Juhu stirs up salty memories of the beach, celebrity spotting and yesteryear bungalows; even though they have shapeshifted into skyscrapers today. With its reserve for commercial venues for restaurants on a perpetual low, it’s only once in a few years that the F&B scene here sees a refresh. Perhaps this is what makes the Juhu consumers loyal to their long-standing food joints, but also welcoming of new openings. With a string of debuts in the past year, we wandered to see what has stood the test of time, and what the new batch brings.

The arterial stretch

There’s an abundance of smaller eateries and cafes on Juhu Tara Road—the cultural vibe of Prithvi theatre and the proximity to Bandra helps. We start here, and the past glory of Aurus is inevitably evoked. A banging club scene until the wee hours, celebrity spotting, and the Vicky Ratnani-led kitchen that introduced the city to molecular gastronomy for the first time, experimenting with vegetarian caviar, foam, et al—Aurus was a vibe. In 2016, eight years after it shut down, Silver Beach Hospitality opened Estella here. Syesha Kapoor, its associate director, who also owns Silver Beach Café in Juhu, says, “Replacing Aurus was not easy. We opened as a dining space envisioned to be an Australian beach deck, but we forgot we are in Juhu.” She smiles. “We realised our concept was not cut out for a vegetarian-centric locality. We had to reinvent it with a favourable menu that served Asian, European and Mexican. Once that happened, our game changed overnight.” Juhu prefers spacious places, catering to larger groups, and family gatherings. “The bungalow culture is deep-rooted here,” says Kapoor.