Pali Village Café — Restaurant in Mumbai

Grossly Overrated

The restaurant is located in a refurbished cottage of Pali gaothan on the narrowest stretch of perpetually traffic-jammed Ambedkar Road. Not sure if they have valet parking but its a good idea to get there by cab in the evenings, if you do not have a driver.

Went there last week in a group of four with a dinner reservation. We were politely ushered into the restaurant and offered a table in a well lit crammed small room with a low ceiling. We declined and took a table in the front part of the restaurant which though dimly lit, at least had a spacious feel with a large ceiling and more room between tables.

I certainly did not find the decor to be "rustic chic" or "quaint" as has been described by some reviewers. Corrugated metal sheet cladding and unfinished cement walls immediately brought to mind slum dwellings. The uncomfortable folding metal chairs that were not even at the correct height for the tables, did not help. Neither did the cheap paper napkins instead of cloth which they did not have. None of this would have mattered had the food been good. It was neither memorable nor reasonable, in portion or in price.

We had already had drinks and starters before coming out for dinner so no one was really hungry. We ordered an appetiser, two pasta dishes and a side dish to share, plus a soup for one person. The appetiser was all of five small measly bits though it was tasty but nothing extraordinary. The pasta items were miniscule in quantity, with inadequate sauce and not particularly tasty. The side dish was okay, again nothing out of the ordinary. They brought no serving spoons and when I asked, they brought an ordinary normal size table spoon and fork .

The prices for each dish warranted larger more reasonable portions at the very least. These were downright stingy and inadequate servings per dish for even one person.

People were smoking in a mezzanine level room and the stench of smoke which came through was annoying.

Having read so many rave reviews, we were really disappointed. No doubt everyone has their own standards and for sure there was a constant stream of people coming in so the place is popular, but this was not for us. I doubt I will return to Pali...

Below I have left my review from 3 years ago just to show how incredible this restaurant really is. They have seriously transformed their restaurant into something incredible and have fixed the issues that they had previously. The main issue with Pali Village Cafe was the lack of hygiene, comfort, and ambiance. They renovated the restaurant around a year ago and have completely fixed this problem. This is a sureshot 5 star restaurant now. The place is very clean, very well decorated and inviting, and the food quality, if anything, has only gone up from what it was 3 years ago. Food was never the issue here, and now neither is the environment. Pali Village Cafe seems to be one of those star places that do know what they are doing and seem to want to improve. I have had many memorable meals here with friends and I would 100% recommend this place to everyone as it has options for even the pickiest of eaters. The food is just outstanding, the service is very good, the staff is well mannered and kind, and the ambiance and restaurant is very well kept and maintained.

[My review from 3 years ago: The restaurant was pretty decent in terms of food quality and service however I have to say that the ambience was pretty poor. I enjoyed due to coming with friends. The restaurant was badly lit and we were sitting in front of a steel door that was extremely dirty and looked quite uninviting. The restaurant was mostly quite dirty anyway and their competitors Indigo outclass them in that aspect. Although yes, the food was comparable and I really enjoyed the Chicken and Jalapeño Risotto. The seats are very uncomfortable as well, but you can come to eat here if you're fine with that and don't mind eating in the dark in a minorly dirty place. I would recommend Indigo as an...

Not very happy with the experience at Pali Village Cafe.... I had gone with one of my friends for his birthday and the table booked well in advance. I had ordered for a piece of pastry with Happy Birthday written on the plate. Reached the place and asked for the booked table. A very shoddy table given right next to a Maitre de Hotel's side table and a door. Cramped table, with steel chairs. Ok... to carry on...We asked for another better table as we were on a special dinner, which they refused outright. I dont think the interiors of the place are that great as well. They have marketed it like a cottage which is village kinds. But that doesnt mean you do the normal painting and maintenance!! Also, the food was below average because the jus served with the roast chicken and the like was as stingy as ever. Chicken was quite raw and uncooked. The wine they served saved the hour. I had ordered for the cake to come in between the meal as a surprise which never happened. By the end of the meal they gave us the cheque and when I inquired about the cake and apparently they missed on it totally. That was THE most disappointing thing of the evening. Anyway, he served the absolute horrible cheese cake I have ever tasted and even before serving it, checked with me on how to bill the same....Gosh!! I mean the place is quite hyped and not at all worth a visit. I would have preferred going to Indigo Nation which is my favorite and much better in terms of service and food and ambiance and almost the same...