Generations of Mumbaikars queue-Up 86-year old restaurant
One of the city’s oldest Udupi eateries, “Ramashraya” , a cult favourite nestled in Matunga opposite the footover Bridge where long queues form outside for crispy medu vada, fluffy idlis, golden dosas and the
much-loved pineapple sheera, with M S Subbulakshmi’s ‘Suprabhatam’ playing in the background.
One of the city’s oldest Udupi eateries, Ramashraya is a cult favourite. On weekends, it sells upwards of 2,500 plates of idlis and dosas each, drawing everyone from everyday loyalists to celebrities such as the Kapoor family, Hema Malini, Vidya Balan and Vicky Kaushal. Just last year, a video of Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha eating here went viral, with the actor later admitting that Ramashraya is one of his go-to spots.
As per Amarjeet Shetty Whatever they are, owe it to their customers. Amarjeet Shetty, 40, who along with his older brother Akshay represents the third generation of custodians. It’s a phrase he repeats often, adding that the restaurant “belongs to the customers as much as it belongs to them.”
The journey began in 1939, when their grandfather Shyambabu Shetty landed in Bombay from Kaup, a town in Udupi district of Karnataka. With a passion for sharing his cuisine, he opened Ramashraya as a 200 sqft eatery with just four tables, serving idli, medu vada, upma, dosa, Mangalorean snacks like kela bajji, goli bajji and buns, tea and coffee.
“The name ‘Udupi restaurant’ brings certain expectations — fresh food, quality ingredients, hygiene, clean spaces and above all, attentive service,” said Amar.
The eatery grew under the second generation custodians, Shyambabu Shetty’s sons Jairam Shetty and Bhaskar Shetty, both of whom joined business as early as they were 15 years old. Back then children were seen as a part of the task force, even if you are born with a silver spoon,” shared Amarjeet, adding that there is a saying among their community to bring a child on the right track.
On weekends, Ramashraya serves over 2,500 plates each of idlis and dosas. Among their most popular items is also pineapple sheera and filter coffee.
The second generation, Shyambabu’s sons Jairam and Bhaskar, joined the business as teenagers, helping expand the eatery into a 1,500-seater and introducing new varieties like rava dosa and neer dosa. Their approach was customer-first: always on the floor or at the cash counter, noting if a table needed cleaning, an order needed to be placed, or a diner was waiting too long. Amarjeet says “Customer satisfaction was everything to them.
Akshay joined the business in 2000, standardising recipes, while Amarjeet came on board in 2012. Both remain committed to their father Jairam’s ethos. “The best part about Ramashraya,” Amarjeet said, “is that nobody remembers the owners. The focus has always been on food, quality, consistency and service, and we like it that way.”
The golden period, he added, was 2009–2014, when word about Ramashraya began spreading more widely. “Something clicked then. But really, it was the result of decades of hard work. And it still continues.”
Post-Covid, the brothers have expanded — opening a 60-seater in Lalbaug in 2022, a 90-seater across from the original Matunga space in 2023 and a 120-seater in Girgaon in 2024 and darshini-style eatery in Parel. It would be a matter of surprise that it is not them who found these spaces but their customers. When they saw them, they thought of Ramashraya and reached out to them
“that’s why he says this restaurant belongs to them as much as to them( Shettys)
The eatery still opens at 5 am sharp. Some customers, Amar said, head straight from the airport with their baggage to make it their first stop in the city. “This is who we are, and this is who we want to remain,” he concluded.
News Edit KV Raman
