Orlo in Hyderabad serves regional Indian dishes

As Hyderabad’s restaurants increasingly turn towards hyperlocal Telugu variations, Orlo chooses a different path, looking instead across the country. Its name — the English spelling of aur-lo (Hindi for “please take some more”) — pairs with the tagline “The Great Indian Family Table,” a spirit of generosity that shapes the space.

Orlo’s bar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The restaurant is a gentle nudge to gather, share and celebrate. Inside, naturally lit interiors offer a warm welcome. Sunlight filters through the space, settling on wooden furniture and earthy tones that put you at ease — like stepping into a thoughtfully designed home.

Roth Platter
| Photo Credit:
Prabalika M Borah

Community-forward in its philosophy, Orlo gives regional Indian cuisines the space they deserve. The first things you notice on entering, beyond the warm wooden aesthetic, are the desi drinks made from natural ingredients like kokum and sugarcane, and a cupboard neatly lined with pickles. The food follows India’s many rhythms.

By day, Orlo runs as a set-thali, urban-mess-style restaurant; by night, it shifts to an à la carte format. The menu dips into Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and more — not an exhaustive list but a considered selection.

Malai Jhinga
| Photo Credit:
Prabalika m Borah

“It is high time Hyderabad tasted food from different regions,” says co-founder Vickas Passary. “We collaborated with home chefs, hobby cooks and MasterChef contestants to design the menu. The aim was to offer the best picks.”

Remembering that we were, in fact, here to eat, we started with dimer chop with ghugni — a Bengali classic — and lehsuni jhinga, followed by chaat. Most of the starters held their own, except the lehsuni jhinga, which looked the part but needed more seasoning.

Curiosity pushed me deeper into the menu: the roth platter with malai pyaaz ki sabzi; shahbadi bhendi chicken paired with kulcha; and tadka-wali lauki dal with alu tehri, an Uttar Pradesh-style tomato-flavoured rice with potatoes.

I had mentally bookmarked the Rajasthani roth platter from a food show — the intricate khoba roti pattern had stayed with me. When it arrived, Kshitij Bhuraria, the other partner, launched into the proper way to eat it: break the thick, chewy roti into pieces, mix it with the malai pyaaz ki sabzi, and finish with a generous amount of ghee. I promptly convinced him to mix it for me like a seasoned host. He obliged. My digestive system braced itself, but all went surprisingly well.

Dimer chop with ghugni

The shahbadi bhendi chicken echoed the flavours of Telangana’s bendakaya-mutton. The bhindi raita, an unexpected win for someone who does not usually care for raita, paired beautifully with the alu tehri. Vickas also urged me to try the Joha rice pulao, which finished with a faint whisper of biryani. To their credit, the team remained open to feedback throughout.

Desserts stayed refreshingly straightforward: kulfi falooda, meethi bread and suji ka halwa. No modern twists, just simple sweets allowed to be their best selves.

A meal for two costs ₹3,000 plus taxes