71 & going strong

No Seating Place

No Cutlery Crockery

More than 70 flavors

Pay by Cash Only…no digital payment mode

No parking available

Most visitors to Mumbai would have understood: I am talking about the one & only K Rustom Ice-cream parlor. Is there any dessert more universally loved than the ice-cream? Rustom’s small take away counter is forever crowded. The servers are so busy that they give you a few seconds to tell your order. Take your money. And then they are off. To put the delicious ice-cream slabs in wafer biscuits on the counter just behind. Under the most watchful eye of a frail, yet tough Parsi old lady. She would verify orders from 4/5 servers crowded behind the counter. Take & return cash. Then the server turns around to the massive service counter, puts the slab of the flavor you asked for, in between 2 paper-thin wafers. And then hands you a piece of heaven!!

This iconic ice-cream parlor, K Rustom is in the Stadium Building, opp. Chuchgate station, enroute to Marine drive. Those of you who have experienced the K Rustom magic will agree with me that the ice-creams are heavenly, the flavors totally authentic, the ice-creams smooth & creamy. While others may swear by the many other icons of Mumbai viz. Gateway of India; Hanging Garden, Marine Drive, Rajabai Tower, CST Terminal building to me, it is not surprising that, this humble eatery ranks amongst the top addresses which define Mumbai & get it the reputation of the City of Dreams. K Rustom’s’ ice-cream & its glass of sweet curds rank right amongst the top of the list that make Mumbai what it is.

Echoing the famous Pune bigotry, K Rustom can loudly proclaim,” We have NO branches”. In the historic Brabourne Stadium Building, in the North Stand, facing main Veer Nariman Road, leading to Marine Drive , K Rustom has Shop no 6 which is 3070 sq feet area with a 950 sq feet mezzanine. Come to Churchgate, Stand in the messy que, get your ice-cream, eat standing on the footpath with the ice-cream dripping on your fingers & hand by the time you finish. And then wonder whether you will brave the crowds again & go through the whole rigmarole of order & delivery to have one more different flavor. Every time you have an K Rustom ice-cream it leaves you wanting more. This sentiment, every visitor to K Rustom will echo.

K Rustom holds a special place in the hearts of Mumbaikars, with many families considering a visit to the parlor a cherished tradition. Recently it made the list among the world’s 100 top ice cream spots. Let’s take a look back at where it all began. K Rustom was founded in 1953 by Mr Khodabux Rustom Irani, fondly known as K Rustom, who had a passion for creating delectable ice cream. The shop originally opened its doors as a shop selling everything from medicine to cotton wool but the family soon realized that their beach-adjacent location brought a lot of tourists & ice cream would be a popular attraction.

From the very beginning, K Rustom was committed to crafting premium quality ice creams using traditional methods & the finest ingredients, setting the stage for its enduring success. The Parsi/Irani thirst for perfection in all that they do, resulted in top-class quality ice-creams which have stood the test of time. The supporting cast of the show is their crispy wafers, sourced from Pune and Hyderabad responsible for a combination that has captured the love of many generations. This was a first in Mumbai and obviated the need for porcelain dishes which were expensive & prone to breakages. With the wafer sandwich idea, K Rustom had to just serve & the customer was off. making place for the next buyer to fight their way to the counter!!

Not that it has been a smooth journey for K Rustom all along. Since 1996 CCI & K Rustom have been in courts. A Small Causes Court in Mumbai had, in April 2022, directed K. Rustom to vacate the premises. The Cricket Club of India (CCI), had filed a suit submitting that the club requires the premises given on rent to K Rustom for its own activities. The Small Causes Appellate Court stayed the order on the grounds that K Rustom had no other premises to run their business. CCI went to the High Court. All Mumbaikars heaved a sigh of relief when in 2023 the High Court refused to intervene in the matter and K Rustom continues to do it’s business from the same premises as 70+ years ago.

So the K Rustom magic continues unabated. There are more than 70+ flavors served today. And all pocket friendly. Depending on the flavor one ice-cream slab costs anywhere between Rs 60 & Rs 100 today. Beginning with creamy Vanilla & Pineapple (which was their most selling flavor for long) they have graduated to more exotic flavors like Kiwi, Peru (Guava), Chocolate Mint, Coffee & the like. Toffee & Almond Crunch are all time favorites as also the Seasonal flavors they added like strawberry, chickoo & mango. Today apparently the Crunchy Walnut is a hot selling item.

K Rustom, while it can boast as the oldest ice cream shop in Mumbai, is not merely a dessert stop; it is a living testament to the city’s history and its love for timeless indulgences. As the years pass, K Rustom remains a cherished destination for those seeking a taste of the past, offering a delightful journey through flavors that evoke memories & emotions. My father took his beloved to K Rustom ice-cream in their courting days. So did I. And now my daughter too stops there. The story of K Rustom is a reminder that some things are meant to last forever, and its place in Mumbai’s heart is firmly etched as an enduring symbol of joy, tradition, and deliciousness.

So rush to K Rustom & enjoy their fare. Again & again. You will thank me with a satisfied belly & cream-filled lips vikas

PS1 : My Cuttack friend Daduly & his wife wanted to tour Mumbai icons and that took us to K Rustom recently. It was Daduly’s idea that I capture this living icon of Mumbai in a blog. So here goes

PS2 : Thanks to Upenbhai my other school friend who paid for the ice-creams.