Dadar's Ashok Vada Pav Named Best Place to Try World's 30th Best Sandwich
Dadar’s iconic eatery, Ashok Vada Pav, located on Kashinath Dhuru Marg, achieved international recognition late last month after being named the top destination to try vada pav by the global travel guide TasteAtlas. In its ranking of the 100 best sandwiches in the world, the guide placed vada pav at number 30 and recommended the Dadar stall as the premier spot to experience the dish.
Better known to locals as Kirti College Vada Pav, the eatery was established as a street handcart in 1978 by Ashok Thakur, who is now 68. In 1986, the business moved to a small Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) allotted stall granted under the handicapped quota to Thakur’s brothers, Manohar and the late Mahendra. Today, Thakur runs the stall alongside his 74-year-old speech-impaired brother Manohar and his 34-year-old son Prasad.
The stall's signature offering is its vada pav stuffed with crispy "chura" (deep-fried batter crumbs). This combination was born out of necessity in 1980 when local college students, unable to afford a full vada pav, requested the leftover crumbs inside their pav at a lower price. Today, the crunchy byproduct is prepared deliberately, with kilograms of besan fried specifically for the purpose.
Over the decades, the business has grown from selling 50 vada pavs a day at 30 paise each to a bustling local landmark where vada pavs are priced at Rs 35. While Thakur does not disclose exact daily sales figures, he confirmed that the stall processes more than 100 kilograms of potatoes every day. Thakur maintains strict quality control, using only groundnut refined oil and no baking powder in his recipe.
Reacting to the global recognition from TasteAtlas, Thakur remained grounded. He credited his family, including his wife Aparna Ashok Thakur, who left her banking career to support him in the early years of their marriage.
"Acha lagta hai (It feels good)," Thakur said of the listing. "The win is not mine alone, it is a family business, done with honesty. There are a lot of rich people. I don’t have money like them. But I have earned a name, and perhaps more fame than many of those rich people."
