Intimate Theater District spot serving vibrant, personality-filled Indian & Hyderabadi cuisine w/ attentive, efficient service. Great for solo diners or small parties.
This compact Theater District restaurant, led by Mohammad Tarique Khan and Jayesh Naik, is an intimate spot best suited for small parties or solo diners, as seating is quite limited. Despite its size, the eatery delivers vibrant, personality-filled Indian cuisine, with a particular focus on Hyderabadi dishes, though popular regional specialties from both North and South India are also on the menu. Service stands out for being both attentive and incredibly efficient, ensuring dishes arrive promptly.
The restaurant specializes in Hyderabadi cuisine, with a strong emphasis on biryani, including highly recommended goat biryani and chicken 65 biryani. They also offer a variety of other Indian dishes, with some noting the chai and paneer as good. While many praise the biryani, one commenter found other dishes like naan and curries to be just decent. There was a negative report of cockroaches observed on the walls.
"The biryani is frequently praised, especially the goat biryani, chicken 65 biryani, and vegetarian biryani options. The chai and paneer dishes are also mentioned positively."
Customers generally praise the flavorful Hyderabadi dishes, particularly the biryani, and the attentive, efficient service. Some find the restaurant to be overrated or note issues like limited seating and a past cockroach sighting.
Important Note
Seating is limited, making it best for solo diners or small parties. One user reported a negative experience with cockroaches observed on the walls.
"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is listed as a recommendation for a casual lunch spot."
Positive"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is listed among several recommended restaurants."
Neutral"This commenter reported seeing cockroaches running around the walls at Hyderabadi Zaiqa while trying to eat, expressing disgust."
Negative"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is listed as one of the recommendations."
Neutral"This user suggested Hyderabad House as a potential place to find South Indian food like Punugulu and karivepave chicken, assuming the boyfriend is from Andhra. The original poster confirmed their boyfriend is from Andhra and expressed thanks."
Positive"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is provided as a suggestion for dining in NYC."
Neutral"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is mentioned as a dining option."
Positive"Hyderabadi Zaiqa was listed as a dining option within a 10-15 minute walk from Carnegie Hall."
Neutral"Zaiqa is mentioned as a great restaurant, although specific details about its food or quality are not provided in this comment."
Positive"Hyderabadi Zaiqa is listed as a Manhattan restaurant that the commenter has enjoyed."
Positive"The Chicken 65 biryani at Hyderabadi Zaiqa is specifically recommended."
Positive"Hyderabadi Zaiqa was recommended as a local and lesser-known Indian restaurant, suggested as a better option than overly fancy or expensive modern Indian places."
Positive"Zaiqua was mentioned as a good Indian food option, though not particularly known for its bar scene, as the commenter believes Indian food and a strong bar scene don't often go together."
Neutral"Replying to a comment about Hyderabadi Zaiqa's korma tasting like mayonnaise, this user stated that the Biryanis are what the restaurant is known for."
Positive"In response to Hyderabadi Zaiqa being overrated, this user asked for the commenter's favorite dish, mentioning that the korma they had tasted like mayonnaise."
Negative"This commenter found Hyderabadi Zaiqa to be incredibly overrated."
Negative"Regarding Hyderabadi Zaiqa, this commenter mentioned having only had appetizers, chaat, and biryanis at the Lex location and was unsure if curries include naan and rice."
Neutral"In response to a question about lunch specials, this commenter stated that Hyderabadi Zaiqa does not have them, with prices ranging from $13.99 to $18.99 for their biryanis."
Neutral"Hyderabadi Zaiqa has two locations, but the commenter notes that the buffets in Manhattan are gone since the pandemic."
Neutral"This user recommended Hyderabadi Zaiqa."
Positive
