Hyderabad House — Restaurant in Irving

I’ve been a regular at Nawabi Hyderabad House in Irving for years now, and their Veg Kheema Biryani has always been my go-to. The flavor, aroma, and overall quality have consistently been top-notch — I’ve recommended it to so many friends and family over the years.

That’s why I was really disappointed with a recent experience, especially when it came to ordering online and the phone support I received.

I was about to order the Family Pack Biryani Combo, which is still listed on their website (through the eDining platform). It clearly mentions it includes an appetizer, curry, naan, raita, and salan. But when I called the restaurant just to confirm, the person on the phone abruptly said, “No, we do not have that. We never had that.” It completely contradicted what’s on the website, and the tone felt dismissive. I wasn’t expecting that — just a polite explanation would’ve been enough.

I get that the site is run by a third-party platform and maybe isn’t updated regularly. But from a customer point of view, if something is being advertised, it should either be honored or clearly explained. A legal disclaimer hidden somewhere on the site doesn’t really help when people are just trying to figure out what’s actually available.

Also, I originally wanted to order the Veg Kheema Biryani, but it was out of stock. So I switched to the Masakali Paneer Biryani – Large Bucket instead. When I tried asking what the difference was between the Mini Bucket, Large Bucket, and Family Pack — in terms of quantity, price, or packaging — all I was told was “serves 2–3 people.” No details, no clarification. It felt rushed, like they just wanted to end the call.

While placing the order, I also asked about the appetizer, and the response I got was, “It’s chef’s choice.” I said okay. But when I went to pick up the order, I asked again just to confirm what the appetizer was — and specifically asked, “Please make sure it’s not mushroom — I’m allergic to mushrooms.” She just repeated “It’s chef’s choice” and didn’t make any effort to go and check with the kitchen.

Now, I understand the chef decides in advance what appetizer is being served for the combo — it’s not like they’re making a new decision on the spot. So it would’ve taken just a minute to go and confirm what the appetizer was. Especially when someone clearly says they have a food allergy, I think it’s basic hospitality to take it seriously. She still had the opportunity to double-check with the chef before handing over the food — and that’s all I was asking.

I do understand it was around 11:25 PM on a Thursday, and I can only imagine how busy the team must be. Still, I believe a little patience and clearer communication go a long way, even during peak hours. In the past, some of the staff have been really friendly and helpful — but lately, I’ve noticed more rushed or indifferent responses. A few friends of mine also mentioned having similar experiences when calling late at night.

To be clear, I’m not criticizing the food at all — it’s still amazing. I’ll definitely keep coming back for the biryani I love. But I really hope the management takes a moment to update the online menu, provide clearer portion info for the bucket items, and maybe give the staff a quick reminder about customer communication. And above all, please take allergy concerns seriously. Just a little more effort in these areas would make a huge difference.

Food: 5 stars Call support: 1 star Dine-in/pickup support: 3.5...

Our recent visit to this restaurant was incredibly disappointing. We ordered fresh garlic naans with thin crust, chicken curry, bullet naans, paneer butter masala, and also wanted prawn fry, which was recommended as the loose prawn fry.

The naans, supposed to be thin crust, turned out thick, soft and squishy. The prawns were undercooked, hard and poorly cleaned, with the vein still inside, making them taste awful. When we complained, the server assured us she would bring freshly made prawns and discard the old ones. However, she returned in a few minutes with the same quantity and box, clearly just refried. We complained again and she suggested an alternative dish. We chose baby corn Manchurian, which was drowned in soy sauce and ketchup, making it the worst dish we've ever had.

The bullet naans were better than the garlic naans, but a few were overburnt and difficult to tear and chew. The chicken curry, though decent, had very few pieces for the price. The paneer butter masala seemed watered down to stretch one order.

We ended up with many naans left over. We decided to order malai kofta curry to use up some naans, but it turned out the koftas were burnt and had a burnt plastic smell.

When we complained, a member of the kitchen staff came out with an attitude, questioning what was wrong with the food and insisting everything served was the best. When we brought up the prawns, he claimed the server had asked for them to be refried more, which was why they refried (same returned box) and were returned to us unchanged. He asked about the thin crust was good? When we showed him the naan's thick texture instead of the promised thin crust, he had nothing to say. The front desk employee then mentioned their main chef had recently changed and was facing some issues, although we later found out the same chef had been with them for a long time and may have been off that day.

We were offered other dishes, but after such a disappointing experience, we didn't want to sit and waste any more time. My cousins, friends and I have decided never to visit this...

I am still a relative newbie to Indian food. While I can easily order on-menu in Thai and Chinese places, I still need guard rails when not comes to Indian cuisine. I hope to get over that soon. I was most pleased to find Hyderabad House Irving only a couple hundred feet from my hotel, a discovery I made while on my afternoon walk. Incredible aromas were wafting over the parking lot and sidewalk, and I knew then that this would be dinner, even on Christmas evening. There is a wide variety of food from which to choose, and biryani is the specialty. Biryani is a mixed rice dish that is combined with meat and spices, or, in the case of vegetarians, with vegetables. Instead, I went with Gutthi Vankaya Curry, a delightfully hot entree with eggplant served over basmati rice.

A steady stream of customers flowed through while I was there, and both times I passed it on my walk, I noticed customers coming in and out. I noticed the vast majority of orders were for takeaway, so while it did not look all that busy on the inside (and hence my expectation that my order would not take long), it turns out there were many others ahead of me in the line. Hyderabad House Irving is technically a fast-casual restaurant…not quite fast food, not quite a true sit-down. Digital menu boards push promotions, which on my visit focused on party packs for New Years Eve. My meal was excellent, and if you are willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone, it will not disappoint. And if you are an old pro with Indian food, you’ll love this place. I took a look around. I was the only Anglo, in which I took great comfort. That told me this place is really good. The...