An evening at The Big Owl Cafe – Review

Related Articles

Aidu – Impressive South Indian Food In Hyderabad

March 17, 2024

How many of you working in the IT industry dreamt of opening a business/restaurant at least once ? This is going to be a dream turned reality post ! Last weekend of the decade was quite an interesting one for me. Because for most part of the last year, I had college and hence weekends were busy. However, off late I started venturing out on weekends. Was invited by a close friend at Cheesiaano Pizza at Himayatnagar last Saturday. And this was followed by a review session an evening at Te Big Owl Cafe in Sainikpuri. I was told multiple times that Sainikpuri has a lot of cafes but I never explored that area. So this is about how I spent my evening at The Big Owl Cafe Review.

Ambiance to chill – The Big Owl Cafe

Sainikpuri is quite far away from where I stay, nonetheless I’ll travel for food anyways. Thanks to Google Maps I reached the destination and saw a board for The Big Owl Cafe. However, it did take me a few minutes to figure out where the cafe actually is. Since it’s a rooftop setup, there’s a lift that takes you there.

The lift opens into the cafe and you are greeted with The Big Owl ! The brain child of few techies who decided to fuel their dream of opening a cafe. Thanks to the weather Gods, the weather in Hyderabad has been pretty amazing for the past few days (touch wood) The cool breeze welcomed me to the cafe. They have two seating areas one on the inside and the other on the terrace. They have projector placed outside and have board games along with Foosball tables on the inside. Quirky quotes, abstract wall art and too much yellow light is what the ambiance at Big Owl Cafe is like.

Food & Drinks Review – The Big Owl Cafe

We were a group of almost 14 people and hence decided to sit inside with a table reserved for us. The cafe has quite an expansive menu and serves some really good dishes. From hot beverages, pizzas, meal combos to pizzas, pastas & much more, the Big Owl serves everything. The menu was both vegetarian & non vegetarian and you know what I ate 😉

Les Entrees – the starters

Once we all settled, we started off with some Mashed Potato Sandwich, Veg Lilliput Pizza Platter, Pull-apart Garlic Bread and Panipuri Pizza. The Mashed Potato Sandwich served was grilled to perfection. However the stuffing could have been a tad better. The flavors were quite average. The Lilliput Pizza Platter was a nice concept to server few little pizzas in a platter. These reminded of the pizzas we made at home during our childhood days. The base could have been done better. The Pull-apart Garlic Bread tasted good, but lacked the pull-apart cheese effect.

Lastly, the Panipuri Pizza was a marriage between Italy & India. The Puris were stuffed with Pizza sauce, veggies and cheese and tasted pretty nice. The crunch of the puri made it taste even better. The plating could have been done in a better way. Something like the way they served at FabCafe. Overall, the entrees were good.

Digging into the continental Main Course

While we played a quick Foosball game, the main course items were getting ready. The dishes we were served included Veg Noodles, Veg Fried Rice, White Sauce Pasta, and Cheese Spinach Corn Waffle. The first thing that came in was the Fried Rice. It was like any other fried rice that you would have eaten elsewhere, nothing special. The quantity was decent. Veg Noodles and White sauce Pasta were both pretty bland and tasteless. Though loaded with veggies, these two didn’t excite my taste buds. Cheese Spinach Corn Waffle sounded exciting however it was abysmal. It was just waffle loaded with plain white sauce and cheese garnished with corn and spinach. I’m sure the chefs could have done it in a much better way. In the end, the main course were a let down.

A1 beverages at The Big Owl Cafe

Living up to its cafe tag, the beverages at the Big Owl cafe are quite good when compared to everything else we had. The Masala Chai is simply superb and highly recommended. Spiced and brewed to perfection, you’ll love this if you love chai. On the cold beverages part, we had the Peach and Watermelon Mojito and Brownie Blast Herculean Shake. The Peach Mojito was average but the Watermelon Mojito was refreshing. Not too sweet yet flavorful. Coming to the Herculean Brownie Shake, it was herculean. Felt like holding the Olympic torch in the hand. The brownie was good, however the shake was watery. The taste was good, just that if it was more thick, it could have been better.

Final Verdict: Good Ambiance with so-so food

That particular lane in Sainikpuri had a lot of other cafes, but I don’t know how many had a roof top setup. The ambiance, especially the roof top area is pretty good at the Big Owl Cafe. On a good, windy day, sipping a hot cup of Masala Chai won’t harm. They have got the beverages right, however the food is something they should work on. Few dishes were bland and can be improved. Pani Puri Pizza is worth giving a shot and so is the pull apart garlic bread. Masala Tea is highly recommended. Are you a chai lover too ? What’s you favorite chai ? Mention in the comments below, tweet to me at @atulmaharaj or DM on Instagram.