From Ballygunge to Bandra, micro eateries are turning scarcity into a culinary art form. And, diners are willing to wait months to get a taste
Outside Veronica’s in Bandra, narrow alleys snake past buildings almost held together by habit. But the coffee and sandwich hotspot with its sunny yellow facade, bold graffiti, and the scent of fresh bread from the old Jude bakery it revived, is hard to miss. What’s easier to miss is the slim staircase leading to a tiny attic where just 12 diners can sit elbow-to-elbow. So close that you can catch everything from lovers’ tiffs to arguments about tariffs.
This is Papa’s, Mumbai’s most impossible-to-get-into restaurant, with a waitlist that routinely crashes browsers. Every month, about 1.5 lakh hopefuls vie for those seats. And every month, they’re gone in under 60 seconds. Someone once offered them Coldplay tickets in exchange for a seat. They said no. Another tried to slip in a speaking invitation to Sameer Seth, founder & CEO at Hunger Inc that runs Papa's on the condition it happens over dinner at Papa’s. “I told them, sure, I’ll meet you,” laughs Seth. “But even we can’t get dinner at Papa’s when we want.”