Party orders · on the menu since 2006
Biryani for the whole party.
One sealed pot of biryani, cooked whole for a gathering, which is what the word mehfil means. Choose chicken, mutton or veg at the 16 Hyderabad restaurants that cook it, and both Dubai restaurants take bulk orders too.
- From
- ₹4,500
- Two standard sizes
- 40 or 50 people
- Any other number
- From 10 guests
- How you get it
- Collection only
- Cooked at
- 18 restaurants
- Order it
- Online
2006
The year it went on the menu
40 / 50
The two standard vessels
10
Guests, the smallest order
₹140
A head, at 50
18
Restaurants cook it
2006 · Narayanguda
Mehfil was the first to put a handi on the menu.
Cooking biryani in a sealed handi is an old tradition, but selling one to the public was new. Before 2006, a whole handi was something a caterer arranged for you privately and priced job by job. At the first Mehfil in Narayanguda it went on the menu instead, at a listed size and a listed price, so anyone with a gathering to feed could order one.
The same restaurant changed one more thing that year with the Single Biryani, which took the same idea in the other direction: one generous portion, priced so that anybody could have it. The Single was made for one person and the handi for the whole table. Both are familiar across Hyderabad today, and both started here.
Both firsts came from one restaurant in the same year. The group has grown to 19 restaurants since then, and every one of them still cooks biryani the way that first Mehfil did.
Two sizes, six prices
What a handi costs
There are two standard sizes, one that feeds 40 and one that feeds 50, and they are the two with prices printed below. For any other number the kitchen cooks to your guest count, from 10 upwards, and the branch quotes the price when you order. Every handi comes with mirchi ka salan and dahi raita.
Prices are per vessel, not per head. The 50-serving chicken handi works out at ₹140 a person.
Order ahead if you like, but you do not have to. Handi is cooked fresh every day, so there is no fixed notice period, and most orders are placed the same day.
Chicken
₹5,500serves 40₹7,000serves 50
Mutton
₹7,500serves 40₹9,000serves 50
Veg
₹4,500serves 40₹6,000serves 50
See all six prices as a table
| Vessel | Serves 40 | Serves 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | ₹5,500 | ₹7,000 |
| Mutton | ₹7,500 | ₹9,000 |
| Veg | ₹4,500 | ₹6,000 |
Sealed with dough.
Everything goes into one steel handi. The lid goes on, the gap around it is closed with a rope of dough, and the vessel is left to cook on dum, so from then on it cooks in its own steam, held in by the seal. Nothing is stirred, and the lid stays on until it is done. The food page explains what dum means, along with the other words on a Hyderabadi menu.
- mirchi ka salan
- dahi raita
You collect it from the restaurant.
A handi is not delivered. It does not go out through Swiggy or Zomato, and the restaurant does not send it out either. You collect it yourself, and the branch manager agrees the collection time with you when you place the order.
Serving spoons are not included, so bring your own or ask the branch about them when you book.
Order online
Or place it yourself.
Bulk orders for the 16 Hyderabad restaurants can be placed on our ordering site, handi.mehfilbiryani.com. You choose the size and the branch, and the restaurant calls you back to confirm. The two Dubai restaurants are not on the site, so please ring them directly.
Either way, it is settled on one call.
Whether you order online or ring the restaurant you want to collect from, the order is confirmed on a single phone call. There is no waiting list, and because a fresh batch is cooked every day, you do not need to book days ahead, although you are welcome to if your date is fixed.
If you want a size other than the two standard vessels, its price is worked out and agreed with you on that same call, before anything is written down, so nothing is added afterwards.
At peak hours or on a busy weekend the kitchen may already be fully booked. If so, they will tell you on the call and offer a time they can keep, and if anything changes later, they will ring you. You should never have to find out at the counter.
Cooked at 18 of our 19 restaurants.
16 of the 17 restaurants in Hyderabad cook it at the prices on this page. Find the one nearest to you.
- Mehfil Narayanguda
- Mehfil Attapur
- Mehfil Udamgadda
- Mehfil Shaikpet
- Mehfil Hitech City
- Mehfil Nizampet X Road
- Mehfil Gachibowli
- Mehfil Dilsukhnagar
- Mehfil Banjara Hills
- Mehfil SR Nagar
- Mehfil Exclusive
- Mehfil Uppal
- Mehfil KPHB
- Mehfil BHEL
- Mehfil ECIL
- Mehfil Suncity
Dubai too. Grand Mehfil, Al Qusais and Grand Mehfil, Hor Al Anz take bulk handi orders. That is a separate arrangement in dirhams and none of the prices above apply, so speak to the restaurant, whose number is on its own page.
To order by phone, ring the restaurant you want to collect from. Every number is on that restaurant’s page. Afternoons are the easiest time to get through, because the kitchen is between the lunch and dinner rushes and there is time to talk through a vessel for fifty people.
Asked most
Questions people search for
How much is a biryani handi for 30 people?
A handi is cooked to the number of guests you give, from 10 upwards, so 30 is an ordinary order. The branch quotes that size when you place it. Only the two standard vessels carry a published price, and plenty of parties of 30 simply take the smaller vessel, the one that serves 40: ₹4,500 veg, ₹5,500 chicken, ₹7,500 mutton.
How much is a biryani handi for 50 people?
The 50-serving handi is ₹6,000 for veg, ₹7,000 for chicken and ₹9,000 for mutton. Mirchi ka salan and dahi raita are included at either size.
Can a handi be made for a different number of people?
Yes. 40 and 50 are the two standard vessels, and the only two with a published price, but a handi is otherwise cooked to your guest count, from 10 upwards, with no fixed ceiling. Tell the branch you are collecting from how many are coming and on what date, and they will quote it. Every branch number is on its own page.
How far in advance do I need to order a handi?
You can order a handi ahead of your date, but you do not have to: there is no fixed notice period, and because a fresh batch is cooked every day, most orders are placed and confirmed on the same day. Order online at handi.mehfilbiryani.com, or ring the restaurant you want to collect from. At peak hours or on a busy weekend the kitchen may already be committed. The branch will tell you that on the call and offer a time it can hold, rather than leaving you to find out at the counter. If anything slips afterwards, they ring you.
Can I get a handi delivered?
No. A handi is collected from the restaurant. It does not go out on Swiggy or Zomato and it is not sent by bike. The branch manager fixes a collection time with you when the order is placed.
Which Mehfil branches take bulk biryani orders?
18 of the 19. 16 of the 17 in Hyderabad cook it at the prices on this page: Narayanguda, Attapur, Udamgadda, Shaikpet, Hitech City, Nizampet X Road, Gachibowli, Dilsukhnagar, Banjara Hills, SR Nagar, Mehfil Exclusive, Uppal, KPHB, BHEL, ECIL, Suncity. Both Dubai restaurants, Grand Mehfil, Al Qusais and Grand Mehfil, Hor Al Anz, take bulk handi orders as well; those are arranged and priced with the restaurant directly, so ring them. The one that does not is Box O’ Mehfil, which has a menu of its own and does not cook the handi.
What comes with the handi?
Mirchi ka salan and dahi raita, at both sizes. Serving spoons do not come with it, so bring your own or arrange them with the branch beforehand.
What is a handi, exactly?
A handi is a wide steel vessel whose lid is sealed shut with a rope of dough, and it is left to cook on dum. The steam trapped under that seal is what cooks the biryani inside.
Who started selling biryani handis in Hyderabad?
Mehfil did, in 2006, at its first restaurant in Narayanguda. Cooking biryani in a sealed handi is far older, but before then a whole handi was arranged privately through a caterer and quoted job by job. Mehfil put it on the menu as a listed size at a listed price that anyone could order. The same restaurant introduced the Single Biryani that year.
From ₹4,500
Order a handi