That connected us to the anchor that we saw in the Makabawa on the board! The guy on the tall structure with a helmet too was an instant connect! The obvious question, Makabawa, was explained with passion and smile as to how the Goan (Maka for I) and Parsi (Bawa) friends got together just not for the joint but also the menu on the card! Mr. Allan explained his new found passion and priority - his family and his birth place - made Makabawa happen! And the huge Gurkha told his passion for travel and off-roading around Lonavala terrain. The 10-minute chatter was full of warmth, emotions, joy, achievement and contentment. We signed off with another warm handshake and a promise that we will be back another day for lunch. We were very happy for Mr. Allan and clapped silently within as we saw him off.

Makabawa sits in a nice location with a wonderful ambience that can soothe the travelers big way. Try out and...

MakaBawa - A Hidden Gem in the Mist Near Lonavala

Nestled amidst the late August fog near Lonavala, MakaBawa is an unmissable delight by the roadside, with its quirky mannequin perched high above, with a bottle of JD - a beacon for those seeking food on their way. Specialising in Goan and Parsi cuisine, this charming eatery offers a dining experience that lingers long after the last bite.

Our visit was made even more memorable by Parizaad, the warm and wonderful hostess whose hospitality elevated our meal to an entirely new level. Her genuine warmth set the tone for an early evening of indulgence in some of the finest Parsi fare we’ve ever had.

As lovers of Parsi cuisine, having tried iconic dishes in places like Pune and Cusrow Baug Parsi colony’s kitchen in Colaba, our expectations were high. MakaBawa didn’t just meet them - it exceeded them.

We began with the Mutton Cutlets, which were simply perfection. These puffy cutlets were perfectly spiced, with a generous yet squashed thin layer of mutton, coated in egg to give them that poori-like puffiness. It's no wonder Parizaad was keen to keep the recipe a secret.

Next up was the Mutton Dhansak, served with brown rice and a side of kachumber. A drizzle of lemon juice brought out the rich, hearty flavours, making it a comforting dish that hit all the right spots. The balance of spices, the tender mutton, and the wholesome rice made it a standout.

We washed it all down with Ardeshir, the iconic super sweet raspberry and ice cream soda flavoured drink - just the way it should be.

To end our meal we had the caramel custard. It was rich, creamy, and perfectly caramelised, leaving us thoroughly satisfied. Needless to say, my wife and mother had seconds.

Though MakaBawa also offers Goan dishes, our focus was firmly on the Parsi fare, and it did not disappoint. In fact, the food was so good that we couldn’t resist packing a generous amount to take with us on our journey back to Mumbai the next day.

If you’re a lover of Parsi cuisine, MakaBawa is a must-visit. It’s an experience; a delicious slice of Goan-Parsi heaven tucked away in the mist.

P.S. It's a pity we didn't take photographs of the food, we were too busy...