Hyderabad House

Once of the things I had in mind for my visit to Chicago was a taste of India on the famous Devon Ave. A couple of Indian friends of mine recommended Hyderabad House and the dhaba/cafe version of it. Being from Hyderabad, the name appealed to me and I had some high expectations. I took a friend of mine from Jefferson city to Devon Ave and I wanted to make sure he had a good experience.
Our experience was so great, I felt compelled to write a review. Yes, it has a little cafe like ambiance. It is not a posh restaurant by any stretch of imagination. But if all you care about is good food in an unpretentious place, this is it. The proprietor was courteous and made some good recommendations. I ended up ordering Mutton Biryani, chicken boti kebab and chicken tangdi kebab. All this for $22! It was easily the best Indian meal I had in this country at a restaurant. The Biryani reminded me of Hyderabad. I loved the way they served it with mirchi ka saalan- the spicy saucy dish and raitha- yoghurt dish to cool it off. And a side of onions, cucumbers and lemon- just like in dhabas in India.  SPICE ALERT: This being authentic Hyderabadi food, it's definitely on the spicy side. Recent immigrants from India would be just fine with it. Americans who like spicy would would love it too. My friend from Jefferson city thought it was the best food he ever had.
The kebabs, tangdi and boti, were tasty, juicy and succulent pieces of chicken, that anyone in the world would love, in my opinion. You cannot go wrong with these. I wish I had known about their chai and kurbani ka meetha. I would have  loved to offer some chai to my American friend just like we do back in Hyderabad.
I am glad this was the place I chose on the busy Devon Ave.

I am regular to this place at least once a week my fav is haleem and goat biriyani. They make a real dum biriyani with right amount of spices, according to indian standards this place is great.  I took of one star because they are not that good listener (some waiters) lol

you know how they say never catch a piranha with your hand even if it looks tasty...
same here, might be tasty but you would have gulped a cup of oil with rice & meat before realizing what hit you...
authentic cooking, decent portions for the price but got to make it a touch more edible. would rather go to Gareeb nawaz for my stomachs sake