Everyone thinks that Hyderabad has scores of outlets that serve the best biryani or other traditional dishes the city has to offer, but if you ask a proper Hyderabadi about the absolute best, then you might get a sheepish answer that goes something like, “Oh that place used to be very good, but now the only place to get good biryani is at home or a wedding”. Truer words could not have been spoken.
As much as I love my city, the truth is that Hyderabad today has barely a handful of restaurants where we can find everything we like, under one roof. Either the biryani has become spicy in most places, or the unhygienic conditions make me want to run out of restaurants. I remember one of my favourite places being very nonchalant about rats, and that just left me wondering about all the times I ate there.
I can name one or two places for good Biryani, Pathar Ka Gosht, Kebabs or Marag at different places. At this point I just have maybe 7 or 8 outlets I recommend people/travellers to.
Those issues apart, we also have to understand that Hyderabad will always be pitted against other cities. Our city will always be known for its food – for its biryani and haleem, its street-side kebabs and sweet-as-history sheermal. But ask around and you’ll still hear Delhi or Bombay being held up as the cities with ‘better’ dining.
Why? Because we’ve grown complacent. Most restaurants here might have one great dish. The rest? Bland, repetitive, safe. Flavour has become a footnote. That’s why we decided to finally do something about it. And through Pazirai is how we change that.
We aren’t here to open a restaurant. We’re here to reopen a memory and to reinstate our culture of hosting mehfils – where food meets art and culture. A tradition. One of mehman nawazi—that old-world Hyderabadi art of feeding people with both hands, of flavour being a mark of respect. Of sitting down to eat, not scrolling while eating.
Pazirai – Where Hyderabad meets Lucknow
With Pazirai, we’re hosting a dinner that unites the hidden with the remembered. We’re bringing Hyderabadi and Lucknowi food back to the same dastarkhwan—not to compete, but to show how deeply intertwined they’ve always been. Both steeped in Persian roots, courtly nuances, and home-cooked warmth.
This isn’t just about food. It’s about preserving the stories that come with it. The families who’ve held on to age-old recipes in silence, waiting to be seen. And the homes that still hold on to the rituals of hosting, not just serving. Through The Hyderabad History Project, we have been doing our best to save our heritage. Through our efforts we have found spaces seeped in history, and this is also a call to everyone to trust us in helping preserving these stories.
Pazirai is also another way of exploring Hyderabad without going to overhyped commercial places. Between myself—who’s earned this city’s trust by listening—and Samiya, who’s helped build its finest dining rooms—Pazirai is an offering. A seat at the table. A reminder that Hyderabad doesn’t need to catch up. It just needs to remember.
A glimpse of our first Pazirai in Hyderabad
