Swati Snacks — Restaurant in Mumbai

We visited this pure vegetarian eatery at Tardeo, Central Mumbai which is actually popular for its "Hatke" Gujrati dishes. We enjoyed the dishes there on Saturday evening. We had to wait for 15 minutes to get seated. Covid19 protocol is strictly followed. Pre-booking with prior appointment is not allowed. On the weekends n holidays we have to wait to get seated. Not enough outside seating for the waiting visitors.

We ordered garlic panki, Suv panki, Bajra Khichu, normal falafal, Pav Bhaji, Moong dal khichdi- kadhi-batata nu shak & mint chhas. We ended with home made orange ice-cream which was sugar-free n tasty. It contained actual small orange pieces as well.

Panki is a very much healthy dish ... Recommended wholeheartedly for healthy food seekers ... It's actually a very thin pancake steamed between the banana leaves ... prepared from lentil n rice flour mix batter ... lentil portion is more...nearly 80%. Panki with sprinkled dil leaves is called Suv Panki. Mint panki too is available but we didn't taste it. Panki is served with the steamed banana leaves accompanied by dry green chilli Achar(mild n good in taste) and mint-coriander green chutney.

Bajri Khichu too is a healthy n delicious dish. Please note that Khichu doesn't mean Khichdi. It appears n tastes like Bajri Upma. Falafal was served in a peculiar way n was sumptuously topped with grated cabbage. Tasted ok.

Pav Bhaji had an usual Bambaiya taste.

Really astonished to see that the kadhi accompanying moog dal khichdi was pungent n not at all typically sweetish. Generally gujju kadhi is sweeter in taste. The khichdi was up to the mark. Accompanying papad was very small in size ... so we had to order an extra roasted papad... Dry potato sabji contained red chilli powder n not green chilly along with the turmeric powder ... I mean it was not yellow but red in colour. Quantity of reddish kadhi too was inadequate.

Mint chaas was much salty. Actually salt must not be so much.

Hygienically n neatly maintained washroom. Even the tap in the basin has atomised water. Excellent gesture by Swati Snacks towards water saving ! No enough parking space for the four wheelers.

Some other interesting food items on the menu card are... Fada nu Khichdi ... a sort of wheat pulao, handvo, "thalipith-pithla" ... a hatke combination ( actually thalipeeth n pithla are two different Marathi delicacies which are never eaten together in Maharashtra ... Generally thalipeeth is served with curds n butter & pithla is enjoyed with bhakari or rice), Ponk bhel, Methi-Batata-Falafal, Bajri pizza etc. One should try these dishes in the late afternoon as it's most likely that such "hatke" dishes get finished soon n unavailable in the evenings.

Special breakfast of Fafda-Jalebi is available only on Sunday mornings ... from 7.30 am to 9 am. Thinking of visiting this eatery one Sunday morning ...

Quite expensive experience so far as the quantity is concerned. Rs.500 per head is the minimum damage to your pocket. Presently 5% GST is charged in addition to the price mentioned in the menu card, which may...

This review is about the flagship outlet of Swati Snacks - the place from where it all started as they have gone on to become one of the most beloved eateries in Mumbai. Swati Snacks is famous for a very limited menu, great taste, piping hot food and excellent service. And that’s what you should expect. The menu is all vegetarian and no - they don’t serve alcohol. This is a quick service eatery but not be confused with a Pizza Hut or a Burger King. Everything here is fresh - no frozen stuff that’s heated up. All Swati Snacjs outlets are crowded with a 25 -30 mins waiting period regardless of the time or day. The taste is consistent and damn the food is hot (I did not mean spicy). It took me a good 20 mins to get in. But the good thing is it’s not a restaurant where people talk casually and take a couple hours to take down the food. All Swati Snacks outlets are clean, spotless and mostly stainless steel. The interiors are spartan but it’s the food, great taste and quick service that draws patrons. It’s just have a quick meal and make room for the next wave of patrons. I personally recommend the bajra (millet) khichu and bedai roti and aloo bhaji with shrikhand. They also serve fresh sugarcane juice. We were week looked after by Sandesh Mandhare - one of the friendly and responsive staff. And despite their excellent service they don’t charge you gratuity (service charge) which so many overpriced restaurants in Mumbai do despite pathetic service. We left a tip because they actually deserve it - the service is fantastic. They also offer takeaways. If you are in the Tardeo area, it’s easy to find them - they are located diagonally opposite to the Bhatia hospital. We ordered some takeouts and without any alcohol it cost INR 3000 for 2 of us which is slightly expensive I thought initially. But it was misleading - we tried 7-8 types of food and drink (together) including takeaways. So that’s reasonable. Always loved the food here and recommend you give it...

An oasi$ of wholesome vegetarian snacks and light meals. Impeccable ingredients, hygiene, preparation, and presentation.

Perfect, but not for the middle class. As a tourist on a retirement pension (albeit from a rich country) even I have to moderate how many times per week I come here to work my way through the menu. Being a foodie and concerned about nutrition I failed in my self-discipline and budget. I returned the very next day before they even opened. But unlike lesser restaurants, they allow diners in to wait.

Besides the perfect (albeit moderate portion) snacks I really like three things about it best...

Understated decor, minimalist. Well-lit. Reminds me of a higher class version of Shetty

Service without artificiality - no hovering or obsequious manners. They get you your food and drink. Then leave. When the speed of a fan was annoying me, someone noticed and immediately turned it off, plus the next one over. No need to ask.

Civilised clientele - no yelling on phones, screaming babies, arguing businessmen. Mostly couples and families with older children

I truly cannot think if a single negative to eating here, if you can afford it. Wait a sec, there is one minor weakness - not only is there no photo menu, the ingredients are not mentioned with the dish names transliterated from Gujarati and Marathi. I had to google the dish names. But, It is very difficult to find millet, dill and beet anywhere else, so I accept the effort involved. Fortunately, Svati is walkable from my Air B&B. Again with some effort. Svati is a destination worth the minor inconveniences. I first tried it on Swiggy when looking for 'bajri'.

At first I was surprised by the priciness but have since decided it is worth it. But drink prices are 5-star hotel astronomical. I draw the line and ask for plain water from a jug. They do not provide by default.

#1: Two dishes INR583 #2:...