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Hyderabad Food Guide: The 10 Best Local Restaurants & Eats

India‘s food culture is extremely rich, and includes Mughlai, Turkish and Arabic influences, among others. Due to its geographical location, Hyderabad is a prime destination to survey the flavours of South India, the culinary focus of many of the city’s best restaurants; but there’s no shortage of kitchens taking excursions into the North’s cooking, either. Take a look at our updated guide to the best restaurants for authentic Indian food in Hyderabad.

© Alpha/Flickr
© Alpha/Flickr

Barbeque Nation

Part of a series of Indian restaurants, Hyderabad’sBarbeque Nation offers a fun and engaging dining experience. A dinner here starts with a pre-fixed menu of five barbecued starters, which are the real draw of all Barbeque Nation’s outlets. Each table is equipped with a grill that guests can use to keep their starters warm or glaze with the accompanying marinades and sauces. All tables also have a little flag: the alert service keeps the starters coming until the flag is up. If you wish to take a break or proceed to the main courses, signal this by folding the flag down. The extensive spread of dishes offered at Barbeque Nation is influenced by international cuisine, but deeply founded on India’s national fare.

Paradise Restaurant

With six outlets throughout the city,Paradise is a food empire limited to Hyderabad specialising in Hyderabadi, Indian and Chinesedelicacies. The branches range from large spaces in pre-established compounds to enormous venues comprising several different eateries under the same roof – quite the progress for a little café that first opened in 1953 to serve tea and a few snacks. The secret to Paradise’s wild success is the ridiculously good biryanis, the best in town by general consensus. One of the most frequented Paradise spots is the food court located in the district of Secunderabad. Here, a multi-level, modern palace hosts a café, a bakery, an al fresco restaurant on the roof, another one with seating on the street level patio, and the acclaimed Persis Gold restaurant.

Bawarchi

If you’re too far from a Paradise branch, but desperately craving a delicious, well-cooked biryani, look for aBawarchirestaurant instead. Bawarchi is another Hyderabad chain of restaurants that locals love and flock to for some of this ubiquitous, rice-based staple. Several variants of biryani are up for grabs, including a vegetarian option, but in the most popular recipe the basmati rice is seasoned with succulent bits of marinated mutton meat. Besides biryani, Bawarchi serves delectable, traditional Asian fare spanning meat dishes, noodles, fried rice and kebabs. Venues and atmosphere are not killer, but convenient prices nicely make up for this.

Chutneys

In India and the entire South Asia, chutneys are an accompaniment available in an incredible number of variants, but basically consisting in a dip obtained from a combination of spices, vegetables and fruits. These traditional delights give the name to Hyderabad’s Chutneys, a famed, local set of restaurants serving scrumptious, traditional South Indian food, including a signature selection of six different type of chutneys. Here you can also try other yummy treats courtesy of South India like dosas, idlis and pesarattus, three different type of wraps, but all equally delicious. Or join Chutneys for breakfast and try upma, a favourite staple similar to porridge typically eaten during the earliest meal of the day.

Dakshin

Being washed by the ocean, Hyderabad’s regional cuisine features a stronger emphasis on fish and seafood than one can say of the country’s northern regions. Hyderabad’s restaurantDakshin, part of the city’s ITC Hotel, specialises in South Indian specialties and reflects the prominence of sea-inspired dishes through a tantalising variety of fish-based treats; but the house’s menu lists many other delectable delicacies of the South, including the mouth-watering, traditional Kerala stew. Dakshin’s chefs surprise patrons with personal, creative touches that throw new light – and taste – on the staples they eat every day.

Minerva Coffee Shop

Minerva Coffee Shop has been part of Hyderabad’s dining scene for many years now. The restaurant has a solid fan base of foodies that thoroughly enjoys the scrumptious, authentic dishes of Indian cuisine expertly prepared by the kitchen. In fact, Minerva surveys the best highlights of both North and South Indian cooking, which can be quite different from each other. Open all day-round from breakfast time to dinner, this casual eatery has one of its major draws in South India’s tiffins, a collective name used to indicate an array of inviting snack pastries like the dosas or the idlis. Coffee, service and hygiene are also above average for Hyderabad standards.

Gufaa

ChooseGufaa for an unconventional, primitive dining experience in Hyderabad. The themed restaurant’s rocky walls are designed to resemble the inside of a cave. Sculptures of animal heads like elephants and tigers are hung on the walls here and there, plant roots and branches creep up the rocks, a large-sized mural mimics Neanderthal man’s ancient drawings, as dim lighting plunges the restaurant in half darkness. Sit in one of the bamboo chairs with zebra-skin cushions and enjoy a meal of tasty Indian fare. The food is definitely good but not particularly excellent (and a bit pricey); however a visit at Gufaa is utterly recommended for fun, out-of-the-ordinary dinner.

Kangan

Hosted inside Hyderabad’s upmarket Westin hotel, restaurantKangan is firmly driven by chef Rakesh Singh. Chef Singh delivers a delectable menu of Indian specialties which fully celebrate the country’s distinctive aromas and spices. In particular, Kangan is a recommended choice to experience the tastes of Northwestern India’s gastronomy, influenced by the Peshawari tradition hailing from the neighbouring Pakistan. The beverage department is another forte of Kangan’s. The restaurant boasts a fine selection of Indian teas typical of Hyderabad, as well as an outstanding gamut of single malt Scotches. Sip your whiskey and enjoy the live jazz music hanging in the air.

Olive

Stepping in irresistibly charming restaurantOlive Bistro, you are made to wonder whether you’re still in Hyderabad or maybe you were somehow magically teleported to the Greekisland of Santorini. Beautifully decorated, the bistro’s all-white, rough walls are nicely complemented by a faux vaults, tablecloths in floral patterns and pastel tints, and a stunning tile floor. The outdoor patio is simply magical, complemented by garden furniture and offering panoramic views of the freshwater Durgam Cheruvu lake ahead. A gem of a restaurant in a lucky location, come at Olive Bistro to linger over exquisite Mediterranean fare, perhaps for a soothing Sunday brunch.

Sahib Sindh Sultan

The first train to ever take to the rails in India took off from Bori Bunder in 1853, during the British Raj. Hyderabad’s restaurantSahib Sindh Sultancelebrates that historical episode and era in a truly unique way. The venue is set up like a train station: on one side, plenty of tables are arranged on what would be the station’s platform; on the other, extra seating is available in the wagons of a pretend train styled according to the aesthetics of the time, and carries the name of the restaurant spelled in gold lettering. Elegant décor, silverware, silk tapestries and exquisite Anglo-Indian dishes complete a mesmerising, must-visit restaurant in Hyderabad.