Papa Päncho da Dhaba — Restaurant in Mumbai

After much anticipation, I finally stepped into the charmingly unique Papa Pancho, a name that had been on my radar for a while, and for good reason. As you all know, I have a special love for North Indian delicacies, especially the comforting duo of butter naan and paneer tikka masala. So, I was beyond excited to see how this little gem in Bandra would stack up.

As we entered, the ambiance struck a perfect balance between cozy and inviting. It’s not a tiny space but rather a comfortable, mid-sized area that gives off a welcoming vibe. Immediately, we were seated service was prompt, and we wasted no time placing our orders. Our first drink? A massive glass of sweet lassi, straight out of a Bollywood movie scene. Imagine a Patiala glass, brimming with deliciousness. The sweetness was spot on not too overpowering, but just enough to make it a refreshing start to the meal.

We then dove into the main course. The butter naan was everything I hoped for soft, well-cooked, and not drenched in excess butter like many places tend to do. The perfect amount of richness that didn’t overwhelm the taste. As for the paneer tikka masala, it was spot-on. The gravy was full of flavor, and the paneer was tender. However, one small note on the portion size: while it was sufficient for two, I do feel that for a dish priced at ₹490, a little more quantity would make the experience feel even more complete. But this is a small detail in what was otherwise a very satisfying meal.

Now, onto the real highlight of the evening: the service. I must mention how incredibly thoughtful the staff was. We were in the middle of a mini crisis our phone batteries were dying faster than we could keep up with. The team at Papa Pancho came to our rescue and not only offered to charge our phones but took them in, making sure we had a worry-free dining experience. This kind of hospitality is something that sticks with you, and it truly elevated the experience. Service gets a solid 5/5 from me.

A key detail I must mention, and something that truly impressed me, was the hygiene of the place. While cleanliness is important in general, as someone who’s traveled a fair bit, I understand how crucial it is, especially for females. From the handwashing area to the washroom, everything was spotlessly clean. And I’m talking about the little things, too like the machine in the restroom where the plastic wrap gets revolved to give you a clean sheet to sit on. These thoughtful touches from a hygiene perspective made a world of difference, and it really showed the attention to detail they put into ensuring a comfortable experience for everyone.

All in all, Papa Pancho is a delightful spot with great food, exceptional service, and a strong commitment to cleanliness. I’d easily give this place 4 out of 5 stars. I’ll definitely be back if I’m in the area again this cozy spot has found a special place...

If you think you don’t have any dhaba types restaurant in bandra then guys you must visit this place! ambience is top notch and will make you feel as if you are in a dhaba itself! . You can check ambience in photos just amazing and also the seats are like dhaba not the ones which are in cafe! Just a perfect place to chill and have punjabi food and also other variants as well, it has both veg and non veg! . What all I ordered?

1. Amritsari Kulcha - Ohh damn the size of the kulcha was big enough that it can fill your tummy on its own! It was served with Dal Makhni which was very tasty and their laccha onion which just enhance the taste in itself! You must try this because of taste and quantity plus for actual dhaba feels you will definitely enjoy this. .
2. Paneer Seekh kebab - It was also very tasty 8-10 pieces of paneer seekh kebab with chutney and onion! Just eat it when it is served hot you will just love this alot! Paneer is healthy as well and this dish is completely tasty and will definitely satisfy your taste buds! .
3. Rajma Chawal - They have this rajma chawal and at first I thought I can complete this easily but when it was served I was like oh my god, quantity was so much that we have to take it parcel afterwards! Rajma were properly cooked and also tasted yummy, quality of rice matters alot and it was perfect I will say perfect because rice was cooked good and when I mixed rajma in it, oh just yummy, giving me cravings right now as well. It was served with papad and curd! .
4. chaas and lassi - I bet you won’t be able to finish their thick and yummy meethi lassi in one go, damn the quantity of lassi was so good that we were two people still couldn’t finish it all! Creamy and sweet lassi at a dhaba is what you will feel when you will have their lassi! Chaas was also so good giving slight spicy flavour in it! just perfect the way I want and you expect from a dhaba! . So guys what you waiting for, visit this dhaba and...

Worst experience. Rating can be considered in negative. Starting with:

1. Food: Food was full of oil, salt. We did not complain as coming from hospitality background we understand that chef can have a bad day too and we decided to just leave a feedback while going. It is over priced. Water bottle was all dirty. Had to replace it.
2. Service: They dont accept AMEX. It was bo where mentioned or told to us. We accepted that too and gave then an another card. Their machine most probably is of 19th century that could not connect to the server. They tried thrice. Then a useless and very rude manager comes and says: "mera toh chal raha hai, aapka nai chal raha toh hum kya karein" We told him that show us the error message. It is not card issue but server issue ir let us know an alrernative. We have given you both our cards and you are running a restaurant of 30 seaters with one machine that too outdated" To which he just left saying: Yahi hai humare pass. We asked the service boy to try again and it worked. Then too the manager was not ready to accept his mistake to speak to a customer that way. Very very very irresponsible hospitality behaviour. Just avoid going there.

Also, service boy had messed up our order, we did not complain about that too considering it was almost closing time, lets not ruin their day.

3. Atmosphere: Bad. Cant comment on atmosphere as entire experience was bad. If a place cant serve good food and service which is their core deliverables, atmosphere cannot help. It was anyways road side, with no good atmosphere. We were super hungry, being Friday every place either had loud music or was full and hence we landed there.

Avoid this place. In case you go and meet the manager, do give him some sweet to eat so that he can say some good words. Improving his hospitality skills is not going to happen considering he was happily eating on his table and shouting on customer. Typical road...