Here's all you need to know about this new restaurant in Mumbai's Mulund celebrating Mangalorean food

The menu at Mangalore Tiffin Room is a curated nostalgia trip of over 70 savoury and dessert offerings, and beverages

In Mumbai, the ‘Shetty restaurant' is an institution. For decades, the community has fuelled the city with massive menus, a something-for-everyone approach, and a no-nonsense attitude. These restaurants thrived with no celebrity chefs, rows of laminate tables, and a deep-seated instinct for business.

Thecha Masala Dosa

Now, at the newly opened Mangalore Tiffin Room in Mulund, the next generation, Pooja and Prithvi Shetty, are proving that while the format might change to a sleek, standing-only Darshini (a quick-service, self-service vegetarian restaurant popular in Bengaluru), the hospitality in their blood remains the secret sauce.

Pooja, with a background in HR, and Prithvi, who studied hospitality in Canada, grew up in an atmosphere where the kitchen was a livelihood. Their fathers Shivaram Shetty and Narasimha Shetty run Vrindavan Veg Restaurant in Kalachowki and Devi Jyoti Resto Bar in Mira Bhayander; and Yash Resto Bar in Sanpada and Hotel Silver Paradise in Turbhe respectively.

Filter coffee

"When we see it from their [the elders'] perspective, they think restaurants need to be a big operation. We are very happy that it is a small setup," Pooja shares. This shift from the sprawling, multi-cuisine family establishments to a specialised, niche space is a calculated move. "I feel a smaller setup with good quality food and a good location can still run your show very well. Not everything that looks big gives you big money," adds Prithvi. The two say they set up the establishment with practically no help from the family, as they wanted this business built entirely on their own.

Prithvi and Pooja Shetty are second generation restaurateurs and come from families that ran Udipi restaurants across Mumbai

The menu at Mangalore Tiffin Room is a curated nostalgia trip of over 70 savoury and dessert offerings, and beverages. The recipes come straight from Prithvi's mother, preserving the flavours they encountered during childhood temple visits and village chai stalls in Mangalore. The Kireng Podi (sweet potato fritters) (Rs 85) are a standout: simple, crispy, and comforting with kaapi on the side. "When we go to the village for a temple visit, the evening snack there is kireng podi and bajje... that is where it comes from," Pooja explains.

Then there is the Thecha Masala Dosa (Rs 125). As Mumbai-born Mangaloreans, the duo combined their roots with the local Maharashtrian love for thecha. Here, the thecha is dry, almost podi-like, lacing the crisp dosa with a slow-burn heat that is addictive. Despite facing initial hurdles with LPG connections that forced a switch to an all-electric induction kitchen, the dosas maintain that elusive crisp outside, soft inside texture.

The space is small, with no seating, and focused entirely on the food. You will find Mangalore Buns (Rs 105), Bisi Bele Bath (Rs 110), and a Filter Coffee (Rs 35) (both iced, hot, and even one sweetened with jaggery) that hits the sweet-bitter equilibrium perfectly. For dessert, the Filter Coffee Soft Serve is a modern nod to a classic habit.

The transition from the old-school way of running a business to the new-age model hasn't been without its repercussions; think: fitting in a kitchen in a shop space, ensuring its fire complaint, and chopping down the menu to only fit dishes convenient to serve quickly and to eat without sitting down. Prithvi's hospitality education and Pooja's corporate background give them a fresh lens, but they haven't forgotten the grit required. "You can't be saying, ‘it's 6 o'clock, let's shut'. You have to be there all the time," Pooja notes, comparing the intensity of the Indian food scene to the more structured life abroad.

For Pooja and Prithvi, Mangalore Tiffin Room is about proving that the Shetty legacy isn't tied to a 100-item menu, but to the soul of warm service and homely recipes. "We got lucky with our staff, really. It's all very new for us too, but the way they have taken on their responsibility, adapted to the LPG issues, and helped us keep the space running - we could not have asked for a better team," says Prithvi, recalling lessons from his dad about staff management.

One lesson they have learnt from their parents is to ensure the food stays consistent and at a price point that allows people to grab a bite regularly. But as the next generation, they are naturally bringing forth their own ideas too. "Some items we added to the menu because we knew this would eventually be trending. But most others are out of our passion and love for food."

Where: Mangalore Tiffin Room, ground floor, Sangeeta Enclave, opp. Datta Mandir Road, Sarvodaya Nagar, Mulund West