There is variety of choices in Punjabi dishes for Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians. Vegetarians can relish dishes like Aloo Matar, Palak Paneer, Paneer Kababs, Matar Panner, Malai Kofta, Punjabi Kadhi, Dal Makhani etc. For those liking non-vegetarian dishes there is delicious Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Makhani, Chicken Kofta etc. Lastly, a perfect way to end a meal at a Punjabi restaurant is with a Lassi or Chhach (butter milk).

Punjabi restaurants in Hyderabad:
There are many Punjabi restaurants in Hyderabad. Some of the popular ones are:

Jeet’s Kitchen: Located opposite MacDonald in Kharkhana area, one can get the feel of authentic Punjabi culture in this restaurant. It has been one of the oldest restaurants from Kharkhana area. It has been able to thrive for several years as many Armed forces people living and settled in Hyderabad are closeby.

Sagar Papaji Ka Dhaba: Located at Hanuman Tekdi in Abids, this dhaba is also one of the oldest Punjabi Dhaba’s in town and still maintains excellent taste despite many decades of serving patrons. The place is neat but nothing fancy is there. It has a separate section for families. They serve dishes for all types of middle class. This is not a fine restaurant, but a great restaurant when you crave for authentic Punjabi style cooking. There is limited parking in front of the store. Although it’s not a fancy place, but one can get a great taste of food whenever visited. The Dhaba can be reached after taking first left after Big Bazaar Abids while proceeding towards Koti.

Mohini’s Restaurant: It is one of the landmark eating places in Basheerbagh and remains a very crowded place in working days for lunch. However, there is very less rush in the evenings and it is suitable time to visit with family. Parking is also not a problem as it has abundant on-street parking. Ever since the Basheerbagh flyover is in place, very few vehicles come below anyway. They have recently revamped and still revamping the restaurant. One can also enjoy good meals with family due to a recently added swank family section. The restaurant’s ‘Zafrani Biryani’ is the favorite delicacy for some people. Other standard Punjabi items like pepper chicken, ginger chicken, jeera rice, chicken 65 are also good. This is not a fine restaurant, but is a great restaurant where the waiters make you feel welcome.

Degchee: Located at Habsiguda / Tarnaka area, it is one of the oldest restaurants in the area that has been serving consistently good authentic Punjabi food for decades. If one is lucky (in season), he can even get Sarsoon ka Saag and Makke ki roti over here. This is a non-fancy place and one can experience a great food which is inexpensive. One can find a decent parking on-street in front of the restaurant.

Desh Punjabi Dhaba: This is a very small take out place opposite the old Hyderabad Stock Exchange building. What is great about this place is its low prices and great tasting ‘Kalmi Kabab’. If there is a contest for Kababs in Hyderabad City, the ‘Kalmi Kabab’ from Desh Punjabi would be among the top 3 winners. It is worth the effort of ordering only this one item from here, even if one has to get the rest of items from else where. The best part is that it is priced very affordably at about Rs.100/- or so for 4 pieces.

Reshmi Dhaba: It is another old restaurant tucked away on the first floor on Park Lane diagonally opposite Hiking Restaurant (another good Chinese restaurant). The ambience is good and the food is consistently good. This place can be visited when one is looking for a good Punjabi Cuisine in the Secunderabad / Paradise area. There is a place for on-street parking. However, finding parking on this street is a little tricky.

Hyderabad being a cosmopolitan city, you can get snacks famous in other regions of the country also. Wada Pav, Kutchi Dabeli and Sandwiches are famous here. Meshed potato and besan along with suitable spices is fried and sandwiched into a bun to make Wada Pav. Kutchi Dabeli, which is very rare even in Mumbai or Pune, is available here. In Kutchi Dabeli, a thick sweet and salty curry is sandwiched into a bun and roasted. Even if you are having this kind of snacks for the first time, you will relish this food. The items available here are a bit spicy, as Hyderabadies may prefer to the original one. You can also have other regular items such as Pizzas, Burgers and ice creams.

They provide clean drinking water but we recommend you to purchase packaged drinking water. Washrooms are not provided but a hand wash is available outside.

There is some 20 feet open place in front of this joint where more than 20 persons can sit under the cool shadows of trees. More than 10 people can sit inside. We recommend you to sit inside, as pollution outside is heavy these days.

Environment is hygienic, and food is prepared in a clean environment. Service is quick and courteous. They serve food in good quality disposable plates. Overall we can say that the quality of maintenance is good.

There is some reasonable space on the road where you can park your vehicles without disturbing the traffic flow. This eatery remains open from 2:30 in the afternoon till 10:30 in the night.

If you want to taste Masala Pav, which is just like a Wada Pav but more spicier, you can find this unique item at Mayur Juice and Ice cream center next to it. In case, you go with someone who wants to have Paani Puri, Pav Bhaji, Aaloo toast or even pan, then again next to it is Mayur Pan Plaza offering these delicacies. There is a lot of space to sit and it can be regarded as a good hangout place but not world famous.

Though the size of the eatery is very small, it is far better than many big ones in Hyderabad in terms of quality and hygiene. Mirchies and Aloo Bondas with chutney and ginger Chudwa are famous here. Along with these, you can also get Palli Pakoda, Onion Pakoda, and Khara. You can also have crispy Cut Mirchi, which is not easily available. Only few pieces are prepared at a time to serve you hot snacks almost at any given time. Quality of maintenance is very good and is one of the reasons for its popularity.

As it is a small one, we cannot expect seating and parking facility. It is located in a very small street, people stand and eat here, and many people prefer to take parcel to home. We also recommend you to take parcel as outside pollution is heavy and we don’t want you to take chances.

The courtesy of the owner is also worth mentioning as he has the same friendly gesture towards customers who buy items worth Rs.500 or even Rs.5. He is very much concerned about the consequences of the plastic, so he packs all the parcels in paper covers only. He is also very particular about the timings as it opens exactly at 3:30 pm and closes at 9:30 pm. Sunday is closed.

• Live music
• Over looks the lake (Hussain Sagar also called Tankbund)
• Nice area – good sidewalk for a leisurely walk
• Food is awesome – multi-cuisine (Indian, Thai, Indian Chinese)
• Ambience is great
• Serves liquor
• Parking is pretty easy to find