Madhapur, Kondapur and Gachibowli are turning out to be the fastest growing hubs for restaurants with techies lapping up all that’s new on the food front.
It’s lunch time and Madhapur begins to get restless. Corporates stir out of their work stations and set out for lunch. Not everyone heads to the office cafeterias or to the comfort of dabbas packed from home. The lure of quaint eateries and restaurants in and around Madhapur is hard to miss.
Across Cyber Pearl, the yet unfinished SBR Gateway complex houses Papa John’s that harps on thin crust pizzas, the South Indian restaurant Aviyal, Shamrock that has a special lunch buffet, All Seasons that serves Middle Eastern cuisine, the fast food joint Venky’s, an unpretentious Darshini with its USP of idlis and dosas and Cinnamon Fusion that serves eclectic continental cuisine.
The wait near the elevator gets longer as groups trickle in. Some of them still display their id cards prominently. One group is headed to All Seasons as part of its team lunch meeting and debates on the tabouleh and kebabs. Inside Cinnamon fusion, the conversation varies from the project in hand to treks in the Himalayas as diners pick their choice from the six-course menu of continental cuisine.
Move on to Shilpakala Vedika food court area where KFC, IDP (Idli, Dosa, People), Mast Kalandar, Quiznos and Paradise juggle for space and you know that Madhapur has the scope for even more eateries. “I have eaten at many of the corporate cafeterias. The subsidised food offered is neither healthy nor tasty. There is a definite market here since this is the financial hub of the city with the highest number of professionals working in one location. They all need more choices to eat out on a regular basis as well as for team lunches and dinners. IT professionals, both couples and bachelors, also pack dinner quite often,” says Sameer Reddy, one of the partners of IDP, who opened his second branch in Madhapur after a successful one at Prenderghast Road.
In fact, quite a few of the restaurants in and around the area are branches of restaurants that have been successful in other localities. Four Seasons, near Google, was one of the first to set up shop in the area after its success story at Tolichowki.
A stone’s throw away from Hi-Tech city is another clutch of restaurants — Greens coffee shop, 17 degree North, Food ‘n’ I – Flavours of China — apart from Mainland China, Khao Galli and others.
Scratch beneath the surface and it’s evident that both restaurateurs and diners are on a learning curve. The IT sector throws up a mix of high-end clientele that loves to dig into global cuisine at Westin and Lemon Tree and newcomers and mid-rung employees who are content with their fix of biryani.
“It’s still a price-conscious market. When young employees who aren’t earning much step out to eat, they want something within Rs. 50. They are used to subsidised cafeteria food. On the other hand, there are a number of people looking to eat something different. This is a learning phase,” says Abhishek Kankanala, founder of Organika, which specialises in frozen yogurt apart from healthy short eats.
From what we hear, more restaurateurs are eyeing for their share of the food pie in this area. Foodies, keep your forks and knives handy.
Keywords: Madhapur, lunch, cafeterias, SBR Gateway complex, food court, IT professionals
