Reader stories
What Fifty Years of Irani Chai Taught Hyderabad
Readers write to us about Irani cafes more than any other subject. This is what their letters taught us.
By Imran Qureshi ยท 30 September 2025
A place to sit
Irani cafes gave Hyderabad a place to sit for the price of a cup of tea. Students, clerks, writers and retired officers shared the same tables.
The same order for decades
Many readers tell us they order exactly what their parents ordered: one chai, two Osmania biscuits, sometimes a bun maska.
Fewer cafes, loyal customers
Rising rents have closed many old cafes. The ones that remain survive on regulars. Read our guide to the cafes still worth the trip.
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