Pastel Bandra: Two Siblings, a Portuguese Bungalow and a Bakery Full of Heart

Pastel is a bread-led bakery and all-day café in a Portuguese bungalow in Chimbai Village, Bandra, run by siblings Yash and Simran Advani with Head Chef Supriya. It began as a small counter in Cuffe Parade. Now it has a home, and Simran's Nova Gelato has moved in with it.

A Bakery That Found Its Home

Some places open. Pastel moved in. Tucked into a lane in Chimbai Village, inside a Portuguese bungalow with its old bones still showing, Pastel feels less like a new opening and more like a family finally unpacking. That is because it is one.

The Story Behind Pastel Bandra:A brother, a sister, and a bakery with history

Pastel is an extension of The Bakerie, a Mumbai bakery with six decades behind it. Twins Yash and Simran Advani are writing its next chapter. Yash is a third-generation hotelier who trained at Les Roches in Switzerland. Simran trained in Bologna and built Nova, her artisanal gelato brand, long before this bungalow came along. In early 2025 they opened the first Pastel as a small counter in Maker Arcade, Cuffe Parade. Breads, bakes, coffee. A neat, quiet start. Chimbai is the next step. A house instead of a counter. Room to breathe. And, for the first time, both siblings' brands under one roof. You can feel that in the room. This is not a concept dreamt up in a boardroom. It is two siblings putting everything they love into one address.

The Arrival: Bandra, at Half the Speed

I arrived on a weekday afternoon. Off the main road, two lanes in, and the city simply changes tempo. The honking fades. The lanes narrow. The old fishing village still carries its Portuguese and Konkan character, and nobody here seems in a rush. Pastel fits right in.

Nobody has tried to turn the bungalow into a Lisbon film set. The house keeps its personality. The bakery has just moved in, warmly, carefully, as if it plans to stay a long time. Walk through the door and the first thing you see is the bread.

Bread, at the Heart of Everything: A bread bar, not a bread basket

Most cafés in this city treat bread as the thing that arrives before the real food. At Pastel, it is the real food.

The bread bar sits at the centre of the room, stacked with whatever has come out of the oven that day. The selection changes as the hours pass. Head Chef Supriya has called bread her "true baby", and here it gets treated like one. The Seeded Sourdough is the loaf people leave holding, the kind you plan a week of breakfasts around. The Pesto Swirl with Parmesan Snow does the savoury job beautifully. The Chocolate Pain Suisse exists for anyone who believes 4pm is a pastry hour. And then there is the Pastel de Nata. A bakery called Pastel was always going to be judged on its custard tart. This one knows it.

From Morning Loaf to a Long Lunch: Sandwiches built on the morning's bake

By midday, the bread stops being the star and becomes the foundation. Every sandwich starts with a loaf baked in-house. The Classic Egg Sando is the quiet hero, soft and comforting, the order you make once and then every visit after. The Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich is for an actual lunch, the one you pick when the afternoon still has meetings in it.

The Chilli Cheese Toastie arrives with a Tomato Dunk on the side. Grilled cheese, grown up, and a strong argument for sharing nothing. The tartines are where the kitchen shows its hand. Crispy Shallots & Whipped Ricotta on one. Poached Apple & Whipped Ricotta on the other. Crunch against cream, sweet against savoury, all of it on bread that was dough a few hours earlier. As Yash puts it, there is no need to overcomplicate what already works. The whole menu reads like a promise kept.

Pastel x Nova: Where the Siblings Meet | Warm bakes, cold gelato, one table

This is the part that makes Pastel Bandra feel personal. Simran's Nova Gelato now runs as a shop-in-shop inside the bungalow. Her gelato, her brother's bakery, side by side for the first time. The Classic French Toast arrives with gelato and a French chantilly foam. Warm and cold on one fork.

The Loaded French Toast turns a quick coffee into a long afternoon. And then the affogato bar, built around flavour-led pairings of coffee and gelato. Order the Pastel de Nata with a scoop on the side and you are eating the two siblings' stories on one plate. If someone at your table claims they are "not really a dessert person", the Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake will settle that.

Who Pastel Bandra Is Best For

• Slow weekday breakfasts with a Classic Egg Sando and a coffee

• Picking up a loaf of Seeded Sourdough for the week

• A long afternoon with a tartine and nowhere else to be

• An after-dinner affogato and a walk through Chimbai's lanes

• The friend who judges every café by its bread

My Honest Take

I came in for a loaf. I stayed far longer than I planned. Pastel doesn't chase novelty. It takes familiar things, bread, coffee, a good sandwich, a scoop of gelato, and makes each one with care, in a house with character, on the quietest side of Bandra. But what stays with you is the warmth. You can tell who built this, and why.

Quick Snapshot

Address: Matsyalaya Bungalow, 6-C, Old Kantwadi, Chimbai Village, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050

Timings: 10 am to 10 pm, daily

Cost for Two: Approx. ₹400

Phone: +91 99878 24848

Founders: Yash and Simran Advani, with Head Chef Supriya

Also at: Maker Arcade, Cuffe Parade

Instagram: @pastelpatisserie_india | @nova_gelato

People Also Ask (FAQs)

Where is Pastel in Bandra?

Pastel is in Chimbai Village, Bandra West, inside a Portuguese bungalow. The original Pastel is at Maker Arcade, Cuffe Parade.

Who owns Pastel Bandra?

Siblings Yash and Simran Advani, with Head Chef Supriya leading the kitchen. Pastel is an extension of The Bakerie, a Mumbai bakery with a six-decade history.

What should I order at Pastel Bandra?

The Seeded Sourdough, Pastel de Nata, Classic Egg Sando, the Crispy Shallots & Whipped Ricotta Tartine, and an affogato from the Nova bar.

Does Pastel serve gelato?

Yes. Simran Advani's Nova Gelato runs a shop-in-shop inside Pastel Bandra, along with an affogato bar.

Is Pastel a bakery or a café?

Both. It is a bread-led bakery and patisserie with an all-day café menu of sandwiches, tartines and French toast.

Final Take

Pastel is what happens when two siblings give their bakery a house of its own.

Good bread. Proper coffee. Gelato by a sister, bakes by a brother.

And a little Portuguese bungalow in Chimbai to hold it all.

Save this for the next time someone asks where to find a really good loaf in Bandra.

For more such reviews, follow Paperboard Magazine.