India's Best Burger

The Burger is worlds best dish, period.

Why do I say this, well for starters everywhere you go, the burger remains pretty consistent. The bun, the Patty, the cheese etc. In my definiton the perfect burger should taste out of this world, and finishing it must be a challenge, ie it must be huge.

Growing up in Kuwait, i got plenty of practice downing huge burgers . Places like Burger King, Hardees etc were my favourite fast food joints, because they were economical. Burger king has this incredible burger, where the beef patty alone is said to be quarter pound. There are other places like Ruby Tuesdays, Applebees etc, which are a bit more pricey.

Imagine my shock when I reach Mumbai and realise that beef is almost contraband, because of religious reasons. I began my hunt immediately and found that there is no decent burger place in Mumbai..!

If somebody knows where I can find a wholesome burger, please do let me know.

In any case along the course of my research, this is what I found.

McDonalds: For some reason I was never a big fan of McDonalds. Don't ask why, I'm not sure myself. And so one fine day I end up at the McDonalds near Andheri station(W) . First thing I do while placing my order, is to tell them to supersize my meal and no ice in my coke. The reply I get is that the only size we have is this (regular) and we havent't got ice because the freezer isn't working today. STRIKE, one, two and three! Moving on, the burger was small and nowhere near satisfying. I dont remember which one, but I think it was the McGrill(Chicken, No beef as I mentioned earlier). Even though Im not fond of McDonalds, I end up goin there alot, firstly because its economical and for some reason my friends from Mumbai can't seem to get enough of it. But in any case when I go there, I end up ordering only the fries and/or coke. Their fries happen to be real good though.

Combo meal with burger and fries- Rs 110(approx)

Bembos: This place calls itself the mexican grill(still trying to figure out why), but it is by far the most decent burger place I have tried in Mumbai. Its located on the SV road bandra just behind the shoppers stop and suburbia cinema. The reason I rate this place highly is because their burgers are pretty big. Infact they have sizes, small, regular and large. So far, I have only tried their grilled chicken burger, which honestly leaves a lot to be desired. They are slightly pricier than McDonalds and I have only seen one branch. I'm not sure if they are located in other places as well.

Combo meal with burger and fries-Rs170(approx)

KFC: Okay, first of all, KFC is not a burger place. But its not like we are spoilt for choice in Mumbai and since desperate times call for desperate measures, Im assuming the Zinger to be a burger. It basically has strips of chicken between the buns and the regular filling. Honestly, it was better than I expected and it is the place I go to when I need to get my burger Fix. It is pricier than McDonalds, but I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for something of better quality.

Combo meal with burger and fries-Rs170(approx).

PS- I must mention here that KFCs prices in the International Airport terminal are higer than otherwise. I don't understand the logic behind this.

This makes up for about all the places I have tried in Mumbai which are worth mentioning.

I have yet to try out the Ruby Tuesdays and TGI Fridays here. But if its anything like I'd expect them to be, I can safely assume they got the big burgers for a higher price. Another place I have heard a lot about is Mondegar Cafe in Colaba. I heard that they got what Im looking for, and hopefully I can try out that place soon.

But coming back to the best I have had so far in India, it was surprisingly in Goa

Intercontinental Lalit: Well yes it is a 5* hotel, and I guess the burgers in the 5*s at mumbai should be about the same. But I haven't been able to try any of them there yet.

This Burger was awesome. The bread is baked fresh and the patty is made only after you place the order. So you gotta be prepared for the 30minute waiting time it takes to prepare. But the end result is mindblowing. The point to be mentioned here is they use actual beef, though they have chicken too. It comes with fries and some salad, and it takes some effort to finish eating. The price is pretty steep, as expected and obviously cannot be a frequent eating place for regular folk.

Burger meal, with fries and salad-Rs650(approx)

At the end I must mention that I still prefer the eating places in Kuwait and it would not be fair to compare them with those in India.