In Hyderabad, apart from biryani, the other default option when eating out is the thali. It is ubiquitous, in various avatars across the twin cities. Its all-in-one variety with ready service makes it the most popular choice for a working lunch. Hotel Indu Deluxe at Saifabad, a 38-year-old eatery — also referred to as MLA Hotel by old timers owing to its proximity to the Secretariat — thrives on the lunch crowd who throng the Secretariat on work.
Venugopal Reddy, a tobacco trader who worked in the vicinity, started the restaurant in 1985 after he heard his father Jagan Reddy, an MLA at the time, rue the lack of an eatery for visitors at the Secretariat to eat or have lunch meetings. With a lack of Andhra meals in the city back then, Venugopal and his two partners decided to serve hearty Telugu bhojanam at Indu Deluxe. It was an instant hit and much to their surprise, became popular even among visitors to the Birla mandir, the Birla Planetarium, Sanjeeviah Park and Ravindra Bharati. Any tourist who spent even half a day in the Old City, would head here to dine.
