Imagine its Durga Puja in the rich ethnic city of Kolkata and you are having the perfect outing plan with your friends – hopping pandals, standing in queues, clicking pictures and living your day to the fullest. You don’t realise how time flies until its mid-day, you’re tired and now – hungry. At this point one of your friends says:
“Guys, let’s have biryani!”
Done! That one word spreads a sudden candid smile on your face. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a forty-five-year-old gentleman or a nineteen-year-old teen, whether you had walked some 8 kilometres or you are tired – you start to slurp. As if your rockets are now fuelled to launch you towards your favourite restaurant – whoosh. Then it’s just a matter of seconds when you reach out for your phone, open maps and pull your friends towards the direction, easy.
When we sit down and try to break down what’s so magical about this food. We come to realise it’s not just putting aromatic rice and spices and meat into it – it’s the magical blend, which takes you on a rollercoaster ride with all those ups and downs of spices and taste – one can’t have enough of it.
From the chunky and spicy Awadhi version to the additional Bengali touch with soft potatoes – sorry Darwin sir, but it’s not just nature evolving. Nothing is better than enjoying your favourite Biryani at your favourite restaurant – I repeat, nothing.
So here are 10 of the best places to have Biryani in Kolkata :
1)Nizam’s Restaurant
With an average rating of 4.2 in reviews, this premier restaurant situated near the New Market Area, has never failed to attract locals and tourists for its rich taste of Biryani. Although Nizam is known as the Inventor of Kathi Kebab Rolls, their Biryani served with kebabs, make most of the locals go crazy.
When asked to one of the customers about the food, Mr Prashant Shaw replies: “ Nizam has been my favourite place since childhood – especially the chicken biryani – the classic and authentic taste”.
Cost For Two: Rs 450
Address: Nizam’s Restaurant, 23 and 24 Hogg St, near Axis Bank ATM, New Market Area, Dharmatala, Taltala
Timings: 11:00 am to 11:30 pm
Website: www.nizams-restaurant.business.site.com
2)Arsalan
Park Circus in Kolkata doesn’t only hold tourist spots like Victoria Memorial Monument, or the Eden Gardens Stadium – it even has a tourist spot for our palates with one of the best authentic biryanis in Kolkata – the Arsalan.
Arsalan holds the rich Mughlai cuisine as its emblem. The spices, the succulent piece of meat, soft potato and aromatic rice blend us together with the Mughlai culture.
If someone wishes to set himself aside from the usual Bengali biryani, one should definitely step into this restaurant.
Cost For Two: Rs 700
Address: Arsalan, 28, Circus Avenue, Near A.J.C. Bose Road Flyover, Park Circus area
Timings: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Website: www.arsalanretaurants.com
3)Oudh 1590
This restaurant near Deshapriya Park, not only amazes us with their style of biryani but also their preservation of an old and rich culture. History says Nawab Wajid Ali aided the creation of the Awadhi style Biryani which was initially fed to people and his troops to fire their souls!
The Raan Biryani is still cooked delicately for long hours making the entire dish extremely soft and delicious.
Besides the biryani, the restaurant provides a beautiful ambience – with swords, costumes and shields adorning the interior walls – signifying the old historical culture.
So next time you visit, don’t forget to order the Raan Biryani, and sit with one leg on top of the other, pretend like a Nawab, while your royal feast is being well prepared!
Cost for Two: Rs 1,200
Address: Oudh 1590, Shop 23/B, Desapriya Park (West)
Timings: 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm and from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Website: www.oudh1590.com
4)Aminia Restaurant
Rajarhat Road houses one of the oldest restaurants in the city of Kolkata – Aminia. Its first outlet opened up in 1929. It started with the famous Awadhi style of Biryani and since then, the restaurant has been making progress in leaps and bounds. Although the restaurant now holds a bunch of varied dishes. The aromatic tasty rice along with a delicious chunk of meat always ends up making customers’ tummies happy and a wide smile on their face.
By this time, Aminia has opened up four to five more outlets across Kolkata including Hatibagan, Barrackpore and many more – making sure they are able to connect with more people and spread more smiles.
Cost For Two: Rs 600
Address: Aminia,201/1, Rajarhat Road, Meena Tower Central Area, Chinar Park.
Timings: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Website: www.aminia.co.in
5)Dada Boudi Hotel
November,2017 – There was a huge crowd in front of the restaurant.
“Era Kara – who are these people?” said one of the people present.
The US Consul General Craig Hall along with his wife Meeryung Hall travelled a long way from Florida to Barrackpore to taste Biryani!
This restaurant needs no special description to adorn its name. This restaurant holds a very important place among the locals as well as people who have visited here. For, according to reports, the Consul General was sure to have the best delicacy he’d ever find in the wide radius.
Enchanted with spices, rice, soft potatoes and tasty chunks of meat, the restaurant hypnotizes people into coming back for more!
Starting from a rugged small tiffin centre to creating histories, Dada Boudi’s restaurant has been through an awesome journey.
If the restaurant is impersonated as a human, the most appropriate dialogue he would say is “Give me support, I’ll give you delicacies!”
Cost For Two: Rs 700
Address: Dada Boudi Hotel, 12, 10 SN Banerjee Road, Barrackpore
Timings: 12:00 to 11 pm
Contact: 076858 45324
6)India Restaurant
Karl Marx Sarani holds a restaurant which has definitely found it’s away In our list of best places in Kolkata due to their authentic, fragrant, and mildly spiced Biryani.
The magicians take an ample amount of time along with modernised cooking methods to make this delicious dish. The delicate potatoes, the fragrant rice, the chunks of meat (often served with their haleem) and the mild spices savour the tongues of both the younger and elder ones.
Besides Biryani the restaurant is also known for its Chicken Tandoori Butter Masala and the Mutton Roll Kebab.
Cost For Two: Rs 900
Address: India Restaurant, 34, Karl Marx Sarani (Kidderpore), Indian Market
Timings: 10:00 am to 12:00 am
Contact: 090384 16279
7)Reflexion
Bored from your regular dishes or your usual Biryani? Well, we set our spies across Kolkata and the results are fascinating. Presenting one of the best all-day restaurants which enables you to decide what touch do you want your order to be – ranging from Indian, Asian and Continental based menu. What’s more? They have a special, rich taste, the Hyderabadi variant of Biryani, besides their own version of Bengali Biryani.
When interviewed with one of the chef’s presents, he said:
“We receive a lot of customers from around Kolkata and outside. We implement seasonal ingredients in our Biryani and the other dishes to ensure better results and create a dining experience worth remembering.”
Cost For Two: Rs 800
Address: Reflexion, 3, Chotopol, Raigachi, The Majestic Suites, Star Residency, Chinar Park
Timings: 8:00 am to 11:00 pm
Contact: 093312 70219, 70444 40005
8)Dum Lagake Haishaa Restaurant
When the famous Indian actor Ayushmann Khurrana in his movie “Dum Lagake Haishaa” said:
“ Main Kuch Karunga Aur Apna Astitva Banunga – I will do something and create my existence.” The owners of this restaurant took it seriously!
And with their efforts, they paved themselves away into our list of being one of the best in Kolkata. The restaurant offers their marvellous Special Dum Biryani which surely wins most of our hearts every time that soft potato melts on our tongue or that juicy piece of meat along with the aromatic rice make us more hungry!
The decoration and the ambient soundtrack makes us dive into the works of the famous singer, Kumar Sanu.
Besides Biryani, they offer North Indian and Chinese delicacies including the spicy Jugli Kebab or the exquisite Smoked Bekti.
Cost For Two: Rs 1,000
Address: Dum Lagake Haishaa Restaurant, Plot 11-16, Block EP and GP, Reshmi Building, Sector V, Salt Lake
Timings: 12:00 pm to 12:00 am
Contact: 9830472732
9)The Biryani Inc.
The unique feature about this establishment is that it is limited to delivery – only orders, which means, you can live anywhere nearby in Kolkata, wear loose casual clothes, turn on some movies and just place an order, The Biryani Inc. got you covered.
Their delicious variants of Biryani will make sure you enjoy your littlest moments of laziness while being in the comfort of your own home.
Their Murg Dum Biryani and the Dil-E-Khush Gosht Biryani are the most ordered dishes you wouldn’t want to miss.
Besides Biryani, they have more variants to offer like kebabs and curries, and many more combo deals you would love. Their extreme budget-friendly cost for dishes ensures that you have no reason to not order from them. Smart!
Cost For Two: Rs 400
Address: The Biryani Inc., NP-14, Sector 5, Salt Lake (multiple locations)
Timings: 12:00 PM to 04:00 AM
Contact: 9836450166
10)The Delhi Darbar Restaurant
Even the name of the restaurant reflects a royal feeling – Darbar – and indeed, it is. The restaurant shows us away into the Mughlai cuisine. With the extremely spicy and fragrant Mutton Biryani and the Chicken Biryani, the restaurant is sure to be brightening up all your senses. Besides Biryani, they offer – soft kebabs, delicious rolls, and some North Indian staples – which are sure to leave you a nice first impression.
The aura and the ambience of the restaurant are soothing and all aiding the royal feel. If you bring your friends here and order your favourite biryani for them, don’t be surprised if they mock you by saying “Long Live The King”.
Cost For Two: Rs 600
Address: Delhi Darbar, 1, Topsia Road (South) Topsia Bypass, Topsia
Timings: 11:00 am to 12:00 am
Contact: 09831180497