The Nawabi city is not just known for its biryani, but also for its paan. From Secunderabad to Hyderabad, numerous paan shops rule the heart of the paan-lovers. Whether it be the small outlet in M.G.Road which is known to serve one of the best ‘meetha’ paans or the one in Abids, Hyderabadis are lovers of this mouth freshner and natural digestive. It is said that the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan was quite fond of the paandaan, a casket used to store these betel leaves.
One such paan shop is the Dimmy Pan Palace at Prendhergast Road in Sindhi Colony. Hold your breath. The shop has over 75 varieties of paan-with 30 varieties for the sweet-toothed paan lovers. The 12-year-old Pan Palace has carved a place for itself in the city for ‘best’ paans. “We get customers from different cities who hear about us through friends,” said Srinivas, owner.
Their speciality however is the ‘Kalakatta Meenakshi’ paan or the mint paan. “Their mint paan is one of the best in town and I love it,” says Subhash Agarwal, a regular here. And for the chocolate lovers, you must try the chocolate meetha not to forget the kulfi meetha, which are not surprisingly also the fastest selling paans. Priced from Rs.15 onwards, the Pan Palace also takes large scale party orders. “We have many people taking orders for functions and weddings,” Mr.Srinivas claims.
