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The geographical location of Hyderabad has been a major influence on its varied cuisine, which ranges from the Hyderabadi style with its strong Mughalai influence, to a pure Andhra cuisine - hot and spicy. Hyderabad also has a good number of places for Chinese food, and several Punjabi 'Dhabas'. For a quick meal or a snack, one has a choice between western fast foods and the Indian 'chats'. The city has its ubiquitous Irani Hotels, serving thousands of cups of tea everyday. For the diet-unconscious, Hyderabad probably has the largest number of ice cream brands to offer. In addition, the city's main shopping areas are crowded with sweet shops offering a mind-boggling variety of sweet and snacks. The entries are listed below cuisine wise, and good places to have them are listed under each entry in smaller print. This is in no way an exhaustive list you are bound to find an excellent hotel which we may have missed!
Umm! The mouth watering Shahi cuisine of Hyderabad. As soon as a person hears the mention of Hyderabadi Biryani, he starts whetting his appetite! The wafting aroma hits you before you set your eyes on the delicious mounds of fragrant, steaming rice with the tempting sight of a traditionally cooked chicken peaking out! It is so popular that it takes a special mention in the world of cuisine's. A part from this king of the delicacies, the entire Shahi Nizam cuisine is very popular for its rich and aromatic taste. "The food is a dream of deliciousness", said the Persian Ambassador who came to the Qutub Shahi Kingdom in 1603. The elaborate Dastarkhan, on which are place steaming hot dishes of dum ka murgh, a baked chicken full of savoury herbs and spices. Lagan ke kebab, bhagare bhaingan, machili ka qualiya, mirch ka salan, haleem, and different kinds of Biryanis severed with Bhurani. Even the desserts are world renowned. Khubani ka meeta, badaam ki jaali, hub ke laoz, azam jahi meetha, etc, satiate you beyond imagination.
Another speciality eaten very early in the morning is Nahari, a curried soup of sheep's trotters and tongue. It cooks all night, and a nothing stale is considered edible, it is served up right away in soup bowls, and you drunk in piece of spongy Sheermahal bread. And during the festival day of Id-ul-Fitr, it is traditional to serve sheer quorma, the delicious kheer, made with sevian, dried fruits and dates.
This cuisine owes its origins to the Mughalai style of cooking of the Asaf Jahi period. By carefully mellowing and nurturing the typical Mughalai flavours with a blend of spices, the cuisine of Hyderabad was born. While there is a certain exotic quality to some of the royal foods, it is also known that a true Hyderabadi will go any where in the city for a well prepared dish, however humble its origin.
For those who want a taste of the royal menu, there is a variety of Biryanis (a rice and meat preparation, seasoned with spices and flavourings); Kababs (meat pieces or minced meat cooked in many different styles such as Boti Jhammi, kalmi, Shikampur, Sheek, Lagan-ke-kababs, Dum-ke-kababs); Khormas (either meat or vegetables cooked in a rich creamy gravy) and Lukhmi (pastry). During the month of Ramzan, one gets to taste Haleem (a pounded wheat and meat preparation). For those who prefer more homely food, there is Kichri (a rice a lentil preparation); Kheema methi (minced meat with fenugreek); Nahari ( stew of tongue and lamb trotters); Rumali Rotis (bread as thin as a handkerchief) and Chakna (a spicy dish of meat).
For vegetarians there is Bagara Baingan (a rich spicy preparation of aubergines); Mirch-ka-salan (chillies in a creamy gravy); Tomato kut (aromatic puree of tomato with flavourings); and Shahi dahi vadas (lentil dumplings in youghurt sauce).
For dessert, on can have a pick from Double-ka-meetha (a bread and cashewnut pudding); Qubani-ka-meetha (stewed apricod dessert); Anday-ka-piyosi (made with eggs, mild, almonds and purified butter); Badam-ki-jhab (marzipan) and Dil-e-Firdaus ( a rich, milk-based sweet).
Good Places Firdaus (Krishna oberoi, Banjara Hills) Dhak (Gateway Hotel, Banjara Hills), Hotel Akbar (M.G.Road), Azizia Hotel (Nampally), Hotel Madina (Pattargatti), Garden Restaurant (S.D.Road), Banjara Darbar (Panjagutta), Hotel Parwez (Nampally). Many small hotels and restaurants around the Charminar area also offer some authentic Hyderabadi dishes - a few of them serve 'Haleem' throughout the year. The Chaknawadi around Charminar area is famous for its 'Chakna', but one must go before 2.00 P.M.
The Andhra cuisine is distinct for its hot and spicy food with a range of chutneys, curries, meat preparations and pickles. One can also taste the cuisines of Karnataka (Udipi) and Tamil Nadu - the omnipresent dosas, idlis and vadas.
Good Places Raaga (Holiday Inn, Banjara Hills), Amaravathi (Hyderguda), Abhiruchi (S.D.Road), Hotel Rajdoot (Lakdi-ka-pul), Abhilasha (R.T.C x Roads), Hotel Indu Deluxe (Saifabad). For vegetarian cuisine: Taj Mahal Hotel (Narayanguda, Koti, S.D. Road & Abids), Hotel Shanbagh (Panjagutta, Basheerbagh), Mithila (Koti), Kamat Hotel (Nampally, S.d. Road. Saifabad)
Hyderabad also boasts of a number of Chinese restaurants ranging from the inexpensive to the exclusive.
Good Places Hai King (Himayatmagar), Golden Dragon (Park lane), Blue Diamond (Fateh Maidan), Nanking (Park Lane), Kontiki (Banjara Hills), Pearl City (S.P.Road), Alex's Kitchen (Himayatnagar), Shogun (Hyderabad), Chung Hua (Basheerbagh), Schezwan Garden (Hotel Krishna Oberoi, Banjara Hills).
For somebody looking for a quick and filling snack, there are many western-style fast food joints which offer pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, etc.,
Good Places: Pick 'n' Move (Himayatnagar), Big Mac (S.D. Road), Niralas Open House( Himayatnagar) Prabhat Fast Food (Banjara Hills), Potluck Cafe (Gateway Hotel, Banjara Hills).
There are also several places serving Indian fast foods. For the adventurous, the Punjabi Dhabas ont he outskirts of the city (Hyderabad-Bombay Highway) offer a unique culinary experience. These 'dhabas' are located on open tracts of land with benches and charpoys ( a wooden cot with jute netting) to sit on. These offer the best in Punjabi foods - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. A part from these, there are quite a few places which serve 'chats' (spicy snacks) like samosas, bhelpuri, panipuri, tikki, pav bhaji, etc. Then there are the very visible, very hyderabadi, Irani Hotels, with their glitzy interiors and marble-topped tables. The crowd in almost all these hotels is exclusively male. One can sit in these hotels, for hours on end, with a cup of the spiced tea that is their speciality. The discussions in these hotels may range from philosophy to politics to some of the latest rumours in town!
The number of ice cream parlours seems an ever-expanding one, with popular brands such as Kwality, Dollops, Vadilal, Scoops, Yankee-Doodle, Jumani, Go Cool, Funn and many more. Most of these parlours have places to sit and enjoy your ice creams. In addition, the range of sweets and snacks available in the sweet shops - omnipresent in Hyderabad- is bound to make one's head spin.
Good places for sweets: Santosh Sweets (Kingsway), Bombay Halwa (Monda Market, Begumpet), Pulla Reddy (Nampally, Panjagutta), Almond House (Himayatnagar), Balaji Bajrang (Narayanaguda), Madhuban (S.D. Road, Khairtabad)
Although many restaurants around the city serve liquor, the pub culture is new to hyderbad - in fact, just over two years old. In the brief period, at least 20 pubs have come up in the city, each having a distinct style. The pubs, the Bier Keller for instance, is designed in the style of a German World War II Nazi bunker! One of the largest pubs is named 10, Downing Street!
Bier Keller (S.D. Road), Sailor's Inn (Paradise), Cloud 9 (Begumpet), Oaken Cask (Basheerbagh), Barrel House Street (Panjagutta), Beat Route (Park Lane), Pivot Pub (Punjagutta), Rock Castle (Banjara Hills), 10, Downing Street (S.D. Road), Black Cadilac (R.P.Road).
No meal in Hyderbad is complete without Paan (betel leaf wrapped around a mixture of betelnut, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, gulkand). There are paan shops, almost one every few metres - quite a few of them an extension of the innumerable Irani Hotels. These shops sell a variety of paans- the most popular being 'Meetha', 'Ram Pyare', 'Meenakshi', etc., Offering paan is a tradition in Hyderabad and most Muslim household still keep the 'Paan - Daan' a specially crafted silver container meant to hold all the ingredients for making paans.
Most popular dish of Hyderabad is Hyderabadi Biryani. Ask anybody about their favorite dish of Hyderabad, and they will definitely tell you Hyderabadi Biryani.
Prepared in a unique style - a blending of Mughal kitchen with the style of cooking practised by the Nizams - Hyderabadi Biryani has a distinct aroma.
Beautifully garnished with pudina, fried onion & boiled eggs. Mostly it is served with dahi-ki-chutney and mirchi-ka-salan.
Biryani has many variants like Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Biryani Khaam, Biryani Zard or Zafrani or the most exotic of all Joban Malti Biryani in which mutton, partridges and quails were cooked with rice.
The prominent mouthwatering vegetarian dishes of Hyderabad are the Dahi Vada, Mirch-ka-sabu and Bagaara Baingan. The Dahi Vada essentially contains spicy and creamy curd in which round pieces of ground lentils have been immersed after being fried. The mirch-ka-sabu is a delicious vegetarian dish of Hyderabad consisting of hot chilies, which are immersed in cream gravy.
Order your favourite Food or Biryani Online, use our Hyderabad menu list to order Food Biryani Online from hotels for Home Delivery and Door Delivery. You can order biryani, vegetarian or non vegetarian food, traditional Hyderabadi, Chinese food, Mughlai dishes or sweets.
Taj Krishna Hotel, Yo China, Palace Heights, Shilpi Garden, Hotel Comfort Inn City Park, Punjabi By Nature, Restaurant & Karma Lounge, Hampshire Plaza Hotel, Taj Deccan, Agrawala Sweets & Restaurant, Water Front, Paradise Restaurant, Deccan Foods, The Jewel of the Nizam(Hotel Golkonda), Hotel Niagara, Café Bahar, Our Place, Riviera Aangan ( Yatri Niwas), Ashoka, Ballerina, Basera, Chillies, Black Stallion (Hotel Deccan Continental), Carnival (Pearl Regency), Lakdi Ka Pul,Crystal Restaurant & Bar, RTC X Road, Curry Leaves, Deccan Palace, Degh (Comfort Inn Woodbridge), Dine Hill, Elixir, Food Court, Gaiety (Viceroy), Ganga (Hotel Asrani), Coastal Spice, Hare & Hound (Amrutha Castle), Hunter's Roost (Yatri Niwas), Garden Restaurant, Copper Pot (Tulip Manohar)
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