Long-grain basmati rice layered with marinated meat (goat, chicken or beef) and saffron, sealed under dough and slow-cooked. The Hillcroft Mahatma Gandhi District signature.

Houston's biryani tradition runs through the Mahatma Gandhi District, the Hillcroft corridor anchored by Pakistani and Indian immigrant communities since the late 1980s. Kaiser Lashkari's Himalaya, opened in 2004, codified the Hyderabadi-and-Karachi style: a kacchi (raw-marinated) lamb biryani layered with rice and slow-cooked over coals, with saffron, fried onions and mint. Hyderabad House, London Sizzler and Bombay Pizza nearby all run their own variations. The Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown feature on Lashkari in 2016 made Hillcroft a national destination; the strip now holds Pakistani, Gujarati, Hyderabadi, Tamil and Bangladeshi rooms within a half-mile.

2 editor picks for Hyderabadi biryani in Houston, ranked by editorial score. All Houston signature dishes · Hyderabadi biryani across every city.