Be it a house party, a family get together or even a quick lunch with colleagues; biryani is the ‘go-to’ food that a lot of us prefer. Not only is it delicious but it also isn’t very heavy on the pocket. It’s one of the few dishes that one can have by itself. No accompaniments required! One might not associate Mumbai as where one can get the best biryani places. Mumbai does have Delhi, Lucknow and even Hyderabad as stiff competition. However, there are a few places in the bay who do manage to serve a pretty mean version of what is (arguably) one of the most popular rice dishes in the world.
Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar, Multiple Outlets
Established in 1973, Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar is an institution when it comes to biryani. Today, they are popularly known as ‘The Biryani King of Mumbai’. I have been visiting this place for over 20 years. Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar manages to live up to all the hype that’s been surrounding it since almost 45 years now. Be it their Chicken Biryani, Mutton Biryani or even their Chicken Tikka Biryani. Although, of late there has been a lot of complains about the service at the restaurant – biryani getting over too soon and impolite staff. We only hope that this food chain gets it grip back and lives up to its name.
Price:
Chicken Biryani – INR 260 (full plate)
Mutton Biryani – INR 299 (full plate)
Chicken Tikka Biryani – INR 330
Noor Mohammadi Hotel, Mohammad Ali Road
Having been in business for the last 94 years, Noor Mohammadi Hotel has managed to carve a niche for itself amongst the meat lovers in the bay. Although they are very popular for their Nalli Nahari, Chicken Hakimi and Sanju Baba Chicken (the recipe for which has been apparently given by Sanjay Dutt himself), what a lot of people don’t know is that they serve a very unique version of the biryani. Known as the Chicken White Biryani, this version is unlike any other biryanis out there.
Chicken White Biryani – INR 90
Location:
179, Wazir Building, Abdul Hakim Chowk, Bhendi Bazar, Near, Mohammad Ali Road, Mumbai.
Persian Darbar, Bandra & Andheri
One glance at their menu and you will come across multiple options when it comes to biryanis. The one that stood out for me was their Chicken/Mutton Persian Special Biryani. This biryani, according to me, gets it absolutely bang on when it comes to the proportion of rice to meat to masala. Priced at Rs 450 and Rs 500 for the chicken and mutton version respectively, one portion of this biryani is good enough for 2 to 3 people.
Price:
Chicken Persian Special Biryani – INR 450
Mutton Persian Special Biryani – INR 500
Locations:
Marol – Shop 101 – 102, Noori Baug, Andheri Kurla Road, Marol Naka, Andheri East
Bandra – Morya Mahal, Linking Road, Bandra West
Hotel Deluxe, Fort
Known mainly for its malayali offerings, Hotel Deluxe is not a place where one would generally go for a plate of biryani. Surprise! Surprise! Hotel Deluxe’s Boneless Chicken Biryani is truly a hidden gem. Prepared with short grained rice as opposed to the traditional long grained basmati rice, this version of the biryani is highly spiced. It is also doused with a generous amount of ghee (you can actually taste the ghee while having the rice).
Price:
Chicken Boneless Biryani – INR 170
Location:
10-A, Pitha Street, Opposite Lane of Citi Bank, Fort, Mumbai
Café Noorani, Haji Ali
For biryani connoisseurs, the concept of a ‘Chicken Tikka Biryani’ might seem slightly scandalous. A true biryani is one where the rice and meat are cooked together. The various spices and masalas combine together and that’s when individual flavours from all ingredients complement each other. Voila! you have your perfect biryani ready. Although Café Noorani’s Chicken Tikka Biryani does not follow this route, be rest assured that there is no compromise at all when it comes to taste. Fragrant, colourful rice is topped on a bed of tikka masala along with huge pieces of juicy chicken tikkas. It’s far from being the perfect biryani but it surely hits the spot as far as flavor is concerned.
Price:
Chicken Tikka Biryani – INR 330
Location:
5 D, Tardeo Road, Haji Ali Circle, Tardeo, Mumbai
