"Mumbai's frontier benchmark since 1958 - the slow-cooked Khyber Raan and Mughlai grills in a theatrical Kala Ghoda room."
Khyber has been a benchmark for North-West Frontier cooking in Mumbai since 1958, when it was founded by Om Prakash in the Kala Ghoda arts quarter of Fort. Rebuilt after a 1985 fire, its dramatic two-storey interior of Afghan-inspired arches and murals is as much a draw as the food.
It is one of the city's most enduring fine-dining institutions, and anchors part of our Indian coverage of Mumbai.
The kitchen cooks robust North-West Frontier and Mughlai food. The signature is the Khyber Raan - a whole leg of lamb marinated overnight in spices, malt vinegar and yoghurt, then slow-cooked until it falls from the bone. Around it sit the chicken-and-lamb kebab platter, slow-cooked maa ki dal, methi malai mutter, dhaba gosht and prawns Mughlai, with biryanis, pulaos and a spread of rotis.
This is generous, charcoal-scented cooking with decades of consistency behind it - the food of a kitchen that helped define the genre in India.
The room is theatrical: two storeys of Afghan-inspired arches, exposed brick and murals that evoke the frontier, with copper and lantern light. It seats a crowd and has long drawn a prestigious clientele, from film stars to visiting heads of state.
It is busy and best booked, especially at dinner, when the grills and the room are at full tilt.
Khyber suits a milestone anniversary, a generous birthday feast, or a room to impress clients over frontier grills. For other Mumbai tables, compare Masala Kraft, Dakshin or Britannia and Co..
Not for a quiet, intimate dinner or a light meal - it is a big, busy frontier institution built for groups, grills and generous Mughlai feasting.
North-West Frontier and Mughlai cooking since 1958 - above all the Khyber Raan, a whole leg of lamb marinated overnight and slow-cooked until tender, alongside kebab platters, maa ki dal, dhaba gosht and prawns Mughlai.
At 145 Mahatma Gandhi Road in the Kala Ghoda arts quarter of Fort, in south Mumbai.
It sits in the $$$ band, with a meal for two running roughly INR 3,000-4,000 before drinks, depending on the order.
It was founded in 1958 by Om Prakash and rebuilt after a fire in 1985, making it one of Mumbai's longest-standing fine-dining institutions.
Yes - reservations are strongly recommended for dinner, when the dramatic two-storey room and its grills are busiest.
Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner. Phone +91 22 4039 6666. Open daily for lunch and dinner at 145 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda.
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Khyber anchors part of our Mumbai guide - the North-West Frontier classic in Kala Ghoda, serving its slow-cooked Khyber Raan since 1958.
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