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7 min
05/12/2025
From the streets to the suits is the literal tale of the two icons associated with Mumbai’s street food – vada pav and pav bhaji. What began as humble, affordable meals for mill workers in the city’s bustling industrial era evolved into globally recognised street-food legends. It grew from railway station stalls into an organised fast-food item with national chains and international adaptations.
It’s like the story of any fledgling starlet, a Gully Boy tale of sorts, as two iconic Mumbai street food snacks skyrocketed to popularity. It’s hard to find humility in people when it comes to fame, but these two snacks never forgot their roots and stick to the same principle of being super affordable even now. What started with humble street stalls outside the old Cotton Exchange and outside Dadar railway station has crossed borders to swim in international waters and earn its spots on global food lists.
The story of vada pav begins in 1966 at Dadar railway station in Mumbai, during an era when Shiv Sena leader Balasaheb Thackeray was encouraging local talent to hone their entrepreneurial skills. One of these talents was Ashok Vaidya, who started by selling poha outside Dadar station, near platform no 1. But after a few years, given how tedious poha-making was, he did something special. Inspired by a customer who brought pav or bread to have his poha with, and the acumen of knowing he needed something quicker and easier to eat, he combined the pav and the beloved Maharashtrian vada and created vada pav. It was an instant hit.
His customer base remained the same: the mill workers. The very thought of layering the ‘burger’ (back then, nobody even had the smidgest of idea about the western burgers) with the coconut chutney was a novelty. The price remained affordable, and the dish was easy to grab and go. Thus, this innovative snack continued to be downed by hungry workers.
The dish cost approximately 10-15 paisa in 1971 and proved more convenient than traditional meals like batata bhaji and chapati, which couldn't be easily consumed in overcrowded local trains. The timing was perfect. Mumbai's cotton mills were the centre of action, with unprecedented demand during this period, and street food sellers knew what to do.
Fast forward to 2000, when entrepreneur Dheeraj Gupta launched JumboKing, marketing vada pav as the ‘Indian Burger’ and eventually opening 75 outlets in Mumbai alone, with each selling over 500 vada pavs daily. This was a watershed moment as street food was entering the organised retail sector. While that was happening, more stalls popped up across the nation. Mumbai’s stalls also grew in leaps and bounds, selling the humble vada pav.
Be it the street stalls or the fancy places to grab a plate of vada pav, vada pao has evolved with countless variations – cheese-burst versions, schezwan-flavoured ones, and fusion creations combining pav bhaji mixture with the traditional vada. Even McDonald's couldn't overshadow Mumbai's obsession with this local creation. When the American fast-food giant arrived in India during the 1990s, it struggled to overtake vada pav's popularity in Maharashtra, primarily because standardised burgers couldn't compete with the local tastes and preferences.
While vada pav was gaining fame in the spotlight, another Mumbai street food was making its own journey to fame. This snack is the famed pav bhaji, which also originated to serve the same mill workers with short lunch breaks. It was created around the 1850s, using leftover vegetables that were mashed, cooked with spices, and served with a side of buttered pav or bread rolls.
Just like the vada pav sellers, the pav bhaji sellers also set up shop strategically near the old Cotton Exchange. This is where traders worked late into the night, waiting for cotton prices from New York. Pav bhaji took little time to make, was affordable, and an instant hit, eventually spreading throughout Mumbai and beyond. The origins of pav bhaji are also low-key connected to the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865, when a spike in demand for cotton kept Mumbai's textile mills quite busy.
Pav bhaji might not have had a on-the-record rise as vada pav, but it gained international fame, with the global movement of Mumbai’s diaspora in the late 20th century. As Indian families settled in the UK, Canada, the U.S., and the Gulf, restaurants serving regional Indian foods began popping up, and local favourites like pav bhaji were being added to menus. Mostly because in countries where diets were different, a vegetarian dish fit right in. It was also comforting and easy to adapt for large-scale cooking.
What makes these dishes so universally appealing? The answer lies in their simplicity and accessibility. Both vada pav and pav bhaji deliver amazing flavours at affordable prices, require minimal cutlery, and can be consumed quickly – perfect for urban life's demands. The dishes can also be customised. Want cheese or different chutneys on or in your pav? In either case, you can have them!
The expansion of Mumbai street food into organised chains hasn't diminished the charm of traditional vendors. If anything, it has created a two-tiered system where both street stalls and branded outlets coexist, each serving different needs while maintaining the essence of these beloved dishes.
What began as practical solutions for busy workers evolved into symbols of identity, pride, and culinary excellence. Vada pav and pav bhaji prove that the best food doesn't need elaborate preparations or expensive ingredients – just the right combination of flavours, timing, and hitting the right cultural tone.
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