As Covid recedes, Hyderabad’s DLF night street gets buzzing again

Hyderabad: There was a time when the DLF Road in Gachibowli was where not just hungry techies, but most street food aficionados from across the city used to head for at least once a week. And then, Covid struck. Now, after wearing a deserted look for about two years, this road opposite DLF Cyber City […]

Hyderabad: There was a time when the DLF Road in Gachibowli was where not just hungry techies, but most street food aficionados from across the city used to head for at least once a week. And then, Covid struck.

Now, after wearing a deserted look for about two years, this road opposite DLF Cyber City is buzzing back to life, with the restaurants and food stalls there reopening and welcoming their patrons back.

Before the pandemic hit, the street used to remain vibrant through the day and into the wee hours too, with scores of people and vehicles parked in long lines well past midnight. Apart from IT employees from the area, people from different parts of the city too were regular visitors to the spot.

The food served here also gained popularity and slowly came to be known as DLF night street food due to the delicacies served even during the night and at a time when most food joints would pull down their shutters.

South and North Indian cuisines, including exclusive Punjabi food, chaat, delicacies such as momos, food with a blend of Mughal spices such as shawarma and kebabs, Italian cuisine including a wide range of pizzas, different kinds of Maggi noodles, Frankies, mocktails and Tandoori Chai were some among the many dishes and beverages served on DLF Road.

The street has restaurants as well as small time vendors operating from food stalls, several of them experimenting with food by preparing butter idli, tawa bonda, a burger with momos as stuffing, Coconut & Kiwi mocktails and so on, with most of the experiments finding fans as well.

With the pandemic came work from home systems and along with the restrictions on public movement apart from the frequent variants of Covid-19 viruses, business suffered and the street went literally empty.

Finally, the bad phase appears to be coming to an end and while things are returning to normal, so are visitors to DLF Road. Owners and workers at the eateries say the crowds are gradually increasing and they are expecting the same to scale up in the coming months.

“The condition is much better now compared to 2020 and 2021 and the beginning of this year. We are expecting the customer count to soon reach pre-Covid levels,” said Rajesh Yadav at a food stall offering a range of mocktails, icecreams and lassi.

B Kishore, selling baked items at another eatery, said most of his earlier customers had started visiting his stall and that he was no longer running in losses.

“This is one of the best places in Hyderabad to enjoy a variety of food at cheaper prices. All types of cuisines are available on one street,” said Pratik Kothari, an IT employee who has his breakfast regularly from the spot.

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