Here’s exploring the plates and places, capturing the suburb’s shifting mood and culinary confidence
Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
The evolution of Thane from a slow town identified with the “mental hospital” to a bustling echo of Mumbai has gathered speed in the last decade. Along with the residential boom, eateries have undergone a sea change as well. Most of the well-known chains have outlets in Thane, but we cast an eye over our list of personal favourites and picked out the ones we think you should go for.
Veg mein kya milega?
For a vegetarian restaurant with a difference, we like The Family Tree at Panchpakhadi. It’s child-friendly (obviously), Jain-friendly, and has the cutest décor, with seats assigned by family position (grandpa, aunt, etc).
The restaurant has been around for some eight years and has built up a decent reputation along the way. We’ve heard good things about the food here from friends, and it hasn’t disappointed us on our repeat visits. We almost always go for the Continental choices, our favourites being the Orange Cottage Cheese, the Vegetable Au Gratin, and the Burrito Supreme. Friends’ faves are the innovative Pav Bhaji Fondue, California Potatoes, and Stuffed Mushrooms, and they say the Chinese menu has some excellent picks as well. Quirkily-named mocktails are refreshing, and their desserts are worth leaving room for. The place is designed for get-togethers, and is suitable for a vegetarian dine-out option with hatke choices.
WHERE: Ravi Industrial Estate, Panch Pakhadi, Thane West
TIMING: 11.30 am - 3.30 pm
6.30 pm - 11.30 pm
PRICE: Rs 1500 for two
Bowl food that pleases
We first came across Café Nutrithink in the aftermath of the pandemic, and we were keen to support local businesses, so we ended up ordering a lot of their food to take home once we tried and liked it. When restrictions were lifted, we hung out with friends at the café itself, too. You can have a casual business chat here, or a date, or just a quiet friends’ meetup. The décor is modern but not “edgy”, and gives a comfortable vibe.
What first caught our fancy is the café’s bowl meals — protein, the right amount of carbs, fresh vegetables and the perfect sauce to pull it all together. The salad lovers in our group are thrilled, especially with the Grilled Chicken Paillard, Salade Nicoise, and the Nutrithink Special Salad. Started by Vaishnavi Natu and chef Mandar Kadam, Café Nutrithink seems to be popular with the picky Gen Z set. And we oldies like it too! The café is located in Hiranandani Estate, but at the time of writing, they were planning to relocate and were offering delivery-only until then.
TO ORDER: cafenutrithink.uengage.in
CONTACT: 8104334768
PRICE: Rs 1200 for two
Maska laga ke
Irani Canteen is part of the recent eruption of trendy cafés and restaurants in Panchpakhadi, creeping slowly right up to the Eastern Express Highway. Cheek by jowl with this writer’s trusted old bank is an equally comforting space — the familiar Irani joint. Whether it’s Bun Maska (with tea, naturally) or Chicken Farcha, Berry Pulao or Dhansak, you’ll find the regular Irani café favourites here.
If you’re not opting for one of the usual suspects — Sali Boti, Kheema, Cutlet Pao and so on — we recommend the good-sized range of sandwiches. But no matter what you eat, it has to be washed down with a Pallonji’s Raspberry or Ginger Lemon, and crowned with Caramel Custard (or a cheesecake if you swing that way).
WHERE: Sita Vihar, Panch Pakhadi, Thane West
TIMING: 8.30 am to 11.30 pm
PRICE: Rs 900 for two
Sacred, simple, satisfying
Gajanan Sukhdev Andhale
Imagine a dining experience rooted in temple tradition so authentic that guests leave their footwear outside before eating. Founded by Gajanan Sukhdev Andhale, who is not a trained chef but a lifelong student of Maharashtrian cuisine, Prasadalaya began with a simple idea: to serve the kind of prasad thali he encountered during a visit to Shegaon.
Unsatisfied with his earlier success running multiple misal outlets, Andhale travelled across Maharashtra to study regional food, learning to cook every dish himself before it made it to the menu. The thali is generous yet rooted in simplicity: seven vegetables, three chutneys, puri, bhakri, zunka, kadve wal usal, chapati, kosimbir, thecha, papad, kadhi, aamti, taak, and a daily sweet like puran poli, modak, or sheera.
The staff here hail from rural Maharashtra, prayers precede service, and every thali echoes the flavours of home — warm, nourishing, and unmistakably traditional.
WHERE: Shop No 6, Lokmanya Society, Near Sant Gajanan Maharaj Chowk, Veer Savarkar Marg, Thane West,
TIMING: 12 pm to 11 pm
PRICE: Rs 600 for two people (approx)
Maharashtra, unfiltered
Specific Surmai Thali. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
Chef and founder Sunny Pawaskar, trained at IHM Guwahati, built Metkut and Kath n Ghat, two restaurants that stand out for their uncompromising commitment to traditional Maharashtrian food, shaped by a lifetime of travelling across Maharashtra to document how recipes shift from region to region.
At Metkut, the focus is on vegetarian dishes, rooted in homestyle flavours. Think dadpe pohe, kela che dirde, pudachi wadi, dalimbichi usal, handeshi vanga bharit, hev bhaji, ananas amti, dubuk vade, and comforting staples like pithla-bhakri or simple varan-bhaat-toop. Every dish is prepared fresh, with no shortcuts—and no paneer, which Pawaskar avoids because it spoils quickly.
At Kath Ghat, he brings the same rigour to non-vegetarian classics: Saraswat-style fish fry, Kolhapuri mutton, kolambi cutlets, rustic egg dishes, and a standout surmai thali featuring curry, fried fish, tisrya sukha, and thecha. Both eateries honour Maharashtra’s culinary diversity with sincerity, precision, and warmth.
Paloli Rasaa bhaji; Fanas Bhaji; Modak
WHERE: Metkut, 1,2 Zala Saffire, Ghantali Mandir Road, opp. Ghantali Mandir, Thane West,
TIMING: 10 am to 11 pm
PRICE:Rs 400–R600
WHERE: Kath n Ghat Service Rd, Dandekar Colony, Panch Pakhdi, Thane West,
TIMING: 12.30 pm to 12 am
PRICE: 1200-R1300 average for two people
Old faves, new haunts
Time was when misal meant Mamledar, the joint next to the Mamlatdar’s office off Talao Pali. But many new places have come up along with the rise in Thane’s social status, so we curated the best alternatives to the popular old favourites.
Misal Pav: You’ll still see queues for Mamledar, but Varhadi Misal is the spicy new kid on the block and already gathering its own following.
WHERE: Cosmic Arcade, Thane Station Road
Pav Bhaji: No contest, it’s Preeti Sandwich & Juice Centre. Ask for the special thecha, say connoisseurs.
WHERE: Govind Bachaji Road, Charai
Vada Pav: Forget Gajanan and Kunj Vihar, and even Rajmata. Dardis (die-hards) go to Khidki Vada.
WHERE: Ajit Darshan Society, near Teen Petrol Pump
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