Pass the Salt — Restaurant in Mumbai

Here’s the thing, we went last week, in the evening and they said they aren’t open until 6 on a Saturday, staff was all in there, they were just sitting around and doing nothing.

Yesterday, (Friday) we stopped by again. Before entering the chef was out smoking a cigarette. The three of us were seated in an empty restaurant.

We checked the menu and the three of us were hungry and excited to try deep dish, it had been a while since I had good deep dish in the US.

The waiter insisted we order a 7 inch pizza, claiming it would be filling for the three of us, we wanted to get a 10 inch. He suggested we take a side since the pizza takes 35 minutes to cook. So we ordered a calzone as well.

The calzone came in, and this was more like a thinly stuffed overly puffed paratha. We barely tasted any veggies inside. A calzone is generously stuffed. They were extremely skimpy with the stuffing, there was nothing in there.

After the pizza came in, I was surprised to see it served outside the pan, most all deep dish I’ve had aside from a take out or delivery has always been served in a pan during dine in. The pizza is at least 4-5 inches thick this more like 2.5.

The pizza was visibly flat, and there were barely any ingredients in there. A deep dish is normally loaded with cheese and toppings, the taste was fine but the pizza was cold. The dough was also uncooked.

It baffles me how we were served a cold deep dish pizza that they claim was cooked for 35 minutes. In an empty restaurant on a Friday.

Ironically, the food was under seasoned at pass the salt. Asking for some felt very unsettling at that point. Didn’t want to come off as a wiseass.

It really wasn’t filling, we left the restaurant hungry. I also fail to see why they had over 8 waitstaff including two bar keeps when each dish takes 35 minutes to get to the table, honestly even when full, two people could do the job just as easily.

The bill came and we were charged 250 for mineral water. Some fancy SVVA water.

It was a massive let down because we came not once but twice having driven over two hours from juhu to try it out. So many people told us it’s great, but you can never know until you try this yourself.

In my opinion this is probably some rich guy’s kid that set this up, but the owners have likely never been in the restaurant business before.

As a customer I didn’t feel valued at all. It was a little hilarious that we were asked if we had a reservation when the restaurant was empty. They need to cut down their cost and the owners need to travel to Lou Malnati’s in Chicago or the OG uno’s pizzeria and try the real thing.

It’s not the real thing, save your money. Strongly discourage you from...

The popular erstwhile delivery-only kitchen from Vile Parle has now found a broader canvas for its creative expression as a full fledged eat-in restaurant at Fort. The founding team, Kruti and Vishal Shah share a deep passion for food and it shows in the menu that they have curated at Pass The Salt. Their scrumptious pizzas are still a part of the menu but there are so many more exotic options now to spoil you for choice. The menu and the decor are a reflection of PTS' positioning as an All Day American-European Diner. There are pizzas, tartines, a variety of cheeses, sandwiches and a wide range of coffee concoctions courtesy KC Roasters. We arrived here on a Saturday evening famished after a long drive from the 'burbs. As long-term patrons of their pizzas we were keen to experiment with the rest of their menu and we weren't disappointed one bit. We ordered the Welsh Rarebit Tartines, Garlic Rolls, Spaghetti Croquettes, Rosso Calzone, Dill and Avo Tartines, Burrata Cheese with two different bases, Arrabiatta and Mushroom & Pesto and finally the PS: We Love you Sandwich. Phew! Lucky that we were a family of 4 and we could polish all of this off comfortably. Here, PTS has stuck to its European diner ethos where portion sizes are just about perfect, not too much and not too little. The standout dish for us was the Rosso Calzone, light and airy, sliced into half with a flourish at the table by the chef, it is sure to create a riot of flavours on your palate. The soft tang of the ricotta and mozzarella cheese hits you first before the spicy red pesto lands an almighty kick at the very end. A must try if you have a tolerance for spice! Though they don't do pastas, the Spaghetti Croquettes were a rather innovative way to bake or rather fry them into the menu. All of this was washed down at the end by the Elderflower Yuzu Tonic, a cold-brewed coffee paired with tonic water, a match made in coffee heaven. For dessert we shared the Burnt Basque Cheesecake, light and indulgent with sharp contrasts of orange zest, layered with hot chocolate. This review would be incomplete without tipping my hat to their iconic pizzas. Though we intentionally avoided the pizzas during our visit, to conserve gastric real estate, my personal favorites are the San Gennaro deep dish pizza and the Primavera thin crust pizza, depending on what your jam (or sauce) is. If it's your first time here, go for the pizzas as a rite of passage!

On the whole, Pass The Salt is a joint that I would highly recommend. A culinary pilgrimage you must make, no matter where in Mumbai...

A random drive ended up us going to @passthesaltmumbai and what followed was pure mayhem.

The very soothing olive green walls, hand painted flowers on the ceiling and the same pattern being followed very delicately on the flag which was placed on the deep dish pizza, the tightly wrapped cutlery in a very high quality tissue paper, artsy frames and an inviting peephole which gives you a glimpse of the kitchen welcomes you and how.

The staff is extremely warm, polite and constantly smile as they greet you and also suggest you the right options as per your choice, preferences and also what is the best that they serve.

@chefkrutis has created pure magic with a well rounded menu where I literally wanted to order every damn thing. We started with the Spaghetti croquettes paired with the marinara sauce and it was the right amount of cheesiness and crispy outer layer paired with that saucy goodness. Man I literally inhale bottles of that sauce.

We obviously ordered the shroom deep dish pizza and boy it was so good. Both of us had the first bite and just looked at each other in pure disbelief and were quiet for a few seconds. There are good chunks of mushroom with that delicious cheese and a crust which will stay with you for the longest time. My friend ordered the pasta and that was just nonna goodness on the plate. Again the sauce was stuff of dreams and the right amount of chewiness on it. The founders and staff exactly know what they are doing and don’t serve the oregano and chili flakes with the deep dish pizza because it’s just not required. You literally won’t feel the need to add anything to these dreamy plates of food.

Just when I thought that the dessert couldn’t match this craziness, they had a freaking Parmesan ice cream and obviously I had to order that. And oh my god that ice cream was absolutely out of this world stuff. What followed was an amazing conversation with @chefkrutis and @vishalshah165!

P.S. - They have amazing coffee!

This was the best meal I’ve had in 2025 and it is definitely the best freaking pizza in Bombay. Also it’s pure vegetarian. Thank you so much @passthesaltmumbai for this beautiful meal. I can’t wait to...