Hyderabad Biryani and More — Restaurant in Tennessee

I've tried Indian food all across the country. From New York City to L.A.. I've also spent over a week in New Delhi, India and was tied to Indian food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In saying that, I am by no means an expert on Indian food. It's not because I don't like it, or have not experience with it...I just find it entirely to spicy. It often has a tendency to upset my stomach, also. So, why do I keep trying it? My Wife loves it. Thus, it's become one of those things she loves and I keep trying 'to love' over and over again. Perhaps, someday hoping I'll find that one Indian Restaurant that sets off that 'food lover's light bulb' in my brain. The service wasn't bad...it was just kind of non-existent. I personally found it rather cold and not inviting. This could be because of lack of service and/or the seemingly cold demeanor of the staff. I tell you what...even if you take a table and a bare, blank square room that's void of any character, or esthetics...if you have a great waiter...who's inviting...it can turn that cold dark square room into a place to relax with friends and/or a loved on to have a romantic dinner. In the Hyderabad 'House' I did not feel welcomed, and I know this sounds crazy but I actually felt that I was being 'looked down upon' if, and when, I appeared to not like a certain dish I was trying. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but at the end of the day...you feel the way you feel. As for a critique of the food, I really can't have much of an opinion about it. Everything I tried, and I mean 'everything' I tried, was just to spicy. (And we tried many, many dishes.) So who can I turn to that has a good and viable opinion in regards to taste and quality of Memphis Indian Fair? My Wife. She 'loves' Indian food, and she loves a spicy eclectic menu. She's also a very 'open minded' connoisseur of all dinning and is well traveled. Her overall impression, of the Hyderabad House, was 'average'. Not bad. Not good. Just overall not anything to write home about. So, keeping in mind the following variables: average food, non-existent service and a cold, non-inviting atmosphere (not coming here with colleagues to wind down after work and/or taking my Wife on a festive 'romantic' dinner). I'd suggest the following to any food adventures out there...next time you're looking for an Indian establishment to flip on that 'food lover's light bulb'...try searching the rest of the Memphis Area before going to the Hyderabad House. They may have the bulb, but they don't...

Update: Restaurant reached out to me to try again.. This time the service was much better and also loved the different varieties in their food.. The only thing they can improve is having the buffet food on food warmers so it doesn’t get cold. But the efforts in making the experience right is definitely commendable and appreciated.

Had buffet on an Easter Sunday yesterday.. Pros: All the pakoras, vada, bajjis and masala chicken wings were yummy. My mom said she liked her fish fry which I didn’t try and she got herself another serving. Andhra chicken curry, goat curry and ginger chicken fry had very good taste and flavor. Goat biryani was good but the chicken pulao, veg biryani and jeera rice were ok.. Double ka meetha was ok My mom loved her chai at the end.

Cons: There’s only ONE waitress for the entire restaurant for a busy Easter Sunday weekend. When we went for our lunch, the restaurant wasn’t even that busy and yet she never once came to check on us.. Every time I had to leave my table to get her attention for having water refilled or remove our used plates… Later a group of 5-6 young Telugu speaking guys came who appeared to be her friends and she only behaved like she’s their exclusive waitress and ignored the entire restaurant customers… Over all service was terrible Gongura shrimp hardly had any gongura in it with zero tangyness to it per my family. There was no dosa to the table brought to us nor samosa chat as previously advertised but while leaving we noticed some people having dosa offered to them. The food was COLD.. Never ate a buffet with this kinda cold food.. Even though all the items were placed in those hot water trays, they didn’t have the burners underneath to keep the food warm.. The food that was being replaced as they were getting empty was lukewarm at the best… Couldn’t appreciate some of the flavors purely because of cold temperature of the food..

Probably good to try once.. Not sure I would like to go again here.. All we ate was...

Ordered food from their website. When I arrived at the pick up time that was texted and emailed to me, I was rudely told 'Don't order online next time'. No mention of being apologetic for falsely advertising online ordering with the link listed on Google Maps (or desire to give a refund for the order already paid online via credit card). They told me to wait 10 minutes for my order, and after giving them 15 minutes, they yelled at me to wait another 10 more minutes as I opened the door from the parking lot. When I walk back in again 10 minutes later, the woman behind the counter forgot my order stating 'Oh, I thought you already picked it up and left'.

The food is half the portions and twice the price than what you would find for better quality Indian food in NYC, LA, or Philadelphia (even during the Pandemic and with inflation, just moved to the area from a major US city).

And to pre-empt any reply to contradict me: You provided one container of sambar for 3 orders that should have had sambar for each. In your 'native', they would give a large balti of sambar for even a single idli. Worst of all, you charged me $15 for the chili chicken (pictured: unopen, original condensation from my 28 minute drive back home). Assuming all the weight (12.86 oz) is quality boneless, skinless chicken breast (which it isnt, it's the container, masala, and vegetables), your cost of the chicken itself is only $2.62 (if taking $3.26/lb national average). Are you seriously saying your cost of labor, masala, vegetables, and the container are worth $12.38?!?! There is a word for you: 'CHOR'. $77.92 of 4-5 star Indian food in a top 10 major US city would've fed two people for 3-4 days, not a single meal only.

Absolutely ridiculous experience. Never...