Mumbai's iconic Parsi eatery shuts before 100th anniversery

MUMBAI: Jimmy Boy, the legendary Parsi restaurant tucked into the heart of Fort, was just months away from turning 100 years. Known for its Keema Pav, Brun Maska, Mava Cakes, and nostalgic Irani chai, the eatery has long been a culinary landmark in south Mumbai. But the dream of ringing in a centenary celebration at its original location came crashing down — quite literally — on the evening of June 20.According to civic records, on June 20 a call was registered with the BMC disaster management helpline by junior engineer of the building and factory department stating that cracks had developed in the ground plus four storey commercial building Vikas Premises whose ground floor houses this eatery. As per further details for safety reasons, the building had been vacated. “A formal notice has been issued instructing all occupants to vacate immediately and restricting further occupancy until structural safety is ensured,” stated a civic official.TOI has a copy of the notice served to the owner of the building on June 21, under section 354 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act 1888. However the notice further read that the said consultant came on site at around 08:25 pm on June 20. “He informed that he had given Structural Audit report to the society, about a year before, informing therein to carry out immediate structural repairs however till date the society has not taken any remedial measure. A letter dated June 21 of M/s. Mahimtura Consultants Pvt. Ltd. is received to this office along with Proforma – B of Structural Audit Report and photographs showing conditions of the structure, wherein the said consultant has mentioned his various observations showing that the structural condition of building has become extremely dilapidated,” stated the notice.When contacted, Shehzad Irani, Director of Operations at Jimmy Boy, said that the Fort premises had been the heart of their operations. “In September 2025, we complete 100 years. We’ve been operating from the same premises, with the same family managing it. It was known as Café India until 1999, serving all-day breakfast and tea. The name was later changed to Jimmy Boy, where we began offering our full Parsi food menu. We had a few plans for our centenary celebrations, especially to give back to our patrons in some way. However, we hadn’t finalised anything yet,” he said.Irani added that Café Olive Green, run by the Army in Navy Nagar, is being serviced by Jimmy Boy, and patrons can enjoy cakes, sandwiches, and puffs there as well. Apart from this, they are also operating out of their Mahim premises, which has takeaway option only. Since the closure of the Fort branch, they have extended their delivery radius through online food aggregators."While the Fort branch remains shut due to the ongoing structural issue, the case is being handled legally and we’re staying positive. Though this feels like a speed breaker, we hope to bounce back stronger. At the heart of everything, our aim remains to serve authentic Parsi food and give back to the city that made us who we are," he said.TOI tried to contact the owner of Vikas Premises, but the manager said he would only be available to comment on Monday.Pinky Janak Ganjawala, a landlord of a building in South Mumbai, expressed concern that even structurally sound buildings are being served notices simply due to their age. “Just because a building is old doesn’t mean it’s unsafe,” she said. Citing Section 79A of the MHADA Act, she noted that if owners fail to act within months of a danger notice, MHADA can take over redevelopment without tenant or owner consent. “In most cases, landlords and tenants aren’t aligned — and this process feels unfair to us,” she added.