Top 10 Restaurants in Hyderabad

chillibreeze writer — Sudha

Did they say gratuitous spice? They always do. It’s like no one can talk about food in Andhra or Hyderabad without making ‘red chillies’ sound like a four letter word. They also make it sound like we know no other spices – so not true! Adjectives that have been applied to food from my city are mostly in the red (on the spice-o-meter). Those of us in the know just prefer to keep a large (preferably, clean and very white) hanky handy. What we – in Hyderabad – do is food that takes all your senses to savor. We don’t believe in half-measures and even less do we believe in singular flavors.

A bite of Mamsam Koora (meat curry – unlike the name, is very far from ubiquitous) will give you a walking tour of all your senses; it is fabulous to look at (dark peppery gravy with lovely caramelized onions and a hint of tomato), smells divine (refer to the previous parentheses), hints of tastes that leave you wondering about mix of the ingredients, and you will hear yourself sigh with happiness as it settles in your stomach and makes your skin tingle. You just have to develop a taste for it.

Being from here, it just goes under the sub-head ‘soul food’ for me. So if you’re up for my kind of food there are several restaurants to choose from – my current favorite is Spicey Venue (in Jubilee Hills). Like most restaurants in the city, it is a multi-cuisine restaurant, but pay no attention to that. Just go and order an Andhra biriyani – it is a perfectly flavored mix of spices and meats. Or order some white rice and pour over the menu for the meats you want to eat with it. Try the Mamsam Koora, Kodi Iguru (chicken gravy with sour undertones), meat or chicken fry (the thick onion and garam masala marinade is mouth watering) and also order the Ulava charu (thick rasam made from horse gram). That meal will cost you just about Rs 1,000 for four. Go for lunch – it’s too heavy a meal to have later in the day.

If your feeling like a vegetarian Andhra meal head for Abhiruchi in Secunderabad. The place is grotty – so no ambience – all you are going there for are the delectable curries, podis (coarsely ground mixes of lentils and pulses), fresh chutneys and pickles. We Telugus know how to treat our vegetables – the curries are made in such a way that they retain their intrinsic taste while the garnish helps add a second tone of flavor to it. Mundane veggies like beetroot, ridged gourd, beans (flat, French) are all flavored subtly and cooked to perfection. There is always a lovely crunch to the vegetable. The one meat item that I love in Abhiruchi is the Gongura mamsam (meat cooked with green chillies in ambade ki bhaji). Just brilliant!

Chutney’s is the king of all things tiffin in Hyderaad. It used to be the Kamaths and the Minervas that ruled this particular roost but no longer. The Chutney’s chain (Banjara Hills, Himayathnagar and Secunderabad) took Andhra tiffin to the net level. When thy serve you Kandi Podi (most famously known as gun powder) smothered on Guntur Idlis with a generous helping of ghee – they give you the genuine deal. The idlis are fluffy, moist and break away in pristine bites and the Gun has a kick that wakes up your dust clogged sinuses. Try the rava and vegetable topped idlis – I promise you, you haven’t had it so good before. The choice in dosas are many and varied and worth a second trip.

Southern Spice (Banjara Hills) takes the Andhra meal up a notch: modest Spicey Venue and grotty Abhiruchi are not exactly places where you can entertain. Apart from the Andhra line up, their menu also covers aapams and specialty items from other southern states which makes is a good variation – sometimes.

One of my favorite kebab places in the city is Point Pleasant on Rd 10, Banajara Hills, especially toward the end of the month, when the resources are lean but you still want to go out for dinner with friends. The restaurant serves Lucknow cuisine in an informal setting – especially considering the location: Karkori and Gilawti kebabs, Avadh Biryani and a slew of slow roasted meats that just melt in your mouth. The menu is so extensive that you can have a completely different meal each time you go back. A meal for two will cost anywhere between Rs 450 to Rs 800.

Four Seasons in Mehedipatnam is yet another perfect treat – Lebanese, Arabian, Frontier and North Indian cuisine at a reasonable price. The Lebanese starter platter (Hummus, Fattoush, Tabula and Mutabble) and the mix-grill platter (Chicken tikka, Lasooni kebab, Mutton seekh kebab, fish tikka and sautéed prawns) with rotis will easily feed six people and will cost just under Rs.2,500. Although the ambience is nothing to write home about, the food is why you go there.

When in the mood for a genteel meal that you want to linger over, head over one of these places.

Via Milano (Rd 36, Jubilee Hills) is an Italian restaurant that serves a mean Risotto and Lasagna to die for – apart from an assortment of pastas in different sauces. I find it best when you order for the table rather individual platter – start with any of their salads and ask them to serve the main course with it and help yourself to a little of everything. They also make some really cool mocktails. (Rs 800 and up for two).

Urban Asia is one floor down and brings you the flavors of the orient in a setting of silk. Highly recommend Lamb Slices in Hunan Sauce and Kungpow Chicken. Although the Thai Beer Batter Shrimp with Wasabi was out of the world. The date Gallettes wound up the meal on a sweet note. (About Rs 2,500 for four).

My family’s favorite Sunday dinner destination is The Great Kebab Factory. Pace yourself over this meal and spend the next coupe of hours enjoying each morsel that comes your way. A pre-decided buffet menu – all you have to do is settle down and catch up on the gossip as an array of kebabs, rotis and biriyanis are served to you by generous handed wait staff. My favorite was Murgh Ka Neza (chicken breast marinated in sour sauce) and the Gosht Kofta biriyani. (Rs. 650 per head for non-vegetarian Rs 500 for vegetarian).

Okay, so nobody goes to N Grill just to eat. It’s a lounge and the whole – indoor restaurant, outdoor bar thing really makes hanging out here rather special. It’s also the venue for star gazing – the young, hip and on the rise luminaries of Tollywood generally make their way here most nights of the week. But at some point, you are bound to get hungry and then the restaurant does not disappoint – the Rock Shrimp Tempura, Brandy Braised Beef Steak, Portuguese style, Lamb Stew and Lamb Chops are simply marvelous. But the pizza – made in a wood burning oven – is manna from heaven. My personal favorite is the Marguerite. Tthousands of rupees for something small – this is not the place where people actually study the right column of the menu!

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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Sudha writes for chillibreeze.

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