Minerva Coffee Shop, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad

Hyderabad is known for it Biriyani. Hyderabad is revered for its typical Andhra cuisine. Hyderabad is famed for its spice. The spice however can sometime
s get to you, and after two to three spicy, hot culinary experiences, the time may be just right for food that is light and easy on the stomach, but at the same time extremely delicious. Minerva Coffee Shop is just that oasis that you may be looking for.
A restaurant that has stood the test of time as one of the best places in Hyderabad where one can sample some light, delicious vegetarian South Indian delicacies.

Minerva coffees shop has nice comfortable seating becoming of the cuisine that they serve. They have sofas, instead of the usual chairs and you have more than enough space to seat yourself and enjoy your meal. Service is also prompt as is I guess the norm for this sort of a place. What really struck me was the menu card, which had an interesting caricature promising a culinary journey.
I sampled the Paper Dosa and some Button Idlis when I went to Minerva Coffee shop for break fast. The dosa was crisp, thin and very tasty, just right for a sumptuous breakfast. The experience rivalled that of a Sarvanna Bhavan in Chennai. The button Idlis were served hot and swimming in a bowl of Sambhar. Very tasty. Again a fantastic breakfast dish.
We finished off our breakfast with some traditional filter coffee which is of course a must in a place like Minerva Coffee Shop. Definitely a must try if you are looking for a good breakfast in Hyderabad and get some relief from the spicy Biriyani and Andhra meals.
A meal for two at Minerva Coffee Shop will cost you approximately Rs 200/-
How to get there: Minerva Coffee Shop in on Himayatnagar X Roads in Himayatnagar, Hyderabad. It is right on the main road and is pretty much a landmark. Your auto/ cab driver should easily be able to locate it.

Al-hamadulillah Hotel, Nampally, Hyderabad

Al-hamadulillah Hotel in Hyderabad is an Hyderabad institution in authentic Hyderabadi cuisine and has been one of the preferred haunts of the "hard core" Hyderabadi foodie for quite some time. The words "hard core" have been mentioned in inverted commas and intentionally so, for Al-hamadulillah is not for those for whom cleanliness, presentation and hygiene is as important as food. That is not saying that the food is bad as the patrons of the restaurants are loyalists but the quality and the quantity of food at Al-hamadulillah take clear precedence over the presentation. When you walk into Al-hamadulillah, you pretty much know what you are getting into. You will see Haleem smoking in a couple of pots by the entrance, Paayas (cattle hoofs) let out to dry in marinade and the unmistakable smell of Biriyani pervading your senses. The seating is rustic, plastic chairs and tables seating four each. A couple of bowls, one of saalan and one of raita looking like they have been there for a good deal before you even decided to come to the restaurant. The food however is exceptional and I was treated to one of my better culinary experiences. We started with Tala Gosh and rumali, tala gosh is the signature dish of the restaurant and is basically small pieces of beef cooked in a red masala, the pieces are tender, well cooked and half melt in the mouth. The portion served to you is also generously sprinkled with mint leaves which add great flavour to the preparation. After the Tala Gosh we moved on to sample some Haleem and the Biriyani. I love haleem and I was not disappointed in the least, the restaurant is one of the few places which serve haleem all year round and the taste was very close to what you get all around Hyderabad during Ramadan, which is very very good. We polished off the meal with a bit of the Biriyani which was slightly spicier than the regular Hyderabadi Biriyani and had a lot more mutton. Overall a big thumbs up although the place I guess could do with some improvements in presentation. Its not a place where you should take your loved one for a romantic dinner, but there should be some places where its just about you and your food. A meal for two at Al-hamadulillah without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 250/- How to get there: Al-hamdulillah is at Nampally, Hyderabad. Its a bit difficult to locate for the Non Hyderabadi so you will need to depend on the local auto driver. They invariably know the place.

Cafe Bahar, Hyderguda, Hyderabad

Cafe Bahar (pronounced as "Kaif" Bahar as against "Cafay" Bahar) is one of Hyderabads more famous Biriyani outlets. Its the place where you will find the housewife with her famished kids having just finished a day in school, the BPO employee gang from the latest call centre shop out to celebrate an office birthday and local students just out of tuition challenging each other to devour the famous Bahar family pack. It is the place that the Hyderabad local goes to sample some of the best Biriyani that Hyderabad has to offer. I would take it any day ahead of the more touristy Paradise or Hyderabad House. Cafe Bahar is made for the middle class Hyderabadi wanting to sample some of the best cuisine in Hyderabad in a relatively clean and hygienic environment. The setting and the ambiance is almost like a regular Andhra meal joint. The place is packed most of the times so sharing your table with other famished patrons is the norm. The service is pretty good for a place of this nature and you are pretty much served your food quite promptly especially the Biriyani which is obviously mass produced. The last time we were at Cafe Bahar, we had quite a large spread. We started with some "Dum ka Chicken" and Rumali roti - the Dum ka Chicken is apparently the dish that finishes the fastest in Cafe Bahar, the chicken is cooked in a rich, slightly sweet gravy which was laden with a largish helping of nuts to enhance the richness and the taste. The chicken was cooked excellently and was very tender. The preparation was a great accompaniment to the Rumali roti and the gravy went very well with the Biriyani rice as well. We then proceeded to the highlight of the restaurant - the mutton biriyani. The biriyani was typically Hyderabadi and very good although I personally prefer the Lucknow and Kolkata styles, the rice was excellently cooked although the meat quantity was slightly on the lesser side. Raita and Mirchi ka saalan was served on the table to be taken as per taste. We obviously took a regular portion and not the family pack, but we were lucky to see the family pack being devoured by a largish group at a nearby table. The family pack is basically a catering counter full of Biriyani! Pretty unique in the way its served, its almost as if the waiter has picked up an entire counter of Biriyani from a wedding reception and has walked over to serve it at your table. I was speaking to a Hyderabadi friend of mine who was raving about the Bahaar, apparently the challenge during his school days was to devour the entire family pack alone at one go. To fellow Kolkatans who may be reading this, that equals around 4 packets of Shiraz mutton Biriyani portions! I admit defeat. Hyderbadis can have a lot of Biriyani! A meal for two at Cafe Bahar will cost you approximately Rs 400 without drinks. How to get there: Cafe Bahar is a Hyderabadi institution and anybody in the vicinity of Hyderaguda should be able to point you to the restaurant.

Fusion 9, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

As against the Nawabi expectation from Hyderabad cuisine Fusion 9 clearly caters to a more cosmopolitan 21st century India. The restaurant is a pointer to Cyberabad, the IT city thriving with development and increasingly growing as a corporate hotbed of Modern India. The place is nice and chic with a nice ambiance, good music and comfortable seating.
We had gone there to catch up with some old friends and the setting was perfect for the occasion. The music was audible without being loud and the layout ensured that we did not feel that we were being overheard. After drinks we moved over to the main course of Steaks and Sizzlers. The preparations were tasty and the servings were adequate. The slightly funny event was at the time of placing the order when a friend of mine almost changed the order when the waiter asked thrice to confirm if the order was indeed that of lamb chops.
A meal for two at Fusion 9 without drinks will cost you Rs 500/-
How to get there: The restaurant is right next to the Apollo Hospital at Banjara Hill.

Hyderabad House, Masab Tank, Hyderabad

The land of the Nizams has always been renowned for their Biriyani and Hyderabad House along with Paradise are two of the most famous outlets for sampling the Hyderabadi Biriyani for visitors to Hyderabad. Among the two, I prefer the fare at the Hyderabad house because it simply tastes better.
Hyderabadi Biriyani is different from the Biriyani that you get in the other parts of the country. Each part of India has different innovations of the Biriyani and the same is well documented, however the difference in the Hyderabadi Biriyani is stark in the very way the dish is cooked. The Hyderabadi version of the dish is where the meat and the rice are cooked together different from the Delhi / Lucknow school where the meat and the rice are cooked separately and later mixed. Anyways, enough Biriyani Gyan, the Biriyani at the Hyderabad house is great and is a definite must do if you are at the city of the Nizam.
The decor at Hyderabad house is simple and to the point. The food as mentioned is very good. It is the best Hyderabadi Biriyani that I have sampled. You can also have it with the Saalan that is served alongside although I like my Biriyani slightly dry.
A meal for two at Hyderabad House will cost you Rs 300/-
How to get there: Hyderabad House has a number of outlets all across Hyderabad. The one at Masab Tank is near the flyover.

Southern Spice, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

There are Andhra meals and there are Andhra Meals, then there is The Andhra Meal you get at Southern Spice. When the foodies in the capital city of Andhra Pradesh vouch for the Andhra meal that you get at one restaurant and one restaurant only. You know you are on to something special and you are not disappointed by Southern Spice. Not in one bit. It is also a perfect example of an upmarket Andhra Meal restaurant. It manages to give an upmarket feel while you are digging into rice, ghee, podi and Gongura which to me is a remarkable achievement.
We had meals of course and also ordered some side dishes. The dish that stood out was the Gongura Mutton which was really very tasty. Overall a truly outstanding experience, next time I am there I will sample the Andhra Style chilli chicken as well which is apparently a speciality.
A meal for two without drinks at Southern Spice will cost you approximately Rs 450/-
How to get there: Southern Spice is on Road No 3, in Banjara hills