From cafes to Upscale Bars — Hyderabad hosts a lot of awesomeness in the gamut of food. From amazing ambiance and an experience to relish, every place is upping its social media game in the post-pandemic times. Nowadays, being insta-worthy is a prerequisite for any food joint. Falling under the category is the uber-chic & alfresco setup with a touch of the ancient city albeit in a modern manner, Babylon Bar & Kitchen - a pleasant addition to the resto-bar scene of Hyderabad. Babylon is just the place, perhaps just to unwind after a hectic workday. Nestled in the bustling lanes of Jubilee Hills Road No. 10, Babylon serves a wide range of cuisines, including North Indian, Turkish, and bar food complimented with an exquisite range of beverages. The Bar menu boasts rare and appealing whiskeys and craft cocktails, along with other poisons of your choice. Inspired by the concept of layers and tiers of Babylon, most of the space has been kept open and is visible from the outside. With multiple crafted lights and a lot of greenery around, this place will surely transport you to the long-lost city. The walls also feature a hand-crafted texture, which was a popular feature of that era, along with the bar centrally located in the entire space.
We started off with a refreshing Natural Ginseng that had notes of strawberry and cranberry with a hint of fresh basil & lemon — a very unique blend of flavors to start with. From the exhaustive menu, we sampled in BBQ Chicken Pizza, the freshness of a hand-tossed pizza dough complimented with pizza sauce & chicken chunks, makes you go for more. Next up, Grilled Prawns Chilli Orange - a sweet & tangy take on fresh prawns, went well for the palate. Black Garlic Chicken had meat chunks charred in a charcoal marinade with raw garlic complimented with tzatziki dip, which needs to be improved on the marinade. Jackfruit Kulchetta - a new take on Kulcha wherein tandoori bread stuffed with a spicy mix of jackfruit, tomato & onions, only if one wants to explore on new food option. The star of the show was Assorted Non-veg Mezze Platter with all the classic elements, with colorful pita bread, salad & dips of all variants one can ask for, adding extra texture. This can easily serve 4-5 persons considering the various meat preparations being offered to the diners. Winding off on a sweet note, we had a Rocher Chocolate Mousse & Tiramisu pullover - one of the better ones I've come across in recent times in the city. If you are looking for a place that gives a vibe to chill with your squad or create a perfect date night with your boo, Babylon Bar & Kitchen should be...
Read moreI am writing this review to express my profound disappointment with Babylon Kitchen. Despite making a reservation in advanced, I was shockingly denied service, which left me feeling frustrated and utterly dissatisfied with their level of professionalism and customer service.
Having heard rave reviews about Babylon, I was looking forward to a delightful dining experience and had high expectations based on the restaurant's reputation. However, my excitement quickly turned into frustration when I arrived at the scheduled time, only to be informed that they could not accommodate me despite my reservation.
The complete disregard for my advanced reservation was not only inconvenient but also reflected poorly on Babylon Kitchen's commitment to customer satisfaction. I had put my trust in their reservation system and had even calls and text to support. We were expected to be seated as agreed upon. However, it was disheartening to see that my reservation was dismissed without any valid explanation or attempt to find a solution. In addition, the restaurant ACTIVELY did not return the phone call when some members of my party went ahead saying "don't pick up that call", proceeding to call back as we all left.
To add insult to injury, the staff's response to my situation was dismissive and unapologetic. There was no empathy shown towards the inconvenience caused or any effort made to rectify the situation. As a customer, I felt disregarded and disrespected, with no acknowledgement of the time and effort I had put into planning my visit.
The denial of service despite an advanced reservation not only wasted my time but also tarnished the image of Babylon in my eyes. This incident highlights a serious flaw in their reservation management system and raises questions about their commitment to honoring customer reservations.
I would caution others who may be considering dining at Babylon Kitchen to be wary. The lack of reliability and the indifferent attitude displayed by the staff towards customers' reservations is disappointing, to say the least. I strongly advise exploring alternative dining options to avoid the disappointment and frustration I experienced.
My experience was nothing short of a letdown. Denying service despite an advanced reservation indicates a severe lapse in professionalism and customer care. As a dissatisfied customer, I cannot recommend Babylon Kitchen to others seeking a reliable and customer-oriented...
Read moreI rate a place according to every aspect of F & B, and this place - Babylon is ideally located in a very prime area of jubilee and that’s an up, now - we had booked a table for my brother’s birthday prior to a day and as it was for lunch on a weekday, it was easy to get a good table.
As I entered, my family was already in a mood as it was very sunny and the service team were really not helpful in finding us a shady place , so I found a nook which had less amount of music blaring.
So finally happy and we are waiting to order, service team nor does the kitchen team seem to be trained good enough to churn orders in a streamlined way.
The place is huge and has outdoor & indoor seating, and the lush greenery and high ceilings enhance the nuances.
Now let’s talk about food & drinks
The brewery is still not functional, so we ordered for bottled beers & sodas . strawberry & hibiscus lemonade, which were actually good and soothing but I felt it was overpriced as they were just lemonades and not concoctions.
The Vegetarian platter was impressively good - it had veg galouti kebabs, malai broccoli, Stuffed cottage cheese chargrilled, stuffed mushrooms , Dahi kebabs and the dips & sauce were also great.
The garlic prawns were really good but the portions are actually like tapas plating which is again I feel a little overpriced for the delayed service .
The chicken tikka was good, the flavours were balanced
The cream cheese veg dim sums were really yummy but they dint serve good sauces along.
Their signature flaming platter was good, the quality of meat is nice and it was served in a quirky way.
The Turkish dips & bread was awful and nothing was good about it .
The chicken tikka masala tasted good but too much oil .
The chicken biryani is alright, palatable but dint not really impress.
The prawn thai curry & jasmine rice was good but the consistency of the curry could be thicker.
The hot & sour chicken soup was served hot & it was tasty but the bowl was stained 🤔
The veg burnt garlic rice had too many veggies which were so chunky but it tasted alright.
The owner Mr.Anil was very cordial & courteous enough to have a chat and even paid heed to our critics and suggestions.
I would go back to this place for the vibe and the food but service team needs...
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