Charminar Biryani House

Alright hear me out.This is the first Indian spot downtown & I have been here over 50 times. I love the food here & all the food is consistently good EXCEPT!!! The butter chicken and chicken tikka marsala. Sometimes they're super flavorful and delicious and sometimes they actually taste like nothing. It's my one gripe and BUT I'm willing to take my chances any day of the week!

as the only Indian spot downtown, this is definitely a go to for me. I had their butter, chicken, their lamb vindaloo, and obviously their biryani. they let you pick the spice level, but are very true to what the spice is. So definitely don't be afraid to go for a little spice which definitely enhances the flavor of the dish. I thought everything was quite great, they were really fast with it, and there are some tables inside to sit at and enjoy. I thought the biryani was definitely their best dish, with a lot of added flavors, very tender chicken and the sauce that they give you to put on top definitely do that because it helps with a bit of the dryness of the dish.

Solid Indian food. Smells amazing, everything just needed a bit of salt, which is easily fixed, and better than being too salty. We ordered samosas, the Tandoori mixed grill with garlic cheese naan and lamb vidaloo. The samosas were quite good and the sauces that go with are yummy - one sweet red sauce and one savory green cilantro sauce. I really liked the green one and dipped my naan in it too. Fried well, seasoned inside, and not greasy. The garlic cheese naan was perfect - cheesy, herby, charred, soft and chewy. Highly recommend. The lamb vindaloo was saucy and smelled so good; lots of tender savory lamb, and it comes with a side of white rice, perfectly cooked and fresh. The medium spice level was definitely spicy, but not too much. I really enjoyed the Tandoori mixed grill, especially the sausage-like pieces and shrimp. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and had this delicious char on them. Yum. The chicken was tender and moist with that signature bright red color. And there was definitely enough meat to eat for 2 meals, maybe 3 for me. And for $18 downtown, that's a good price. A nice man who appeared to maybe be the owner was chatting with a table of folks when we walked in; we were greeted right away and our food was ready right on time, as we ordered ahead online. They didn't miss anything in our order - it was perfect, hot and fresh. I will say this: their menu is huge, and I've seen some hit or miss reviews. Maybe stick with the basics the first time you go - butter chicken, chicken tikka, biryani, tandoori, etc. Or maybe try one of the dishes that are prepared and waiting, as those are probably the most popular and made most often. I love that they have ready-to-go options for people who don't have a lot of time to grab lunch. As a suggestion for this small downtown location, they may want to consider shortening the menu. I did find it interesting that they had so many goat dishes, and one of the most glowing reviews was about their goat. Since I've never really tried it, maybe I will be adventurous next time.All in all, fair prices downtown with decent portion sizes and excellent samosas, naan and shrimp. We will definitely come back again.

This review saddens me GREATLY. This is my third time eating here. The first time I ordered was through Uber Eats, they suck as a delivery service, so some bad things are expected, such as I paid for a salad and didn't receive it. The second time my husband and I came for lunch, it was a four star visit. Today it is unacceptable and I actually want my money back. The food is so blah and bland today I almost feel like I need a Covid test because THERE IS NO TASTE!! I can smell and when you add salt the taste miraculously comes in.So I was .29 cent short because I left my card home. I had cash, they were great with that. Also, this time they gave me cold water and a cup.. wish I had had that last time, the last time I got their complimentary tea, which is not on the counter today! My table neighbors just got theirs, so the tea must be up CONSISTENCY MATTERS FOLKS.Those two reasons the patience with my lack of $0.29 cent and the water are the reason they got one star.Everything else was bad, like really bad.The salad had pepper on it, no dressing. The last time I got it there was dressing. Like a house dressing.. the other time it was not delivered maybe because they should take this $6.00 waste of money off the menu. Lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, no dressing.To add insult to injury. When I asked for dressing they offered me some big cheap bottle of ranch at an authentic restaurant, on here is the kicker... THEY OFFERED ME KETCHUP!!! Am I being punked, where's the joke?Ok, moving on to the soup. They asked me the heat level. I said medium. They brought me a bowl of barely hot soup, flavorless, and zero heat. I love daal soup. I have had this before... where is the heat, and the seasonings. I added the pepper and salt.. it still was lacking the stuff, coriander, the authentic flavors.The last thing I ordered was the fish pakora!!Deep sigh... it was not good. More batter than fish, and no FLAVORS WHAT SO EVER. My three strikes rule is in effects. I will not strike out a restaurant until they have three strikes. This one now has one... it was so bad I almost want to count it as two strikes!!!!!! But the last visit here saved them. THIS TIME.

The first thing I'll say is that I will come back and give Charminar Biryani House a second chance. The restaurant is very small, and they do have a few tables to dine in. Since there wasn't a lot of space, I opted to take my food back to the office.I'm not sure if I ordered the wrong thing. The flavors of the biryani were traditional, but I don't like that it seems they have hidden all the dry chicken under the rice. There were even pieces I spit out due to it having a warmed-over flavor and being so dry. I am thinking next time I will just try the tikka masala or butter chicken.

The food was AMAZING!!!!!! The staff were super nice and informative. Will be back again for sure. The owner is really helpful and knowledgeable. He does a great job of explaining planning things so if you haven't had Indian food before it's easy to order here.

Food was delicious and service was fast! Not pictured, but the mango lassi was also delicious! Will be back soon :)

I was excited to have an Indian restaurant nearby my workplace, but with many restaurants downtown you pay the high price. I couldn't believe when I picked up my lunch the total was $34.99 (that's including my tip). I could eat lunch at the fancy steakhouse around the corner for cheaper. Also, we realized that some of the items were $1 more than what the price was online so be aware.

I was on a trip, and just had the opportunity to dine in in . I had ordered a Goat biriyani and the food was awesome. The quantity and the taste was well worth it. A great place. Will definitely visit again.

Disgusting food. My husband food a long hair in the food. They just took the plate and said to go ahead and help ourselves to the dirty Buffy again. They didn't even remove the tray where the hair was found. We are having stomach ache as am typing this review. It smelled weird and tasted even weirder. Please save your money and go so elsewhere. Meat was rubbery and food was cold and they didn't have a good variety anyway. Will never go there again. Not worth the money or the stomach ache.