{Grant Road, Est. 1914}

Many of the Irani places have changed now, they have become Chinese or pizza or beer bars. I wouldn't like that! No, I wouldn't like it, the old is gold.

-Boman Nasrabadi, April 2007.

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My grandfather came over from Iran. From Nazarabad. His name was Boman Merwan Nazarabadi. B. Merwan. As far as I know they could get a better life over here so they came from Iran and started these places. There was nothing like that in Bombay then my grandfather told me – no places to buy quick snacks and everything.

This area, this place around here, has grown like anything because the trains come here, and people come from all over, from suburbs, from Virar, Andheri, Borivali so when they came down they want something fast so first they come over here and get a chai or a mava cake or both!

Here is the perfect location next to Grant Road Station, it was my grandfather’s intuition or whatever you want to call it and you know, in Bombay, people have come from Maharastra, from all over, they used to come from many, many different parts of the country, but there was not so much population at that time that my grandfather first started out.

I started here in 1951 after I left college in Pune. My brother Soroush has been working with me for many years also. We are the third generation. Many of the Irani places have changed now, they have become Chinese or pizza or beer bars. I wouldn't like that! No, I wouldn't like it, the old is gold.

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From an interview with Boman Nasrabadi, Mumbai, April 2007.

In 2014 Boman and Soroush Nazrabadi shuttered the doors and windows of Grant Road's landmark B. Merwan cafe for what many thought was the last time, 100 years after their grandfather Boman Merwan opened them up. But the closure wasn’t for long, and they reopened again a few weeks later.

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IMAGES :

B Merwan, grant road ca. 1915, photographer unknown

B Merwan ca 1975, ca. 1980, photographer Mahendra Sinh, copyright Mahendra Sinh

B. Merwan exterior 2021, artist Ashwin Tahiliani, copyright ATLASkeeda

B Merwan Interior 2021, artist Ashwin Tahiliani, copyright ATLASkeeda

B. Merwan, ca 2005, photographer Sue Darlow copyright estate of Sue Darlow

Soroush Nasrabadi, 2005, photographer Bruce Carte, copyright Bruce Carter

B. Merwan, ca. 1984, photographer Sooni Taraporevala, copyright Sooni Taraporevala