For many Hyderabadis, the food they eat outside is not very different from what they cook at home. That’s just how we are.
Sometimes, though, it becomes a little repetitive and you start looking for new cuisines. That’s when you realise Hyderabad has been left slightly behind compared to other cities — perhaps one reason the city didn’t secure even a single spot in Condé Nast Traveller’s list of India’s top 50 restaurants this year.
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see a handful of supper-club pages pop up on my Instagram. The idea isn’t new — offer a distinctive food and cultural experience — but Hyderabad has never really been a place where such things thrive, given how conservative we are about experimenting with food.
But it looks like the city is finally changing. Unlike influencer ‘food reviews’ — most of which are paid — these new exclusive clubs seem to be targeting food connoisseurs who don’t mind paying a premium.
One of the first to pop up on my feed was the Mingle Supper Club and the Secret Supper Club, both of which follow a speakeasy-style format: you register first, and only later are the details of the event and menu shared. This is an interesting development for Hyderabad, where people have generally been finicky about forking out money for such experiences.
These supper-club pages also build excitement on social media before they begin. It shows that Hyderabad now has a niche audience — people who are tired of dining at the same old places and are looking for new experiences beyond the usual networking circuit.
Someone who has been to three or four such dinners told me the hosts even take away phones to make sure people talk to each other and stick to the rules. One of the earlier experiences I tried myself was The Long Table by lawyer-turned-chef (and my acquaintance) Pragati Mitta.
Hyderabad’s supper clubs, a vibrant scene
I first went for her seven-course mango-edition dinner and liked it so much that I returned for another themed meal later. This was over a year ago, and I remember telling her that Hyderabad needed more of these experiences. Her dinner was priced at around Rs 3,000 per person, and it was worth it.
But these newer supper clubs charge almost double, and in one case even triple, from what I’ve heard. That, to me, is both surprising and fascinating because I didn’t know Hyderabad had a market for such things. We have always had wealthy people here, yes, but that hasn’t necessarily meant they were interested in such clubs.
An F&B consultant who has worked in various cities told me the core clientele in Hyderabad’s supper clubs is rich young people who don’t want to meet others in bars and clubs anymore. Loud places, apparently, are not in.
There also seems to be something for everyone. One new page I came across, Table of Essence, is a women-only supper club that offers a more “soulful” experience, according to its description. The trend of exclusive groups for like-minded people really seems to have caught on in the city.
I can’t vouch for the food at every club, but I’m assuming it’s elevated given how much people are willing to spend. What I will say, though, is that there’s a pattern in Hyderabad’s F&B scene: new ventures run very well for the first three to six months.
The real test is what happens after. The same goes for these supper clubs. I hope they do well, stay true to their USP — great food paired with memorable experiences — and don’t fade out.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)