Garden Restaurant — Restaurant in Hyderabad

One of fav restaurants for lunch & late night dinners and adda for tea & snacks. Been going there every other day since 1987 until I move overseas in 2000. I make it a point to visit it whenever I am in the city. My dad used to be a regular customer since 1960s. I love their unique tea, Osmania biscuits and Irani samosas. Used to be my usual fare on weekends after playing cricket at the Parade Grounds back in the 1980s. My huge list of fav dishes are Mix Veg Curry, Fish Masala, Mutton Moghalai, Dum Ka Chicken, Chicken Chatpata, Ginger Chicken, Garden Spl Chicken Curry, Chicken Majestic, Pepper Chicken and all Chicken items from their tandoor. Like many other regular customers of Garden, I too agree that their quality and at times quantity have come down over the years yet the unique taste and the old charm of this restaurant attracts me every time. While seated at the table waiting for my orders to be fulfilled, I get lost in my thoughts of nostalgia looking at the surroundings. Their chai-snack restaurant is reduced to a small bakery like counter, their AC restaurant is reduced to a 20 seater non-AC eatery and their family section diner is non-functional. Even outside the original building has lost its shape, structure and charm as major part of the building demolished due to road expansion for Hyderabad Metro. Nevertheless, I made a promise to myself that I will always go there whenever I'm in the city and will continue to relish their dishes until they close...

Okie Let me start... ( this about the restaurant and not cafe)

Location - At the clock tower just towards the Yashoda Hospital Best Thing - Biryani and Smile. I am a Biryani lover and tasted it in all the states in south India. So this one is close to a good in Hyderabadi style, flavourful. Other food is good too, I mean the gravies which you get here. Rotis are big (read huge) and portion size is good for two and half, just the way it is in this part of the country.

NSG (Not So Good) - The Ambience and Decor... There is practically nothing by those names here... ( Rating -1) Except for the AC ( Air Cooled, as they mentioned on the big Hoarding outside) its not a place you take your family. Staff - Well one look at the person serving you and you don't want to look again at-least at the uniform (yes there is one, with waist coat), but it has all the darker shades you know and don't know of. For the health freaks, Rotis are made of ref. flour (maida) and may not be good idea. Sum.- Order only half of what you and your friends order generally and enjoy...

THIS IRANI HOTEL IS VERY OLD ONE I WAS REGULAR IN MY CHILDHOOD DAYS SAY FROM 1978 THEY ALSO HAD A LODGE NEARBY, GARDEN LODGE THEY ALSO HAD GARDEN AIR COOLED SECTION NEXT MULGI IT WAS A FAMOUS PLACE AND THE AREA WAS ALSO CALLED GARDEN CHOWRASHTRA TEA WAS VERY FAMOUS , ANOTHER VARIETY TEA WAS PAUNA MILKY MORE SMALL SAMOSA WAS VERY FAMOUS OTHER ITEMS LIKE TIE BISCUITS, KHARA BISCUITS, MASKA BUN, PASTRIES WERE EQUALLY FAMOUS, NOT TO FORGET ALU LUKHMI, CAKES JAPAN PASTRY IN DINING & UPPER SECTION BIRYANIS, ROTIS, CURRIES WERE SERVED THE TANDOORI ROTI WAS VERY FAMOUS IN ITS SIZE IN AIR COOLED SECTION DAL FRY WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER HOTELS VEG. FRIED RICE, ALU MUTTER, PALAK ITEMS WERE FAMOUS THEY SERVED ONIONS IN VINEGAR , NO OTHER HOTEL SERVED AT THAT TIME WHICH WAS VERY TASTY BUT NOW IT IS A PAST STORY STILL THE OUTLET HAS BECOME VERY SMALL & THE AIR COOLED SECTION IS THERE AT THAT TIME THE KITCHEN WAS VERY BIG WITH VERY AMPLE OPEN PLACE INCLUDING FOR AIR COOLED SECTION ALSO I WILL TRY AGAIN TO SEE THE ITEMS HOW THEY ARE TO REMEMBER MY...