This fizzy ‘masala soda’ in Hyderabad is a must try!

The 80-year-old small shop Chicha Cooldrinks in Lakdikapul sell five flavors of sodas including fruit cola, lemon, jeera, ginger, and ice cream flavour

Hyderabad: On the busy Lakdikapul main road, an 80-year-old small shop hides in plain sight. Unlike other establishments on this stretch that have multi-coloured neon name boards, the small shop doesn’t have any distinctive signboard, perhaps, because the owners never felt the need for it.

Some call it ‘Ice Cream Soda Shop’ while others refer to it as ‘Chicha Cooldrinks’. But local residents and long-time customers find the shop synonymous with one name ‘Idrees Saab’.
“My Abba Jaan opened this shop in 1943. From Nizams to famous actors, cricketers, and politicians of that era, everyone would visit our shop regularly,” says Mohammed Idrees who started working with his father ever since he was 8 years old.

Today, he manages the shop with the help of his son Mohammed Owais and son-in-law Abdul Hakeem Javed, who despite having their respective careers, dedicate a lot of time for the family business.

While most cold drinks businesses shifted to modern refrigerators, Chicha Cooldrinks still uses the old method of storing the drinks in a box filled with ice. Adding to that, their masala is what they are famous for.

“We started mixing this special masala with our soda in 1980. It became an instant hit. Even today, a lot of people come only to taste that,” he informs.

They sell five flavors of sodas including fruit cola, lemon, jeera, ginger, and their most noted is the ice cream flavour. Once you finish one-fourth of the soda, a pinch of that masala is dropped into your drink which leads to frothing.

From youngsters who discovered the shop through word of mouth to elders who have been visiting for a long time now, Chicha’s unique way of drinking soda is what keeps the business running every day till midnight.

The surroundings of their shop have gone through major changes over the years. Tall buildings have come up, the main road has been widened and a metro station has come up just a few meters away. But Idrees Saab and his masala ice cream soda has remained a constant.