HYDERABADI ZAIQA — Restaurant in New York

A Flavor Explosion I'll Gladly Risk My Waistline For

If food could give hugs, this restaurant would be my therapist.

Let's start with the ambiance: Vibrant colors, open tables, and plenty of room so you're not elbow-deep in someone else's garlic naan. The staff? Friendly, fast, and somehow always smiling-even when I ask 47 questions about the spice level.

Now, let's talk food. This place is a flavor-packed, spice-layered, tender-meat dreamland.

Chicken MANCHOW Soup - A warm, spicy hug in a bowl. Just the right kick, without blowing out your taste buds.
It's soul food for your actual soul.

BUTTER CHICKEN - Where have you been all my life? The chicken is so tender it practically whispers "thank you" when you eat it. The creamy, savory sauce is what l imagine clouds taste like in heaven.

Garlic Naan - Butter. Garlic. Fluffy bread. Honestly, if loving this is wrong, I don't want to be right. Bonus tip: scoop up the butter chicken with this bad boy and suddenly your day is 200% better.

Hyderabadi Goat Dum Biryani - The goat was tender and aromatic with those subtle hits of cinnamon and cloves. Not greasy, not fatty-just perfectly cooked and rich with flavor. The kind of dish you want to gatekeep but can't, because it deserves praise.

Chicken Dum Biryani - Medium spice, max flavor. Chicken was tender and juicy, like it was marinated in love and slow-cooked by angels. Chicken Dum Biryani - Medium spice, max flavor. Chicken was tender and juicy, like it was marinated in love and slow-cooked by angels.

HZ Special Fried Rice - First time trying it and wow-what a sleeper hit. It was not dry (we've all been there). It was moist, packed with flavor, and honestly? I might dream about it tonight.

Consistently delicious, never misses. Orders are always accurate (a modern miracle), and the service makes you feel like you're dining with friends. This is hands-down one of my favorite Indian restaurants in NYC.

If you're craving authentic Indian food packed with flavor, this is the place. Save yourself the trial-and-error of other spots and just come here. You'll leave full, happy, and already planning...

PROs - food taste, service , quantity , location CONs- tables too close (no privacy) , hotel is not spottable easily .

First timer.. great location. Right in the heart of Lexington Avenue . Let me start with cons , tables are tooooo close to each other . It is noisy and you could hear everything the next bencher talks . And this restaurant is not spottable easily. You can just pass through it without even noticing it . Wish they had bigger / visible signs outside ..

I still gave it a 5 star though and it deserves the rating. When I looked at 4.8 star in Google I surely wanted to taste it . Nice interiors depicting Hyderabad and its beauty. Lots of tables inside and there was also another floor on top . Service was very vey good. The girl was very polite and was able to get orders soon. They also gave a free Irani chai, which was super duper good . Tasted really awesome and the taste of chai was in the tongue for an hour :)

Ordered biryani . They had many Andhra style biryani - like gongura etc.. but I went for chicken tikka biryani and it was top class ! Superb flavor and nice spice . Not too spicy but it was hitting it well. Raitha was less but they refilled it . The quantity was also really good . Was tough finishing it but somehow managed to finish . Wish they gave salna for biryani …. And to finish the double ka meeta eas exceptional . Took it home and it stayed good. Overall I was impressed with their food.. I’ll surely go back and try...

Walking we didn’t have a reservation but were able to get seated - it was a very rainy day so we got a little bit lucky. It always looks packed when we walk by. We ordered some chicken lollipops, samosas and dum murgh. The chicken lollipops were absolutely fantastic they had a lot of flavor were very soft and just absolutely delicious. The samosas were also very delicious not as flavorful as the rest of the dishes but good. The dum murgh was absolutely delicious packed with lots of flavor, very creamy, and the chicken was delicious and super soft. We also got the butter naan which was very soft and crispy and light perfect pairing to the meal. Lastly we finished the meal with mango lassi which was thick creamy and flavorful. Overall would Definitly recommend trying this. The place is known for its biryani - we didn’t get to try it this time - but we will Definitely be coming back to try it. The atmosphere could definitely be a bit more warm - the place was very clean - but gave a bit of a cold industrial feeling, maybe due to the high ceilings. Would love if this place had a more warmer darker for deal - at least for dinner. It’s not a date place but great for trying Indian cuisine or even bigger parties. They have a wide variety for evryone to try.

Overall would definitely suggest to try this place. The food does speak for itself - super delightful, flavor filled, and...