Cuttack is currently the second largest city of Odisha. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City due to its history of 1000 years. It is also the former capital of Odisha before Bhubaneswar. As diverse are the street foods here, as foodies are the majority of this city’s population.
Welcoming multicultural food, this city has adopted a variety of cuisines over time. I have been living in Cuttack, Odisha all throughout my life. Being a foodie I have also explored all the best restaurants and cafés in this region.
Biryani is one of the most preferred foods all over India and now also internationally; I decided to bring in light 10 most preferred Biryani points in Cuttack.
1. DFC (Deep Food Corner)
With the name DFC Dada’s Biryani, this restaurant is well promoted and holds the highest ratings in Biryani. It is located near YMCA, Buxibazar, Cuttack.
The ambience of this restaurant is pretty basic, understanding that it is a small place with very few people to serve at a time. Albeit having a dine-in facility, the take-outs happens more frequently at this place.
According to the sources, the speciality of this Biryani is that it blends 2 different styles of cooking into one. Following the Hyderabadi dum style this Biryani is cooked for about 1 and half hour in low flame, while the blend of spices used is of the Awadhi style. The scent of Kevda can also be found in it’s after taste.
Mutton Biryani is the highlight of all, yet Chicken and Egg biryani doesn’t disappoint as well. The average cost for 2 people here is Rs.400. One can easily order online from this place via specified apps.
Location Map
2. Hashim’s
Hashim’s is the only restaurant in Cuttack that brings the best of Mughlai cuisine. Both the chicken and mutton biryani of this place are highly praised for its authentic Mughlai touch. The tender meat, subtle flavors and a mild scent of Kevda that touches the soul very gently.
Mughlai style of cooking is mostly found in Lucknow kitchens. Bringing the culture from the North-eastern states of India, Hashim’s has set a different identity for itself in the food market of Cuttack.
It is located in CDA Sector 6, Cuttack. Offering an A class hospitality, the ambience of the restaurant is sound pretty. The number of Take Outs keeps a tie with the Dine-In facility in here, which itself holds a pretty good standard. With all that it has to offer, this place is still a little on the pricier side with an average of Rs. 800 for 2 people.
Location Map
3. Biryani Box
It is a small place, but enough to hold a good number of customers. The ambiance is influenced by western culture with a cafe like finish. It is a well-decorated place for the customers to not just enjoy the meal but feel friendly with the environment.
This place, like it’s name, is specialized for Biryani. Yet, not all types of Biryani are available here. Veg biryani, Chicken biryani, Egg biryani, Mutton Biryani etc are available along with some veg and non-veg side dishes like Mutton keema, Chicken tikka, Paneer tikka butter masala, etc.
Few snacks like a variety of rolls, Paneer, Chicken 65, etc are available. Few varieties of beverages are also available. All the above mentioned are available in 3 different sizes that are; mini, regular and meal box.
Located at Durga bazar, Buxi bazar road, Cuttack; this place promotes itself as ‘casual dining’. An average bill for 2 people here is Rs.200 which is still cheaper than the rest. Take out and online order is available through specified apps.
Location Map
4. Mirchi
One of the most crowded biryani points in Cuttack is ‘Mirchi’. Mixing the Mughlai Biryani texture with the Indian level of spice, this restaurant serves right to the taste of many Cuttackians. I personally find their biryani a little spicy and on the heavier side. Yet, there is no compromise with the taste. The burst of flavours with a hint of Punjab gives their biryani a different perspective.
If one loves their spice, must give this biryani a try. Along with the classic Chicken and Mutton biryani this place serves Veg, Paneer and Prawn biryanis as well. Apart from that, they have 16 starter items in their menu, 36 in their main course, and 7 types of fried rice and noodles.
Located in the middle of the city on the main road of Buxi bazar, Cuttack, this restaurant is a small place with not much customer capacity at a time. Hence, the take outs and delivery ratio is much more than the dine ins.
The average bill for 2 people here is Rs.500, online orders are available via specified apps.
Location Map
5. Hotel Girija
If one likes spiciness way too much, might not want to skip Hotel Girija. Even with its variety of biryanis, mutton biryani along with its ‘keema kaleji’ is one of the most sold combos. Residing in the busy street of College Square, Cuttack, this place is one of the most crowded biryani points of the city.
The average cost for 2 people in this restaurant is Rs. 250-300. It has an open kitchen near the roadside, and a few tables to serve under the small roof attached to it. Due to its low hospitality capacity, the take out and online order are way more than the dine-ins.
Location Map
6. Golden Spoon
If you like a well-groomed restaurant or planning to dine-in in a fancy restaurant, consider Golden Spoon. Located near Barabati stadium, Cantonment Road, Cuttack. This restaurant offers casual dining with a variety of cuisines from Chinese, Asian and North Indian culinary.
Albeit a fancy ambience, the hospitality is of a 5 star in itself. From starters to desserts, salads to the main course, this restaurant has about 381 dishes to offer. It has a variety of biryanis to offer, amongst which Junglee Murgh Biryani is an unique concept. In this dish the chicken, saffron flavoured potato and egg is cooked with long grain rice via dum in a junglee bamboo and served with shorba and raita.
The average cost for 2 people in this restaurant is Rs.600 approximately. Take outs and online order options are also available.
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7. Hotel Mahabir Galaxy
Now that we are talking fancy, let’s not forget Hotel Mahabir Galaxy. This restaurant has a whole separate kitchen for veg and non veg dishes, considering how many Indians are vegetarians and don’t like to use the same utensils or same stove where the non veg dishes are cooked for their veg portions.
This restaurant has about 108 dishes to offer including both veg and non veg. Among which there are 5 variants of biryani- chicken, mutton, egg, veg and prawn. The ambience of this restaurant is very classy and well groomed. Whether a single person or a group, the services here to all are pretty fascinating.
Average bill for 2 people here will be Rs. 500 approximately. Take outs and Online orders are available.
Location Map
8. Jagmohan Restaurant
The old Jagmohan restaurant located in Choudhury bazar, Cuttack serves one of the best Biryanis in town. The family extension has proudly announced the opening of another branch of Jagmohan restaurant in Sutahat, Cuttack yet, as we know not all chefs have got the same magic. The old restaurant has a better performance due to its experience.
Average cost for 2 people in this place is Rs. 400, take outs and online ordering facility is available.
Being located in a small place, this place still holds enough customers at a time. Yet, people now don’t like to sit in the old place but either take out or order online. Along with Biryani various other main courses for both veg and non-veg are also available here. Biryani remains the star dish though.
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9. The Cocktail
If one is looking for a fancy place but don’t want to leave with an empty pocket, The Cocktail restaurant is the best fit. The speciality of this restaurant is the chef special Lucknow Biryani. The chef special biryani comes in 2 variants, one is chicken and other is mutton.
Although this place has a variety of other dishes to offer, the biryani here is finger licking. It has a casual dining ambience, enough to hold a good number of customers at a time. It is located near the Sun hospital, Kanika chakk, Cuttack.
The average cost for 2 people here is Rs. 450 approximately. Take out and online ordering facilities are available. The hospitality is profound and gentle.
Location Map
10. Green Chillyz
Located at CDA,sector-6, Cuttack; this restaurant has an open space sitting arrangement. If one is looking for good food on a budget or wants to order something good during the office lunch hours, do consider this place. With its fast service and good quality food along with a preferred quantity per person, this restaurant feeds one’s stomach without being heavy on the pocket.
Although there is a dine-in facility, the take outs and online orders are more common in their business.
The chicken biryani of this place is the most sold dish, even though it has a lot more to offer. This place promotes itself as ‘Quick bites’ and offers North-Indian cuisines along with Indo-Chinese, Mughlai, Biryanis and Rolls.
Location Map
Acknowledgement
These are some of my best picks of Cuttack. For some it might defer, for some I might have left some other places to add to the list. Whether or not Biryani is one of the most searched dishes all over the world, and when this culture hit Cuttack, it accepted the dish whole heartedly. Within time Cuttackians changed it into their own variant, adding their own culinary skills and food culture hence, the biryani here tastes different than the rest of the world.
I started writing poetries during 10th standard, I began writing as a hobby- it was sometimes the definition of fun for me. I enjoyed rhyming words as much as I have always enjoyed reading them in school books. I never dared to imagine writing as a profession for myself.