A new wave of Andhra and Telangana dining

The early 2000s saw the opening of The Spicy Venue (central Andhra cuisine) in Hyderabad, which today, has made it to most eat-at lists for dishes like their natu kodi (country chicken curry) with garelu (deep-fried rice flour and lentil fritter), and mamsam iguru (mutton curry).

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Sainma, serving Telangana food, opened in Hyderabad in 2018. Antera Bar and Kitchen, focusing on the Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema cuisines, opened three branches across Hyderabad and one in Bengaluru from 2021-24. Palle Vindhu (Rayalaseema and Telangana) and Telugu Medium (Andhra and Telangana) opened in Hyderabad in 2023. In the same year, Dakshin Udyavan came up in Guwahati, Assam, which has a good representation from all regions of Andhra. Hyderabad also has Istham Kitchen (Rajahmundry, Kakinada and Andhra Coastal cuisines) and Terrāi (Telangana) which opened last year.

“There’s a growing appreciation for regional and micro-cuisines, driven by a shift in consumer preferences towards authenticity and nostalgia. People no longer want generic south Indian food; they want specificity—whether it’s Rayalaseema ragi sangati (finger millet/ragi balls with rice mixed in it), Nizam-era Telangana nalli nihari (slow-cooked stew with mutton shanks) or Konaseema’s prawn pulusu (tart prawn curry). This shift is also fuelled by younger diners seeking culinary storytelling and deeper cultural connections. We regularly use storytelling menus, chef’s tables and live interactions to introduce our cuisine," says Rohit Kasuganti, founder of Terrāi.

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The approach to showcasing micro-cuisines of the states has taken various forms across restaurants. You will find classics or little-known dishes alongside innovations and bar menus that showcase ingredients and flavours of the state.

“One of the key differentiators for restaurants like Antera is that we don’t serve thalis or meals. We are more of a ‘comfort dine’ space" says Ashish M. Reddy, founder and managing director. Here you will find classic Andhra dishes like the avakaya pappannam with pachi pulusu (raw mango rice with a raw tamarind rasam) and raju gari kodi pulao (a mushy chicken and rice dish cooked in milk). Antera also has Telangana dishes like the dalcha mutton with bagara rice (mutton with lentils and spiced rice), vankai pulao (brinjal rice), dishes from Rayalaseema like the chitti mutyala keema pulao (an aromatic short grain rice and mince), and mokka jonna palakura iguru (maize and spinach curry).

“Our golchina mamsam, a Telangana mutton stir-fry, surprises first-timers. Many expect the cuisine to be predominantly spicy curries but this is a slow-cooked dish where the meat is seared with hand-pounded spices, garlic and curry leaves, resulting in a rich, caramelised texture. The uniqueness lies in its ‘golichina’ (stir-fried) technique, which intensifies the flavours ... Diners are often amazed at how the simplicity of the preparation brings out such bold and complex flavours," says Kasuganti.

The current customer profile has grown to appreciate an interesting cocktail menu. “I see upmarket Andhra cuisine restaurants with cocktail menus leading the race. Globalisation has led to an evolved consumer profile. With most European and Pan-Asian restaurants in cities having bar and cocktail menus, micro-cuisine restaurants found they were losing a segment of customers. Introducing cocktails has accounted for 25% of the business revenue for such restaurants. For a cosmopolitan diner, walking in for a cocktail and a few small plates of a micro-cuisine makes things approachable," observes Hyderabad-based Sankalp Vishnu, author, food critic and food consultant.

And so you can try the likes of cocktails like Telugu Medium’s Bellam Balaraaju, with tequila, jaggery, tamarind and green chilli, or Antera’s Atluntadi Manathoni at their Hyderabad outlet with whisky, infused chilli vodka, pineapple and citrus. There are plenty of mocktails across the menus, including something as simple as the Mirapakaya (chilli) Soda of Palle Vindu.

Creativity has been another great way to get people to try out Andhra micro-cuisines. The Spicy Kitchen has the MLA Potlam Biryani, which is a mix of mutton keema and prawns wrapped in a thin omelette, similar to the Japanese omurice. In its showcase of Telangana cuisine, Terrāi emphasises sourcing hyper-local, organic ingredients from small-scale farmers and cooperatives across Telangana. This translates into dishes like the Farmers Staple Khichdi, a take on the classic, with foxtail millets, native lentil and ghee-roasted spices and the use of locally grown Amaranth leaves and seeds to coat cutlets to give them an earthy flavour.

Promoters of Andhra’s and Telangana’s micro-cuisines agree that there is a lot more that can be brought into the limelight. Vishnu says food from the Rayalaseema and Godavari regions is slowly gaining popularity. Reddy agrees adding that cities will see a rise in premium and comfort-dining Andhra micro-cuisine restaurants. With a return to roots being the flavour of the season, there is a lot of Andhra and Telangana deliciousness we can look forward to.

Ruth DSouza Prabhu is a features journalist based in Bengaluru.

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