Rayudu Gari Military Hotel — Restaurant in Andhra Pradesh

Restaurant Review – 20 September Visit

Hello, my name is Sai. I am a senior hospitality executive working with an ultra-luxury hospitality organization in the USA, and I also serve as an auditor for hospitality standards. Based on my visit today (20 September) for lunch, I must honestly say it was a disappointing experience.

Table Allocation We were asked to wait and our names were noted in the register. However, the hostess did not follow the sequence and instead seated guests who had arrived after us. When questioned, she offered no clear response and chose to argue instead. After some back and forth, we were finally given a sharing table.

Ordering The owner himself took our order and repeated it back to us—an excellent and professional touch. • 1 Vegetarian Thali (for my wife) • 1 mutton Dum Biryani • Prawn Nalla Vepudu • Mutton Dalcha • 1 bottle of water

Service & Food Quality • The Vegetarian Thali was served first. Unfortunately, the papads were soggy and inedible, and the entire Thali was cold. No spoons were provided until we specifically asked, and the papads had to be replaced. • Rice service was delayed by nearly 10 minutes until we reminded staff. • Our Prawn Nalla Vepudu and Mutton Dalcha were mistakenly served to the group of our sharing table. Only later were the dishes retrieved and brought to us—cold, having sat on another table for 10–15 minutes, without checking if they had been touched they served us instead if replacing it. • The Biryani arrived late, without plates or spoons. When I mentioned the food was cold, the server simply smiled, apologized, and carried on—without addressing the concern.

The best part below: Shockingly, the server took spoons from his pocket to serve food—an alarming lapse in hygiene standards that no professional establishment should allow.

Food Evaluation • Biryani: 7/10 (reasonable taste, poorly executed service) • Prawn Nalla Vepudu: 8/10 (flavorful but served cold) • Mutton Dalcha: 5/10 (below expectations, cold, and poorly presented) • Vegetarian Thali: below par due to cold food and quality issues

Overall Experience The restaurant appears to thrive on social media hype, but my experience showed otherwise. While it caters to a large crowd, the quality, service, and hygiene practices fell short of even basic expectations, let alone professional standards.

For me, this was a one-time experience. I would not return, nor recommend it to those who value genuine hospitality and food integrity.

Respectfully, Sai Kumar Sr. Director of Food & Beverage Florida,...

We were on our way from Vijayawada to Kakinada and decided to check out this hyped place we saw on reels — Naidu Gari Military Hotel. From the Rajanagaram turn, it’s around 13 minutes away. Since it was already 3:30 PM and we hadn’t had lunch, we thought of giving it a shot despite seeing some mixed reviews on Google.

🔹 First Impressions: The restaurant is just as grand as shown online — very spacious, with excellent hospitality and plenty of parking space. Though we were a little worried after reading a few recent reviews about undercooked meat, we still went ahead since we were already close.

🔹 What We Ordered: • Apollo Fish – Perfectly cooked and really delicious. • Green Chilli Chicken – Tasty and spicy. It felt like a little food color was used, and fresh mint-coriander paste might’ve made it better, but overall the flavor was still enjoyable. • Chicken Tikka Biryani – The biryani they served more like Chicken Dum Biryani but doesn’t seem like Chicken Tikka. The biryani was well-cooked. The rice and chicken were soft, and it wasn’t heavy on the stomach. The only thing is, Andhra-style biryani lovers might feel it lacks that heavy masala punch — maybe that’s why some people left negative reviews. But for us, it was tasty and comforting.

One highlight we didn’t expect was the sides served with the biryani: • Instead of the usual sherwa or mirchi ka salan, they served a chicken broth — and it was super delicious. When mixed with the biryani, it elevated the whole taste! • And the raita was quite unique. It wasn’t the usual plain curd or buttermilk style — it had a lovely twist! We think they added fried curry leaves powder to the curd, which gave it an amazing flavor. We really liked it a lot.

They don’t have Chitti Muthyalu rice or pulaos on the menu — which is surprising for a place labeled as a military hotel. Also, when we asked for Apricot Pudding sadly it wasn’t available at that time.

🔹 Ambience & Service: Very clean, well-maintained, with fast and friendly service.

✅ Opinion: Don’t plan a special trip only for this restaurant, but if it’s on your way or nearby, it’s definitely worth a visit. Good food, great sides — and not as bad as the recent reviews...

Waiting Time

We reached the restaurant at 1:30 pm but only got our food around 4:00 pm. That’s a two and a half hour wait, which is completely unacceptable. What made it worse is that I was with a heart and sugar patient who even had to announce that he needed food on time, yet nothing was done to help us. It was just the two of us, but still no priority or consideration.

Location

The restaurant is very far from the city. Given the distance, one would expect outstanding food and service to make the long drive worthwhile. Unfortunately, it was the exact opposite.

Starter – Cheesy Chilli Garlic Prawn

We ordered the cheesy chilli garlic prawn as a starter. To be fair, it tasted really good. But even then, it did not justify the long wait and the high price.

Non-Veg Thali

The non-veg thali was the biggest disappointment. The curries were served in such small quantities that it honestly made me laugh. Despite the tiny portions, I still couldn’t finish it because the taste was that bad. The price of the thali was around ₹700–₹800, which is absurd for the quality offered.

For comparison, I’ve had a non-veg thali in the city for about ₹550, and the taste and quality of the curries there were mind-blowing. This place doesn’t even come close.

Food Quality Overall

Apart from the prawns, everything else was below average. The food lacked the richness and freshness you’d expect from a place that charges so much.

The Famous Mutton Biryani

The restaurant is known for its mutton biryani. I didn’t try it myself, but the person in front of us said it wasn’t great at all and mentioned that the same dish is a lot better in the city. Judging by how poor the non-veg thali was, I completely believe that.

Pricing

Almost every dish felt overpriced for what was served. The quality and quantity simply didn’t justify the cost. It felt like paying premium rates for subpar food.

Overall Experience

This was one of the most frustrating dining experiences I’ve had. A long wait, inconvenient location, a patient guest left hungry for hours, overpriced dishes, and poor food quality made it a wasted trip.

Not worth the wait. Not worth the price. Definitely not...