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When I moved to Hyderabad, I was always shocked when people asked “Tiffin Tinnara?” (Did you eat Tiffin?) For anyone from up north, tiffin generally means a steel box in which we carry food. So I was baffled when someone asked me did I eat tiffin.
It was only a few days later when I asked someone that I came to that Tiffins in this part of the country are referred to as light food or snacks. Tiffins as a category consist of a lot of items ranging from Idli, Vada, and Punugulu to Dosa and Upma. And apparently, a lot of households eat tiffin for dinner multiple times a week. So much so that you’ll also find tiffins at weddings!
And when talking about Tiffins, there are quite a few popular tiffin places in Hyderabad. One of the iconic tiffin places in Hyderabad is Pragathi Tiffin Center in Koti. While I had been there during my early days in Hyderabad, I didn’t document it.
So the start of 2023, in fact, the first meal outside the home I had in 2023 was at Pragathi Tiffins. This blog post will be my experience and Pragathi Tiffins review.
Pragathi Tiffins – 2 Decades And Counting
Hyderabad is home to some iconic eateries. From service biscuits and chai to Biryani, there are a lot of them. When talking about tiffins, Pragathi Tiffins is on top of the list for many locals. Many people in the city feel that even today, Pragathi Tiffins has maintained the taste. And for an eatery that has existed for over 2 decades, this is commendable. And to reiterate, I visited the eatery on the first day of 2023.
Location & Ambience
Koti is one of the biggest markets in Hyderabad. From books to clothes and watches to shoes, you’ll find everything here. The area is home to a lot of Marwadis, Gujaratis, and Marathis. And hence there are a lot of establishments in these communities. In a similar pocket known as Hanuman tekdi, there’s a popular women’s college called Pragathi Mahavidyalaya.
Right opposite to it is Pragathi tiffins. Established decades ago for students in the area, Pragathi tiffins serve some of the finest Idlis & Dosas in Hyderabad. It’s a group of two shops side by side. There’s a cash counter and Idli, Vada, and parcel counter in one, the other is where the action takes place. The dosas are made here and people are crowded to grab theirs.
There’s no seating and you need to take your food and have it in your car or on the bike. And hence there are a lot of traffic jams in the area as it is often crowded during peak hours. It might not be a great place to come down with your family, especially if you have elderly people as there’s no seating and there’s a lot of crowd. Lastly, it is also not one of the cleanest places, so if you’re a cleanliness freak, this might not be the place for you.
Must Haves at Pragathi Tiffins
One of the good things about Pragathi Tiffins is that they have limited items and none of them is priced over Rs 100 with the average price being Rs 40. You go to the counter ask what you want, pay the price, and take the token. If you’re taking a parcel, you’re lucky. Else you need to ensure you’re in the queue to take your order, or else there is a high chance that someone else might take it. That’s a problem at Pragathi Tiffins, you need to be in front of the person taking the tokens else you don’t get your order. Surely can be managed better.
Anyways, coming to the food, I had ordered the following items Idli Vada, Masala Dosa, Special Paneer Dosa, and their iconic Ganga Jamuna.
Ganga Jamuna has a serving of 2 idlis, Upma, and chutney. FYI the Upma in Hyderabad is near-water consistency. While I don’t like the Upma otherwise, this combination was good. The watery chutney was flavorsome and spiced perfectly. Even Idli Vada was similar, the vada was just out of the kadhai and was crispy and fluffy. I didn’t taste the Sambhar, the chutney was just enough.
Coming to the dosas, I had Masala Dosa and Special Paneer Dosa. Dosas are made in batches of 12-15 and the person taking the token announces what the next order and the person making it just follows. The dosa is prepared like a typical bandi-type dosa, loathed with butter that is crispy.
The Masala dosa was decent and didn’t have as much butter as I’ve had at other places. Special Paneer dosa had a generous amount of Paneer with Karam and masala. This was also good and the filling was generous.
However, the benchmark for me when it comes to dosas in Hyderabad is Panchkattu Dosa.
Final Verdict: Pragathi Tiffins Deserves Your Time
Any list talking about iconic eateries in Hyderabad is incomplete with Pragathi Tiffins. The place has existed for over 2 decades and is still flocked by a lot of people. It’s the busiest in the morning and is no less during lunch hours as well. Not one of the cleanliest places and no seating option might be a bummer for many.
In terms of taste, the chutney is pretty good and the Idlis are amongst the best in Hyderabad. The dosas are nicely done and seeing the process of how it is made is pleasing too.
The food also is quite affordable as most items are available for Rs 40 on average. I ate these 4 items and paid around Rs 200 which is extremely cheap for the amount of food I had. Overall, a good place to visit and worth your time and money.
Have you visited Pragathi Tiffins? What are the other must-try places in Hyderabad according to you? Let me know in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram or Get In Touch.
