Oh, Bacon—you king, queen, prince and princess of the meat family. You Jack of all trades. We’d like to crown you but jewels don’t seem befitting for a meat of your crispness and versatility. In fact, the only thing that might work would be a crown of, well, more bacon. And we would, except we did you one better. We rounded up some of the best versions of bacon that scatter, fry, and top itself with add-ons across the city of Mumbai, and we’re pretty sure it won’t come as a disappointment to anyone. Except some oh-so-righteous Veggie brigade variety maybe, but let’s face it: bacon is everyone’s kryptonite.

To our readers—porcine pleasures know no bounds with this one. We know we’ve already assaulted your ventricles with India’s best pork dishes and chronicles of bacon heroes but forgive us as we clog them one more time. Third time’s the charm, right?

I. Bacon Burger at Salt Water Cafe

Where:­ Rose Minnar Annexe,87, Chapel Road, Next to Mount Carmel Church, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400040

Picture this. No beef/chicken/fish/mutton patty. Just multiple layers of the best quality bacon in town (no, really, the best) crisp-fried to absolute crunchy perfection, stuffed between two soft, buttered buns, drizzled generously with melting spiced brie followed by a dollop of cranberry jam to set off all those flavours in the perfect balance. This one’s a team favourite, so do us a favour and just stuff it into your mouth already.

Pro Tip: The only downside of this burger is that it’s a little small for those blessed with a healthier appetite, so we usually order 2.

Cost: Don’t go bacon our hearts at Rs. 400

II. Bacon Pot Rice at Ling’s Pavilion

Where: 19/21, Mahakavi Bhushan Marg, Behind Regal Cinema, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

There’s nothing quite fulfilling as a one-pot meal as it is, and when you manage to infuse all the smoky goodness of bacon’s flavours into it you know you had us at “Hello, your table’s this way.” Ling’s pavilion is one of the oldest, most renowned Chinese spots in the city for a reason, and many of their pork dishes wormed their way into our hearts already but this one…this one deserves a pedestal all unto its own.
Long-grain rice is cooked in an earthy pot (you know, the kind that retains so much flavour you could never recreate this dish if you tried) all stirred up with shiitake mushrooms and disgustingly generous amounts of piggy-licious bacon.

Pro Tip: Forget your manners. Every man’s for himself with this one, grab the bowl first and dive in before anyone else has a chance.

Cost: Don’t share with anyone at Rs. 350

III. Smoked Bacon Pancakes at Salt Water Cafe

Where: Rose Minnar Annexe,87, Chapel Road, Next to Mount Carmel church, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400040

Ah, the all-American goodness of cooking everything in bacon grease. Salt Water Cafe’s taken the best of that artery-destroying discovery, tossed three small-sized pancakes in bacon grease and dusted a lovely sprinkling of cinnamon dust over it all to sweeten the deal. The real surprise? There are shards of crispy bacon bits mixed into the fatty batter.

Pro Tip: They’re just this side of dry for the fussy food folk so don’t shy away from drowning the breakfast serving with maple syrup, whipped butter or fruit compotes that they’re smart enough to serve it up with.

Cost: Easy does it, there’s enough for everyone at Rs. 230

IV. Bacon Bomb @ The Headbanger’s Kitchen

Where: Wherever You Will Go.

At 31, Sahil Makhija’s s been a part of the Indian metal scene for over 15 years now. As of the last time we interviewed him, he played for three bands - Demonic Resurrection, Workshop and Reptilian Death. This time around, we didn’t bother to go back over there. We’d already scooped up the patty about what’s really important here—that bacon bomb!
Though he admitted that he thought bacon’s best friend should be beef, an impossible pairing in Mumbai today, his giant burger involves a delicious patty made out of well-seasoned pork mince, fresh basil, filled with some cheese, crispy bacon and fried onions all rolled up like a nice sausage. Then it’s wrapped with bacon, covered in BBQ sauce and baked for about 45 minutes.

Pro Tip: Err…listen to..Slayer while you eat it and snicker about pig slaughter? Perhaps we shouldn’t stereotype metal heads.

Cost: You could beg Sahil to make them at whatever price he demands here but we can’t promise anything.

V. Bacon Pie at Roycin D’Souza’s

Where: Wherever You Will Go.

We have every Bacon lover’s favourite two words for you about this one—cardiac arrest. From another home-style bacon emperor, we have another cater-worthy Bacon dish that quite honestly put, is as nap-inducing as it gets. Only, the nap is likely to last a lifetime. Technically a freelance music photographer by day, Roycin D’souza’s pastime is more than a little dangerous for those who discover his bacon cake.
When attempting to describe it, D’souza hardly minces his words.”I let my imagination take over, but the base recipe is basically that of meatloaf,” he says. This preparation, however, needs a breakdown more specific than that. Made out a concoction of pork, mince, cheese, bacon, herbs, fried ham, sausages and of course, an ‘icing’ of crispy bacon slivers, it won’t be long before you’re keeling over.

Pro Tip: Double the topping. And have your cardiologist’s number handy.

Cost: A 1-kg Bacon cake weighs in at Rs. 1500 but this can double up if you opt for imported cold cuts, gouda, parmesan or feta cheese and double the topping.

VI. Bacon & Cheese Quesadilla With Onion Jam at Bonobo

Where: 2nd Floor, Kenilworth Mall, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai,400050

We usually reserve Bonobo, the erstwhile Bandra bar, for those with slightly alternative taste in music, for our post-dinner debauchery rather than our pre-meal anything but just this once, we’ll have to make an exception. The perfectly browned-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside quesadillas are negligible in its serving size, but that bacon and cheese stuffing combined with the sweet and tangy dollop of that onion jam take this simple Mexican dish to a whole new level.

Pro Tip: Just quit here. Order a plate or 2 of these and move on to the drinks, that’s still what Bonobo’s good for.

Cost: Deliciously cheap at Rs. 225

VII. Saddlebags at Social

Where: Colaba, Palladium, and Lower Parel

Two words: bacon pancakes. If you haven’t already grabbed your car keys and run out of the house after hearing that, hang around while we tell you what else is in this dish. So first there are the pancakes with chopped bacon and chicken sausages. These are then topped with a sunny-side up fried egg and lashings of maple syrup.

Pro tip: Goes deliciously with a mug of steaming coffee. Preferably black.

Cost: This could be your last meal and you’d die happy at Rs. 190

VIII. ABC at The Pantry

Where: B Bharucha Rd, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

This acronym stands for apple, bacon and cheese. Which is exactly what you get in this tasty little sandwich. The crunchy sweetness of the apple, the chewy saltiness of the bacon and rich, deep texture of the cheese go together so beautifully, you’ll be amazed you haven’t tried this combination before.

Pro tip: Pair this sandwich with one of  The Pantry’s fresh juices

Cost: A little sweet, salty and rich in every bite at Rs. 395

IX. Bacon Temptation Omelette at Woodside Inn

Where: Woodhouse Road, Inside Indian Mercantile Mansion, Opp. Regal Cinema, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

We’re not sure why you’d need to put the words bacon, temptation and omelette in the same sentence, considering it’s a given, but this omelette at Woodside Inn is a sure fire bet. Come hungry, you’ll only do it justice if you’re starving.

Pro tip: Don’t eat this before an important morning meeting, you’ll be daydreaming throughout

Cost: Reasonable (since it’s so filling) at Rs. 325

Special Mentions:

X. Bacon Kimchi Rice at One Street Over

For most of the world Kimchi is nothing more than a quaint side salad but in Korea they know how to make it the hero of the dish. If you’ve been lucky enough to sample Kimchi rice in the past, you will know that it’s the rare culinary combination of spicy goodness and stodgy comfort. Add a generous helping of salty bacon to that mix and you have the answer to all your bacon-driven fantasies.

Pro-tip: Order a big bowl for the table, it makes for the perfect starter.

Cost: Pricy but oh-so worth the pain at Rs.650

XI. Bacon And Olive Oil Ice Cream at Mezzo Mezzo

Where: JW Marriott Mumbai, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400049

Homemade, hand-churned with olive oil, contains chunks of bacon. We don’t think we need to say any more.

Pro tip: Do. Not. Share.

Cost: Doesn’t really matter because you know you’ll order it anyway.

XIII. Smoked Bacon Bloody Mary at Woodside Inn

Where: Wodehouse Road, Near Indian Mercantile Mansion, Opp. Regal Cinema, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Since they already described this one better than we ever could we’ll go with Mumbai Boss on this one. “Pan-fried pieces of bacon are blow torched and dropped, along with sliced gherkin, into a glass of Absolut vodka that’s been shaken with chilled house-made tomato puree, Tabasco and lime juice to create a drink that combines two of our most favourite things and somehow manages to be greater than the sum of its parts.”

Cost: Yes, yes, so much yes at Rs. 445.

[Yeah, yeah. We know. Nobody died and made us bacon gods. If we’ve missed out on some city secret that you worship after dinner everyday for its bacony offerings, let us know in the comments section below. Till then, perhaps you’ll enjoy checking out 18 Of India’s Most Droolworthy Pork Dishes.]