Iftar trails attract foodies as Ramzan draws to a close

The rising temperatures in the city don’t seem to stop Hyderabadis and tourists from gorging on delectable Ramzan delicacies in the smoky lanes of Tolichowki or Old City. Foodies looking to try out some Nizami and Middle Eastern offerings throng the stalls here.

“I’m a Parsi, and although we don’t observe Ramzan, we are drawn to food during this season. Earlier, we used to go to Old City to experience the culinary delights, but now we started exploring food in Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam and others. The food in Hyderabad has been evolving, and these new places offer a variety of dishes. For example, a few years ago, pathar ka gosht was not heard of, but now it’s popular everywhere in the city. This year, I found a couple of new dishes, pathar fish and tablina, a dessert I never knew before. I also brought my son and daughter along this year to introduce them to Ramzan nightlife. They were shocked to see so many people but thoroughly enjoyed the food experience. The major problem with going to the old city is accessibility as the roads get barricaded. We found these new pockets in the city, like Tolichowki, quite enterprising as they also have various options from the Middle East and Nizami dishes. So there has been a cultural shift that is good for food lovers,” says Dr HK Vakil, a dentist from Secunderabad who was seen enjoying the food at Tolichowki with his family.

However, tourists still throng the Old City for an authentic Hyderabadi experience, as one of them puts it. For Aayan Hasan, a software engineer from Jamshedpur, this is his first experience with Ramzan in Hyderabad, and he thoroughly enjoys it. "This is my first Ramzan in Hyderabad, and I like it. I visited the old city and loved the overall vibe and authentic Hyderabadi food like biryani, haleem, tea, and biscuits served at some of its old restaurants," Aayan Hasan, a software engineer from Jamshedpur.

“I like visiting this place, and this year, the authentic gahwa being served at this new outlet is a must-try,” says Nooman, another IT professional, who was seen sipping the Arabian beverage at Tolichowki.