Dada Biryani Bhubaneswar – Should You Go There?

Over the past couple of years, I have been getting a lot of good feedback on Dada Biryani Bhubaneswar from local foodie communities online.

Bhubaneswar is not a city known for it’s biryani. And there is no comparison with cities like Lucknow, Hyderabad or Kolkata when it comes to India’s most ordered food. So do not expect to get a Hyderabadi chicken biryani or a Kolkata style cooked chicken biryani.

There are many videos on YouTube that rate Sanjay Dada Biryani very highly. And I have been very eager to try it out.

A quick search on Google told us that the kiosk opens at 11 AM. And regulars informed that the biryani gets over by 1 PM, thanks to all the craze around it.

Location, Timing, Menu of Dada Biryani

So we set out on a Saturday to experience best biryani in Bhubaneswar.

This is located in the same road as Tech Mahindra at Maitree Vihar, the lane before Fortune Towers. Here’s a map to help you reach.

Once you make an entry to the road, you will find a lot of make-shift kiosks on the left side of the road. And all of them serve biryani.

Sanjay Dada Biryani functions on word of the mouth publicity. His kiosk has no branding. Then how do you identify his kiosk?

Follow the crowd – the kiosk that has the most number of people thronging to get a plate of biryani is your destination too.

According to Google, Sanjay Dada Biryani starts operations from 11 AM which is incorrect. It does not start operations before 12 PM. Unless you want to stand in the scorching heat, head there just in time.

As the name suggests, you get only veg biryani (no! biryani and pulao are not the same) and chicken biryani.

Best Biryani in Bhubaneswar from Dada Biryani at Bhubaneswar – A Review of the Food

He serves chicken biryani and veg biryani. They are priced at ₹100 and ₹50 respectively.

I tasted the chicken biryani only. It is served with raita and chicken gravy.

Quantity

One plate is sufficient for a single person. The quantity is good and it fills you.

The biryani comes with four to five pieces of chicken (curry cut pieces mostly) and a boiled egg.

I also noticed people asking for a second serving of the rice and dada (he is a Bengali and everyone lovingly calls him dada) willingly serving them additional spoonfuls.

So if you are someone with a larger appetite, you may request for an additional spoonful.

Hygiene

A roadside kiosk, however, quite hygienic. The food is kept covered and that is the best any street vendor can do in the given circumstances.

I found the gravy uncovered though.

Taste

The most important part.

The biryani is cooked in the pakki style which means the chicken and rice has been cooked separately and then cooked in dum.

From what I understand, the rice was cooked in the chicken gravy. This is also referred to as the yakhni-style of cooking.

Do check out my chicken yakhni pulao that is incredibly easy to cook at home.

The biryani feels sticky and appears yellowish brown through out. It has a subtle flavor and certainly not overtly spicy.

Biryani is a royal dish and I did not find any of it. The rice did not have any aromatic flavor too.

The raita was bland and the gravy greasy.

Value for Money

For a hundred rupees, serving a good amount of biryani with four to five pieces of chicken and a boiled egg, Dada biryani provides value for money.

I would have preferred lesser quantity with improved quality. However, for regulars who need a good and tasty meal, this kiosk does the optimum job.

The Last Word on Best Biryani in Bhubaneswar

Do not expect the biryani to be visually rich or aromatic. I would not recommend someone living outside the area to head here for a plate of it.

You might head here if you are in Jaydev Vihar and wish to indulge in a value for money, filling biryani.

Dada Biryani consistently does a balancing act to serve its customers good amount of biryani with optimal taste to satisfy your hunger at a very nominal price.