Cheap Thrills

What’re the two characteristics of every student who’s here at IIIT? No, it’s not being single. And no, it’s not the clouds of smoke either. Yup, it’s that all of us are hungry and strapped for cash, and from experience the two status effects don’t gel well with each other. So here I am, with a collection of the cheapest good food I could find in Hyderabad. Well, at least whatever my wallet could afford. Note that this list is not in order.

DLF (Google Maps)

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cleanliness: ⭐⭐
Service time: ⭐⭐⭐

Well, we all know that DLF deserves to be here. This is the go-to place for people to get food and drinks whenever they’re hungry, and the timings suit the work culture of IIIT. The shops open starting from around 4pm, and stay open till nearly 4-5am. I won’t be naming shops here, because let’s be honest, nobody actually knows the names of the shops (and also because neither do I :p).

For breakfasts, I’ve been to several places in DLF (both 1 and 2), and I can confidently recommend the guy that sells tawa bonda, just before AM-PM. It’s a bang for the buck, and is properly filling for someone who is looking to eat something a little different than the breakfasts that the messes in our college offer. For ₹60, he also offers puri with aloo ki sabzi, which is a go-to for a lot of people. For someone who would prefer a more southern approach, there is Varalaxmi Tiffins in DLF-2, the only downside of which is the distance one has to walk in the morning. The ghee karam dosa and soft dosa there is by far the best that I’ve had. It’s just the thing you need to hit you in the right spot.

For the times you’re working late in the night, there’s SK Shawarma (yes, this is the one name I remember because- Swiggy) directly in front of AM-PM. He sells chicken shawarma for ₹120, and it’s quite filling and tasty to satiate your late night cravings. For the vegetarians out there, there’s the Maggi Point at the very beginning of DLF-2, where the maggi serves a similar purpose. There are different types of maggis available, similar to the ones you might find in our own Tantra canteen..

Editor doing his own stuff — I can personally swear by the Premium coffee of Madras Cafe next to Varalaxmi Tiffins at DLF-2. Absolutely worth the walk

Hotel Sitara Grand – Miyapur (Google Maps)

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Order packaging: ⭐⭐⭐
Service time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This place is one place that I’ve not been to physically, but I’ve ordered from, and it’s quite good. I won’t exaggerate and say that it’s absolutely mind blowing, because quite frankly it wasn’t. But that being said, it’s not bad either. It’s relatively cheap, the portions are filling and it is good food. I particularly liked the mushroom butter masala along with naan. If you’re planning to order for a lot of people, it’s easy on the wallet since 8 rotis are cheaper than 6 naans. One thing I would point out is that this place would not be for people who are conscious about having too much oil in their food.

Saharsh Udupi Grand – Kothaguda (Zomato)

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cleanliness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service time: ⭐⭐⭐

I am a little biased towards South Indian food being a South Indian myself <insert generic Ille Ille idli sambar jokes here>, but I can confidently say, this place will blow anyone’s minds away. Just Facts. You can check out the  Zomato page for the prices, but take my word when I tell you, you will not find cheap and delightful-to-the-taste-buds food such as this. It is simply amazing. I won’t name items from the menu because every dish is just amazing. I’ve given 3 stars for the service time because there’s such a rush that the dishes get inevitably delayed. The only downside to this place is the distance, which takes half an hour by walk, but 10 minutes by auto.

Madurai Cafe – Kondapur (Google Maps)

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐
Cleanliness: ⭐⭐⭐
Service time: ⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the lower rated ones on the list, because well if everything’s so highly rated you guys will have a hard time picking which one to go to. Again, not saying the food here is bad, but compared to the others here it doesn’t live up to the mark. But then again, as the name suggests, it’s a small place where you can go and eat with at max 4 people at a time. I would personally recommend the Chicken Kothu biryani, coupled with a nice sarbat. The portions are more than enough, and you can get seconds free of extra charges. And, the people running the store are very nice and polite, so don’t be shy to ask them for more.

Onesta – Gachibowli (Google Maps)

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐
Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐
Cleanliness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service time: ⭐

I guess almost everyone knows this place in IIIT. Everyone has seen the 3 letter unlimited deals that Onesta releases on its Instagram page. This place has decent pizza for a decent price, and coupled with the 50% off on PIZZA UNLIMITED, makes it good enough to come on this list. One thing to note would be the abysmal service times. It seems to take hours for them to make pizzas, probably because they’re severely understaffed and somehow never expect people to flock in during the unlimited offer periods. But, that being said, I will say again, the pizza is decent for it’s prize and is a nice change of pace from the mess food we all have come to ‘love’.

Editor: Murali Bhat