We Came to Hyderabad Hungry. We Left With Zero Regrets. 🌶️😭

The journey

I'm just going to say it.

If you're planning Hyderabad and food isn't at least 50% of your itinerary, you're doing Hyderabad wrong. 😭

This trip was with Aarushi, Manisha, Ritika, Vihaan and Prem, and before we'd even reached the city, our group chat already had more saved restaurants than actual tourist places.

Priorities.

We reached Hyderabad with a very ambitious plan of exploring the city properly AND trying everything we'd saved.

By the end of day one, we realised we'd have to choose.

We chose food.

Obviously. 😂

Our first proper stop was Charminar, and this was when Hyderabad immediately started feeling like Hyderabad.

Busy lanes, autos everywhere, old buildings, tiny shops, bangles, food stalls and Charminar standing right in the middle of all that beautiful chaos.

We walked through Laad Bazaar, where "we're just looking" lasted approximately seven minutes.

Aarushi and Ritika disappeared into the bangle shops.

Manisha joined them.

The boys and I eventually accepted our fate and started looking for food. 😭

Which brings me to the actual star of this trip:

Hyderabadi biryani.

We had confidently planned to compare biryani from different places and decide which one was best.

This became significantly harder because after every meal someone would announce:

"No no, THIS one is the best."

Then we'd eat somewhere else.

Opinion changed.

Again.

Honestly, by day three, I didn't even want to hear the word "best." Just give me the biryani. 😂

The next morning we went to Golconda Fort, which looked like a very reasonable sightseeing plan when we were sitting comfortably in the hotel.

Then we started climbing.

Ten minutes later, suddenly everyone became extremely interested in stopping for "pictures."

Sure.

Pictures.

Definitely not because we needed to breathe. 😭

But once we reached the higher sections, the view over Hyderabad was actually worth all the complaining.

Vihaan and Prem spent half the time testing the acoustics and clapping at random spots like they'd personally discovered the science behind Golconda.

Very educational trip.

We also explored the newer side of Hyderabad, and the contrast was honestly crazy.

One moment you're walking through lanes around Charminar surrounded by centuries of history, and later you're sitting inside a ridiculously aesthetic café in Jubilee Hills ordering coffee that costs more than the entire breakfast you had that morning.

Hyderabad has range. 😂

And obviously, café hopping became another activity.

There was always someone saying:

"I saved this place, it's literally ten minutes away."

It was never ten minutes away.

But we went anyway.

One evening we visited Hussain Sagar, and after several days of running around the city, it was actually nice to just slow down.

We walked beside the lake, grabbed snacks and sat together doing what this group does best:

Roasting each other.

Nobody is safe on a friends' trip.

Especially after three days together when everyone has collected enough embarrassing material. 😭

The late-night food runs were probably my favourite part though.

We'd return to the hotel saying we were completely full.

Then approximately an hour later someone would message:

"Guys chai?"

And suddenly six people who couldn't move after dinner were downstairs again.

Our final day was basically dedicated to eating everything we'd somehow missed.

Irani chai.

Osmania biscuits.

Kebabs.

Desserts.

And yes...

More biryani.

By the time we were leaving, everyone was exhausted and collectively agreed we didn't want to see another plate of biryani for at least a month.

That promise lasted significantly less than a month.

Hyderabad gave us history, gorgeous architecture, busy markets and some really cool cafés.

But if I'm being completely serious...

I remember this trip through food.

The biryani arguments.

The chai breaks.

Ordering too much.

Sharing everyone's plates.

And six friends sitting around a table saying:

"Okay, after this we're DEFINITELY done eating."

We never were. 🌶️🤍