Pista House Uppal — Restaurant in Hyderabad

I am Capt Ajay Vanamali. I patronised this promising eatery with a lot of anticipation on 29th Sept '24 with Vidya my wife for lunch. since it was a sunday, we expected a bit of wait time, and we had to wait for about 20 minutes before we were escorted to our table. the ambience was pleasant enough, the waiting area can do with a little more thought put into it. we were attended by Mr Toushif, who advised us to order Special Muttun biryani, which is the signature dish of this eatery. So far we were having a decent enough experience, and from this point onwards, it went downhill rather steadily. Biryani which arrived about 15 minutes later, was luke warm, barely. When the biryani was being served we were only being served rice, out of curiosity, I asked the waiter to show me how many mutton pieces were in the dish. He took out about 4 to 5 pieces and was trying to hunt for more which were not there. i politely asked him to get me a properly portioned biryani. I asked Mr Taushif to ensure the same. After another 30 minutes, we were given the same biryani, now completely cold, but with couple of more mutton pieces thrown in. By this time we were extremely hungry with all the waiting, and did not have the patience to send it back again. We ate our cold Biryani, which was served with a marked indifference and total lack of hospitality. After we finished our meal, I asked for a feed back form so that I can suggest how their service can be improved. At this point of time, Mr Toushif got agitated and called Mr Sahu, who seems to the manager/supervisor for the floor. I explained my position to this gentlemen and conveyed my displeasure with their service. They offered some dessert/ mocktail/ some thing to compensate their incompetent service, whic I declined. I paid the bill which was presented to me and wished for them to improve their standard of service and quality, if they wish to remain a successful eatery. it is not suffecient if the name they made in their 30 years of business, if their food quality and service do not match their goodwill. I sincerely hope they improve...

A Disappointing Dining Experience at Pista House, Uppal

Pista House in Uppal is known for its reputation, but unfortunately, my recent visit left much to be desired. While the token system for table allocation is efficient—especially since we were just two people and got seated quickly—the rest of the experience fell far short of expectations.

We ordered Chicken Biryani, Veg Biryani, Chicken 65, and Veg Manchuria, and while the portions of the biryanis were generous, the overall quality of the food and service was disappointing.

The Chicken Biryani had decent chicken pieces, and one portion was sufficient for two people when paired with a starter. However, the Veg Biryani was underwhelming—it wasn’t served hot and lacked flavor, making it a poor choice. The Chicken 65 was coated heavily in flour, with artificial colors that made it unappealing, and the taste was far from satisfactory. The Veg Manchuria was passable but nothing remarkable.

The biggest letdown was the service. The staff brought out our starter without providing spoons or forks, leaving us to wait and repeatedly ask for basic essentials. This inattentive behavior extended to all the dishes we ordered. It was evident that their focus was primarily on large groups, and smaller parties or customers ordering vegetarian options seemed to receive minimal attention.

When we inquired about soups, we were told it would take an additional 20 minutes—on top of the already delayed service. For a restaurant of this reputation, such sluggish service and lack of attentiveness are unacceptable.

The ambiance was another disappointment—neither impressive nor inviting. It lacked the charm or comfort expected from a reputed restaurant like Pista House.

Overall, this visit was far from enjoyable. If the management focused on improving service quality, reducing artificial additives in their dishes, and paying equal attention to all customers, it could make for a much better experience. Until then, I would suggest exploring other nearby options for a more...

Disappointed with Pista House Mandi - Poor Portion Control and Overpricing

As someone who appreciates authentic Arabian mandi, my recent visit to Pista House left me feeling cheated and unsatisfied.

The Problem: Ordered their mandi rice box expecting the traditional generous serving of fragrant basmati rice that makes mandi special. Instead, I received a container with drastically reduced rice quantity and just one small piece of chicken thrown in - clearly an attempt to justify charging higher prices.

What’s Wrong: The rice portion was laughably small for a mandi dish. Anyone familiar with authentic mandi knows it’s supposed to be rice-heavy with perfectly spiced, tender meat. Here, the rice barely covered the bottom of the container, and the single chicken piece was dry and lacked the smoky flavor that good mandi chicken should have.

Authenticity Issues: This isn’t mandi - it’s overpriced flavored rice with a token piece of meat. Real mandi rice is aromatic, has that distinctive taste from the traditional cooking method, and comes in satisfying portions. What I got was ordinary spiced rice that could pass for any generic biryani rice.

Value Disaster: Paying premium mandi prices for this portion size is highway robbery. You can get better quantity and quality at local Arabian restaurants or even other biryani places for much less money.

My Recommendation: Pista House needs to understand that mandi lovers know what authentic mandi looks like and tastes like. Either serve proper portions at fair prices, or stop calling it mandi altogether. The current offering insults both the dish and the customers.

Final Verdict: Skip this unless they fix their portion sizes and pricing. Your money is better spent elsewhere until Pista House remembers what real mandi service means.

Will I return? Not unless they seriously reconsider their current approach to mandi preparation and...