"You live in Hyderabad and don't eat meat? What are you?" This is a common statement that I get to hear a lot about being a vegetarian in a meat eater's paradise. To add to this, I'm also a teetotaler which makes it even tougher for people to believe. But yes, we do exist! While, the City of Nizams is known for the Nali, Paya, Haleem, and the Biryani, there are a handful of vegetarian eaters in Hyderabad that are worth your time and money. So if you are a vegetarian and coming to Hyderabad (or staying) these are the eateries which you shouldn't.

Nimrah Cafe, Charminar

Everyone who comes to Hyderabad visits the Charminar. Being an iconic monument that it is, Charminar is flocked by every tourist. While most of them are busy clicking photos, there's a 3-decade old cafe right in front of it. The Nimrah Cafe, established in 1992 is one of the most popular cafes in Hyderabad. It starts serving the famous Irani chai from 4:30 AM in the morning. Apart from chai, the eatery is known for its freshly baked biscuits like Osmania, Chand biscuit, Rote ka Biscuit, Tie biscuit which is quite popular among the locals. The chai here is rich, creamy, and affordable too. So the next time you are at Charminar, have a chai here at Nimrah cafe with an Osmania biscuit early in the day while appreciating the marvelous Charminar.

Govind ki Bandi, Charminar

One of the popular cultures in Hyderabad is the Tiffin culture. While my friends from the north would relate tiffin to a box, it's actually a class of food here in Hyderabad. Tiffin consists of items like Idli, Vada, Upma, Dosa, Uttapam, and the likes. You'll find a lot of tiffin places in the city but Govind ki Bandi is class apart.

Govind ki Bandi is a small food cart that is being in operation for the last 40 years. Mr. Govind himself is here on most days as he dishes out some buttery dosas for his customers. The food is no doubt interesting, but the way the whole food cart works is intriguing. It's well-oiled machinery and every person knows what's their job. They serve a variety of dosas along with soft melt-in-mouth idlis along with vadas. Their Tawa Idli is a must-try. Soft idlis prepared in a generous dose of butter and spices.  The prices are quite affordable and you'll definitely come back for more. Govind ki Bandi competes with some of the best south Indian restaurants in the city too.

Subbaya Gari Hotel, multiple outlets

If you are looking to have a traditional south Indian meal (Andhra meal) then there's only one place. Subbaya Gari hotel. A popular name in Andhra Pradesh, Subbaya Gari has spread its wings and reached cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The outlet is known for pure vegetarian, affordable food. There are three outlets in Hyderabad and you can walk into any of them.

They serve their famous Andhra meals priced at Rs 250 per plate on a banana leaf. Once you take your place, what follows is a parade of serves filling your plate with starters, curries, rice, and desserts. And if you think you're done, you're wrong. There's more to follow after you finish the first round. This all you can eat, unlimited meal is perfect for anyone who has a large appetite. If you cannot eat that much, you must try at least the fry, desserts, and rice with their three types of powered chutneys (podis as they call) with sambhar. This is the most affordable and filling vegetarian meal you can have in Hyderabad.

Shalimar Tiffins, Ranigunj

Desi or Videsi Burgers? What do you prefer? If you are into desi burgers then Shalimar Tiffins in Ranigunj, Secunderabad is the place to go. It's an extremely small outlet that has been there for a few decades. While he serves tiffins and chats, Shalimar Tiffins is known for their Sunny Leone burger aka Double Cheese Tawa Burger. With shredded cheese as the base, the Tawa burger at Shalimar is rich and flavorsome. He makes the stuffing right in front of you so you can see what's going in. Also, the owner is a social animal, so hit him up with something interesting and chat as he prepares your Tawa burger.

The burger tastes out of the world. It's loaded with cheese, cheese, and more cheese with a lot of butter as well. The veggies and the masala are equally sharp making the Tawa burger at Shalimar a fully loaded meal. If you are on a diet, then go here on your cheat day ;) 

Tatva, Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad has a lot of fine dining restaurants and Tatva on Rd 36 Jubilee Hills is a pure vegetarian fine dining restaurant. It's one of the top-rated pure vegetarian eateries in Hyderabad and many of my non-vegetarian friends love it too. The restaurant has classy interiors and the ambiance is perfect for a family dinner. 

The menu is quite expansive and their food is quite balanced. The chefs pay a lot of attention to your requirements and hence the food is made according to your preferences. The Aloo Tikki starter is a famous one here along with the vegetarian Galauti kebab. The mains are mostly north Indian curries with a few Hyderabadi additions to them. Being a multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant, you do have a lot of options to choose from. The overall experience of dining is top-notch and you won't be disappointed. Being a fine dining restaurant, prices are slightly on the higher side. But if that's what you are looking at, go ahead, you won't be let down.

Ohri's Jiva Imperia, Begumpet

Another group that is quite popular in Hyderabad is Ohri's. They have more than 20 restaurants in the city serving a wide variety of cuisine. One of their outlet that's also my favorite is Ohri's Jiva Imperia in Begumpet. The all-vegetarian buffet-only restaurant is quite popular in the city. They have a lavish spread right from desi Chinese and continental starters to Indian and Pan Asian mains, live counters serving chats, and some delicious desserts. 

Jiva is a great place for a family dinner or get-together. There are a lot of birthday parties that are celebrated here and can get quite crowded at times. However, in terms of the food, they are pretty good. It's a complete paisa vasool buffet at Ohri's Jiva. The service is top-notch and the fact that the menu changes regularly, you'll always have something new on the menu. 

Hyderabad has vegetarian eateries too

The City of Nizams is a meat eater's heaven as I've mentioned before. Finding a vegetarian restaurant is difficult but not impossible. There are a bunch of other vegetarian eateries in the city like Bikanervala, Rajdhani Thali, Chutneys to name a few. But I chose the ones that will give you a taste of everything that the city has to offer. From the small, old eateries to the fine dining places, these were my must-visit vegetarian eateries in Hyderabad. Which one you'd want to visit? Let me know in the comments below or tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj :) 

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