Hi! I’m Eva, from Hyderabad, South India.

South Indians are known for having a good taste in food. And in Hyderabad, as a part of South India, it’s safe to say that most of us here in Hyderabad are foodies. Traditional Indian food is flavorful, and we pride ourselves on being able to make dishes that vary in taste and texture. And trust me, Indian cuisine offers much more than curries!

Indian food may take a bit of time and a few more ingredients to prepare, but it’s worth it because we add a pinch of creativity and a gallon of love to preparing, making, and serving our food.

Vegan & Vegetarian Cuisine in India

With 39.5 % of the people being vegetarian and 9% of people being vegan, India houses some extremely good restaurants and cuisines you need to try. So you will definitely have quite a few options to choose from. 

As a Hyderabadi (that’s what we call people from Hyderabad), I grew up cherishing most of the delicacies, including vegan dishes. My favorite dishes range from anything as simple as a gram flour fried snack called a Muruku to an authentic Hyderabadi Brinjal (Hyderabadi Baingan—local name), which is the perfect vegetarian lunch recipe, doused in a nutty gravy made with peanuts, tamarind, and sesame seeds.

Not only have I eaten and made lots of vegan and vegetarian dishes in India, I have tried many restaurants there. I would say that in my lifetime, I have visited over 100 great restaurants in Hyderabad. But to give you the top restaurants you could visit in Hyderabad, I had to bring down the list to the top three. It has been quite hard, I must say.

Why should you try vegetarian restaurants in Hyderabad?

You should try vegetarian restaurants in Hyderabad, as they offer more than just taste: the ambiance, the tradition, and the love for food preparation and presentation. With a total of 1638 restaurants in Hyderabad, it is one of the best places to indulge yourself in some mouth-watering dishes! Indian cuisine is one of the most varied cuisines in the world, with the addition of diverse spices, grains, veggies, and fruits.

Trying out local food is a great way to experience and appreciate the history of the place.

💡 Fun Fact About Indian Food 

Indian food is more than 5000 years old, with a whopping 1.3 billion people consuming it. 

How I Rate Restaurants

Before I give you my top restaurant list, here are the criteria I looked at when I was rating the restaurants.

1. Taste & Authenticity

First and foremost, the overall quality and the taste of food are the most important things when rating a restaurant. And it’s one thing that I cannot compromise on. Also, I checked whether the restaurant served the authentic Indian dish.

2. Number of items offered

I love a restaurant that offers various items that go with every mood. It is essential to have a list of restaurants you can just walk into and know that you could order something that will make you feel better (well, I do anyway). So a restaurant with a couple of different options for every person in the group is definitely my cup of tea. So that was what I rated as the second metric.

3. Ambience

Each restaurant has its own feel and focal point. But a good restaurant has a good ambiance.

While some local restaurants are more informal and make us feel cozy and warm, other formal restaurants take us into a faraway land, presenting a getaway from real life. Both are great!

4. Location

Along with the ambiance, the location of the restaurant is super important. Is it accessible by public transport? Is it close to nature? Is it in a popular location?

5. Family & Kid-Friendly

This might not apply to everyone, but I included this last metric: family and kid-friendliness.

I have a five-year-old son, and this has become one of the criteria I look at before booking a restaurant. I ask: Is it family—and kid-friendly? Is the bar and smoking area located separately?

3 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Hyderabad | My Picks as a Local

So let’s dive right into what Hyderabad has to offer when you are on a visit there. Here are the best vegetarian restaurants in Hyderabad. 

Located in Jubilee Hills, where celebrities and influences come so often, the restaurant AnTeRa has a prime location and a trendy feeling!

#1. AnTeRa

Antera is a very creative restaurant located in Jubilee Hills that has a lot to offer. The ambiance is in an authentic traditional Indian style, and it is perfect for families. There is an indoor seating area as well as an outdoor one.  Filled with greenery, this place is one of the coziest restaurants I have been to.

Mango pickle with dal and rice (Avakaya pappu annam in Telugu) is my favorite dish in this restaurant. Dal is an Indian lentil-based dish seasoned with spices that is warm and comforting. They serve an authentic Telugu dish, dal, which is a lentil soup with mango pickles. Mango pickles are generally mango pieces soaked in a rich chili mixture with oil for a long shelf life. This menu is very popular and enjoyed by many Hyderabadis.

The service of this restaurant is really good, as the staff are very polite and accommodating. This is hence one of the best places to eat in Hyderabad.

👍 Pros: Along with the traditionally good service and delicious food, the best part is the gadget on the table that allows you to call the waiter, ask for the bill, or request a glass of water with just the click of a button.

👎 Cons: Waiting time is 20 minutes during the weekdays, and during the weekends it is up to an hour. Even though we reserved a table beforehand, we were asked to wait. However, welcome drinks are served to keep the hungry customers calm.

#2. Anthm

Anthm restaurant is located in the hottest area of Hyderabad. The entrance to this restaurant is beautiful, with tall buildings and symbolic designs. The interior is very peaceful, with white curtains complementing the white walls.

The outdoor sitting at Anthm at night. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Local bands play throughout the evening and add a special touch to this place. Although all the food here is yummy, my favorite to try is the breakfast items, namely dosa, which is, by far, my favorite South Indian breakfast. I will share a bit more about this recipe down the line.

If I had to choose one of the many items Anthm provides, it would have to be the crispy avocado chaat: fresh avocado mixed with spicy and tangy chaat flavor served on gram flour discs (known as papdis). This crispy dish offers a burst of flavor in your mouth, and it is a must-try!

👍 Pros:

✅ Great view

✅ Great selection of both vegetarian & non-vegetarian food

The restaurant has a first floor with a mesmerizing, gorgeous lake view. With a cool breeze, enjoying the hot food served to you brings you closer to nature. The best place in this restaurant is, of course, the lake seating. This restaurant is great not only to enjoy the food but also to enjoy the view and also to get some Instagram-worthy pictures.

👎 Cons:

🙈 High price

There are 3 seats inside the lake where a group of 14 to 17 people can occupy one spot. Although this is great, the minimum amount you will be spending to book these special seats is a minimum of 70,000 INR (approximately 830 USD).

#3. Thangedu

Located in a pleasant area called Raidurg in Hyderabad, Thangedu is best to visit for dinner. The ambiance is cozy with greenery and a rich Indian village-style feel to their interior. They present the menu as the serving paper, which is a rare concept in Hyderabad. This restaurant is known for its affordable prices, tasty food, and awesome ambiance.

You can check out other dishes that are served at Thangedu restaurant here.

My favorite dish from Thangedu restaurant is the Schezwan fried rice. Schezwan Fried Rice is a popular fried rice variety from the Indo-Chinese Cuisine. It is quite popular & most ordered in Indo-Chinese restaurants. Unlike regular fried rice, Schezwan Fried Rice is hot & spicy, with bursting flavors of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and red chili paste.

👍 Pros: Indoor and outdoor seating area. Spacious and friendly staff; peaceful and calm village-style paintings.

👎 Cons: To be honest, I couldn’t find any “cons” for this restaurant! This restaurant is perfect in my book.

Popular Vegetarian Indian Dishes in Hyderabad

I hope you get to check out those restaurants in Hyderabad; they are absolutely loved by many Hyderabadis like myself and people visiting the city.

However, if you do not get a chance to visit these restaurants, you could also look for these delicious vegan or vegetarian-friendly dishes in the local restaurants of Hyderabad. Each of these dishes is my childhood favorite, and I ate these growing up. These dishes hold a dear place in my heart.

Pakodi is a fritter and can be made in many different shapes!

1. Pakodi: Gram flour fritter

Pakodi or gram flour fritter with other vegetables like potatoes and onions, is often eaten as an evening snack. This is a must-have evening snack that is sold on the roads of Hyderabad during dinner time from 4 pm to 6 pm every day. This traditional dish is made with gram flour and eaten with spicy chutney. My mom would always make these crispy fritters for us when we returned from school hungry. These gram flour fritters are made with different vegetables but my favorite is an onion fritter.

Pani puri not only has a lot of ingredients but also has a lot of flavors and textures in one bite!

2. Pani puri: Water balls

Pani puri, also known as water balls, is something I can eat all day, every day. It has been my go-to snack ever since my college days. It is a hollow fried dough ball with potato, onion, and chickpea fillings. 

The reason why pani puri is so famous is that it has various flavors and textures in just one bite. It delivers a combination of salty, spicy, sweet, savory, and crunchy—all in one dish. Although it wasn’t created in Hyderabad, it is widely famous and can be bought almost everywhere in Hyderabad.

Dosa can be served with other fillings inside and other various sauces.

3. Dosa: Indian savory crepe

Dosa is a South Indian crepe that is often served with other savory sauces.

My mom used to make the best dosa (Indian crepe) with a savory peanut paste (similar texture to humus), which combined with the dosa is the best combination. The batter needs to be prepared 2 days prior to preparation. Preparing this in this manner will help ferment and provide a nice soft batter.

Summary of Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Hyderabad

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the best vegetarian restaurants in Hyderabad, as well as other vegan or vegetarian Indian dishes you should try! Hyderabad has a lot to offer, and I feel like this blog post is just scratching the surface of what you can experience. But I hope you still find this helpful and interesting.

I would like to give a big shout-out to my friend Kavya, who has helped me select these three restaurants, as she has visited these places a couple of times and helped me rate them. So stay tuned for more delicious tips from Hyderabad. Here’s Eva signing off for now. 👋

Guest blogger: FabFem is always on the lookout to help anyone struggling with life’s challenges. I was born in Hyderabad, India, but love brought me to Denmark. As a mom, an immigrant, and a full-time working woman, I discuss everything from mental health to self-confidence and lifestyle tips. If you’re curious to read another blog post from me, you can check it out on my blog, FEBFEM.