Cafe Niloufer, Hyderabad

The Hyderabadi chai is completely different from all the chais you get in north India, and in my opinion, it should be as popular as the Hyderabadi biryani.

Like the biryani, it's made with a dum, and it has a rich, creamy flavour that you don't find in north India. It's not enjoyed in kulhads but rather in cups with a saucer.

The Hyderabadi chai (often called dum chai or irani chai) is almost always served in a white ceramic cup, along with a saucer.

Cafe Niloufer at Lakdi Ka Pul, Hyderabad, at night: the parking building next door is as crowded as the chai shop

The Place

Head over to Cafe Niloufer, the most iconic spot for chai in Hyderabad. They have multiple outlets, but the original is the one located in Red Hills, Lakdi Ka Pul. I had a difficult time reading the name at first: it translates to a wooden bridge.

You know a place is popular when one of the two buildings next to it is a parking structure, and that parking structure is equally crowded.

They only accept cash. Strangely, if you don't have cash, they have an arrangement: a counter where you can use your card, and they'll give you cash. You then take the cash to the main counter.

The irani chai at Cafe Niloufer, served in a white ceramic cup with saucer: rich, creamy, and distinct

The Chai

The chai here is the irani chai: super creamy, with a good chai flavour. They give you another chai cup so you can cool it to a drinkable temperature. The most important part of the irani chai, for me, is the aftertaste. I can't explain it exactly, but it's like a little bit of cream left in your mouth.

What to Eat Alongside

This chai place opens at 4am like all the famous ones, and they serve a malai bun from 4am to 9am only, and I really wanted to try it but couldn't make it in time.

As usual, I tried the bun maska. Fine, nothing extraordinary.

The bakery display at Cafe Niloufer: osmania biscuits, fine biscuits, and the full spread

I took a full plate of multiple things. Two stood out:

Osmania biscuits: a speciality of Hyderabad. An extremely soft biscuit that is predominantly sweet but also has a pinch of salt, which somehow makes it taste better. A biscuit designed to be dipped in tea.

Fine biscuit: I only found out what it was called after asking multiple people. Third try. It's a heart-shaped bread, almost like a palmier but not crispy. One of the most popular items there, and I understood the hype immediately.

A plate of osmania biscuits and fine biscuits at Cafe Niloufer: both made to be eaten with irani chai

Part of the Iconic Chai Stops of India series.