If Delhi is a city of monuments, and Varanasi a city of rituals, then Mumbai is a city of chai tapris. There are estimated to be over 10,000 of them — small stalls with gas burners, CTC tea tins, milk canisters, and a bhaiya (stall owner) who remembers how sweet you like it before you have said a word.
The tapri is not simply a place to buy chai. It is the infrastructure of Mumbai's social life.
What Makes a Tapri
A Mumbai tapri is typically a wooden stall, sometimes mobile, with a kerosene or gas burner, a well-seasoned saucepan, and a supply of small kullad glasses. Some have worn plastic stools. Most do not. You drink standing, glass in hand, leaning against whatever is available — a wall, a railing, another person.
The chai — always cutting — costs between ₹8 and ₹15. It is served immediately, because tapri chai is always just-brewed.
Ask for "strong" (kadak) or "sweet" (meetha) when you order. Every tapri bhaiya adjusts to preference, and being specific is considered polite.
Where to Find Mumbai's Best Tapris
Irani Cafes, Colaba: The Irani cafes around Colaba Causeway are tapris in spirit if not in form — old Persian-influenced establishments serving bun maska and chai that has not changed since 1950.
Mohammed Ali Road, Byculla: The area around Mohammed Ali Road has tapris that serve chai with a faint rose water note — a Mughal influence that is unique to this part of Mumbai.
Dharavi: The chai wallahs at the edge of Dharavi are some of Mumbai's most legendary — served in an area where the entire city economy seems to pause for tea every two hours.
The Social Geometry of a Tapri
Sociologists who study Indian cities have observed that the tapri is one of the few genuinely democratic spaces in urban life. Investment bankers, taxi drivers, students, and street vendors drink the same ₹10 cutting chai at the same counter. The hierarchy of Mumbai — and it is formidable — dissolves temporarily around the chai glass.
“📍 West IndiaThere is nowhere more Mumbai than a tapri at 8am, three people sharing a single glass of cutting chai, all talking at once about cricket.