Where else could you find the authentic taste of a certain culture but in street food. Street food is easy to afford, tasty, quick and non-formal. Tourists and food enthusiasts scour the streets in search of street food and for the taste of something local. We’ve listed out a few of the best Hyderabadi street food joints as well.

The best street food that we found:

KATHMANDU Momos

We’ve found a hidden gem. It’s very hard to find good Momos, but this man has done it. Kathmandu Momos is a small stall located outside ADP office in Somajiguda. They have three more branches in Hyderabad and in cities like Bangalore as well. The business is kept in the family as the band of brothers handle every tiny franchise. It has been seven years’ since the business started and Biswas says he is satisfied by the way his business is running. We tried their chicken momos, veg momos, paneer momos and chicken fried Momos as well and we just couldn’t stop right there, no amount of Momos had here is satiating. The Momos are accompanied with spicy chilly chutney which tasted marvellous. The Momos were soft and perfectly cooked. When asked about where Biswas learned how to cook Momos, he says he’s been watching his mother cook them from when he was a little child, and these Momos follow his mother’s secret recipe. These people are too humble for the way their Momos taste; given that they’re aware that they sell out by 8:00pm, when they’ve made enough food to last till 10:00pm.

6-3-1090/2, Raj Bhavan Road, Lumbini Classic Apartment, Somajiguda, Hyderabad. Ph : 9652390755

GOKUL CHAT

Gokul chat is a very famous chat joint in Hyderabad. It has been running for 40 years and you’ll find that it is always crowded and swarming with people of every age. The 90’s people or students from Osmania University will know this place really well as it served as a hub for students for a very long time. Nevertheless, people still come here to reminisce and because their service and taste hasn’t changed a bit. No matter how crowded it is, the service time is quick, and everything is readily available. The owner of the joint is Premchand Vijaywarg. The business has expanded rapidly resulting in 3 other branches right here in Hyderabad, despite some unforeseen events in the year 2007. Gokul chat is up and running and people still visit it for it’s unique taste in chat and refreshing varieties of kulfi. “I used to come here when I was studying at Osmania, now I get my kids here to show them where Mumma used to eat chat everyday and the reason why she’s put on 5 kilos”, says Samira when asked about since when she has been visiting Gokul chat. We had the Samosa chat, Pav bhaji, Panipuri, and Dahipuri as well. And it definitely ‘paisa vasool’- price was nominal and the taste, fantastic. Both the cold chats as well as the hot chats were absolutely delicious. The sweet curd accommodating every dish was the cherry on top. Everyone in Hyderabad has heard about Gokul chat and the hype is real, it’s just as good as it gets.

Koti Main Road, OppKoti Women’s College, Koti, Gandhi Nagar, BadiChowdi, Kachiguda, Hyderabad. Ph : 9949274444

GOVIND DOSA

Plain dosa or Masala dosa is just plain-boring, and people have been contriving ways to come up with something new, Govind Dosa is one such place that has caught the eye of people because of their unique taste, and unique variety of South Indian dishes like dosa and idly. Their speciality and bestselling dish happens to be ‘govinddosa’ which is dosa batter topped off with upma and spices. Most of the dosas are prepared including this step. ‘Butter idly’ is another one of their specialities, soft idlys topped off with butter, paired with spicy coconut chutney and seasoned with ‘karampoddi’ (a type of red coloured powder paired with south Indian dishes). Every bite was heavenly, the warm idlys; dripping with butter seemed to melt in your mouth; it was perfectly balanced and quite heavy. Cheese and dosa? who knew right? another one of Govind’s bestselling dish is ‘Pizza dosa’, and what’s interesting about this dish is that it exhibits qualities of a dosa and a pizza as well. The regular dosa batter is spread out on their tawa, then they add upma, masala (spices) and spread it throughout the base, to this they add vegetables, cheese and let it bubble, just like a pizza is baked. Not only does this taste heavenly, one dosa is filling sometimes for two. Govind only have their branches in Hyderabad, their first branch was opened near Charminar 30 years ago and the ‘govinddosa’ has been famous since then, they easily prepare more than 1000 dosa’s a day and are available on Swiggy. They also provide services like ‘all India catering’ and have catering services in Dubai as well as Bangkok. The secret to their yummy dosas they use good quality batter. They have a mixed crowd; families, children, teenagers, all present to enjoy the ‘govinddosa’ that has a varied taste and is priced moderately. Head there to have a fun time.

8-2-309/7/1, Banjara Hills Road Number 14, Phase 1, Nandi Nagar, GS Nagar, Hyderabad. Ph : 9866636665

PIZZA DEN

“Pizza with pineapple?” strange we thought, but then again, the whole place was filled with people who had at least one pizza in their hand that showcased this strange combination. As strange as it sounds it was just as delectable. Pizza Den is in Sindhi Colony, it is a small place with a lot of bustle and movement. It is always crowded right from their opening time (at 5pm) and sometimes you’ll have to jostle a bit to put your order through, nevertheless every bite of their specialities is worth the wait.

We tasted their ‘Desi Masala pizza’ and ‘Spicy Paneer pizza’; which happen to be two of their bestselling items, biting into the soft cheese with a crust that was just the right amount of crispy made us feel right at home, no matter which flavour the pizza, there was a hint of ‘desi’ in it.The ‘Hot and Spicy Mexican pizza’ left us wanting for more.

We don’t compromise on the quality; all our ingredients are fresh.” Says Mr. Neeraj, the owner when asked about what makes Pizza Den special and better than all the other pizza joints out there.

Pizza Den is famous not only for its brilliant pizzas but for its wide variety of soft serves and ice cream sundaes as well. We had the ‘Fruit and Nut sundae’, which was a perfect blend of vanilla ice cream, fruits, and dry fruits packed with flavours like raspberry and mango. This is one of their bestselling ice creams. We had ‘Black forest fantasy’ as well, which is chocolate ice cream sitting on top of vanilla cake topped off with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. Both the ice creams were rich and flavoursome.

You see people of all age groups chatting around, giggling, and enjoying their delicious pizza. Pizza Den is strictly vegetarian and they don’t believe in home delivery. So, grab your friends and head there to try something new, fresh and tasty!

Address: Shop No-7, Paradise Complex, PG Road, Railway Officer Colony, Secunderabad. Ph : 9346680005

SHARADA’S FAST FOOD CENTER

We Indians savour ‘desi Chinese’, it is Chinese food but with an Indian twist. Sharada’s fast food centre is a ‘Chinese bandi’ (a street food stall) located in Banjara Hills. A small stall located at the corner of the road with college going students storming the place. As we took a bite of their schezuwan chicken fried rice and their crispy chicken (both their specialities) we were transported to another world. The, crispy chicken was a combination of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The seasoning was done just right and balanced out the whole dish. The fried rice was appetizing and the Chicken 65 was also very good. “We’ve come all the way from Miyapur to have their chicken fried rice, it is delicious, I don’t know what it is they put in the food, but it tastes much better than all the Chinese bandis out there”, says Rajkumar one of their loyal customers. “The chicken they put into the food is really soft, and it actually tastes like chicken, they put less Maida and more chicken, and the quantity of the food is perfect. If you’re on a budget and crave some delicious ‘desi Chinese’, this is the place you need to head to” says Irfan when asked about what he thinks makes Sharada’s special. The place is run by P Mallesh and when asked about what makes them better than all the bandis out there he simply replies by saying “We don’t compromise on the quality, everything is prepared fresh and in a hygienic manner”. Well we expect nothing less from them.

345/A, Venkateswara Colony, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

GRANDSON’S BADE MIYAN KABABS

“Our speciality is that everything is prepared at home, the quality of the meat is pure. All the spices added are made at home and the blend of the spices is authentic.” Bade miyan kababs was started in 1956, by Mr. Ismail, and the name ‘Bade Miyan’ came into being when Indira Gandhi tasted their kebabs and called him “Bade Miyan” (a sign of respect given to elder brothers while calling out their name). The name just stuck and so did the taste of the kebabs in heart of every Hyderabadi. “We’ve also fed the honourable chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Y.S.  Jaganmohan Reddy as well, we cater at a lot of parties and we’ve catered to a lot of prominent people”, says Mr Syed Bashith when asked about Bade Miyan.

Their speciality is ‘Pathar Ka Ghosht’ which is an authentic Hyderabadi dish. Mutton cooked on a stone slab; which takes around 2 hours to get heated up. It is cooked with pure ghee and beautiful home-blend spices. It tasted just wondrous; the mint chutney accommodating the soft pieces of mutton was the right balance of sweet, spicy and sour (It also helps in digestion as told to us by the chef). The mutton was soft and melted at the first bite, no matter how much you’ve eaten you will never be satisfied. “This is one of the best pathar ka ghosht I have eaten, and I have eaten this dish at 5-star restaurants as well. The taste of the kebabs at Bade Miyan is truly Hyderabadi”, says Akshit when asked about how his food was. Bade miyan’s ‘Seekh kebabs’ and ‘Chicken biryani’ are their bestselling dish. They’re available for delivery at Zomato and Swiggy as well.

Opposite Kun United Hyundai, P & T Officers Colony, Lakdikapul, Hyderabad. Ph : 040 23323047

SOFREHH

‘Sofrehh’ is the combined efforts of Arash Mehdi, Farheen Mehdi and Abdul Moiz.

And summing up about the place in one line, they make you feel like you’ve gone to visit family over the summer. They are incredible hosts and go out of their way to form a personal connection, and they genuinely want to get to know you better; all this while munching on their delectable Persian spread. They have a small curated Persian menu, and every item on that card is phenomenal, small menu to be consistent with quality. Sofrehh kickstarted at the Food truck festival on the 4th of march. Both Farheen and Arash didn’t expect to sell out by 10pm, when they had prepared food to last until 11pm. Like most people they needed a break from the corporate world and wanted to rekindle with their roots, so they used their mom’s recipes and opened a food truck as it was new and different. “From the cooks, the electrician and the fabricator everyone’s been really kind and reliable; Sofrehh is definitely the outcome of combined efforts of everyone”, says Farheen. We tried the kubideh sandwich and my oh my, never have we tasted a sandwich this stupendous, the mutton was juicy and tender and melts right in your mouth. Probably one of the best sandwiches we’ve ever had. We tried the cutty murg sandwich as well, it was just as phenomenal. They’re also trying to bring the cold sandwich culture back, with their chicken sandwich. “This is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. I don’t prefer veg food, but their veg falafel is so good, you can’t help but fall in love with veg food”, says Amish. Sofrehh is in an alley in Jubliee hills. The ambience just feels special, with lights hung up and small chairs with cushions laid out. Its both, a romantic setting as well as a casual one. Head there with your special someone or your family. Farheen and Arash will make you feel right at home and treat you with their authentic Persian food.

789, Jubilee Hills 36. Ph: 9100007861

AUTO EXPRESS – HOTDOGS

Auto Express have around 8 outlets here in the city, it was started in the year 2015 and are famous for their hot dogs with an Indian twist. Their menu is small, and their vision is to make global fast food affordable to Indian customers. As much as we have been exposed to the concept of hot dogs on the large screen and silver screens, auto express brings this concept to life and makes it more accepting for the Indian audience by incorporating Indian flavours which blend perfectly with this rather foreign concept.

We tried their ‘Mini HotDog’ and ‘The HotDog’, both their classic and best-selling dishes. The first bite was an explosion of flavours; Indian and continental as well. The sauces create magic and are a tangy, sweet and spicy companion to the chicken sausage and bread. The bread is baked at the manufacturing unit of Auto Express located in Bapuji Nagar. The chicken sausages are flown down from Bangalore; where other Auto Express units are located as well.

They focus mainly on non-vegetarian concepts, but they have incorporated vegetarian concepts into their menu as well. They also have sides like ‘French Fries’ and ‘Mozzarella Sticks’. Their preparation is hygienic, and they make use of gloves through the entire process. The staff is friendly and will make sure that you are satisfied and alter your order according to your needs.

Address: Outside San Marina Building, Next to St. Andrew’s School, Marredpally, Hyderabad.

Phone number: 96429 75000

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