At RMZ The Loft, A Lofty View Of What Hyderabad's Dining Scene Could Be

Reimagining the New Delhi Institution that opened at India Habitat Centre in 2001, the All American Diner set foot in Hyderabad at The Loft on September 23 this year. This is the fourth EHV International brand to launch in the building in 2026. Fireback, a Thai restaurant with chef David Thompson attached, opened first alongside its cocktail-led sibling Barback. Hosa followed a month later, and Comorin is expected in the coming months. It’s not unnatural to wonder if it’s a great deal of real estate in a really short time. Until a few years back, wasn’t it the place you’d go to for biryani and qubani ka meetha? But that’s the thing: a few years can change a lot. Hyderabad is the fine-dining hot ticket right now.

In fact, a city that has a strong food culture of its own might turn out to be an even better spot for a new restaurant. When RMZ Hospitality approached Rohit Khattar’s EHV for Hyderabad and Bengaluru, the latter’s team spent two years eating around town,  only to find tables full wherever they went.

And so Khattar is betting big on the city. The Loft, for example, is in the heart of HITEC City, Hyderabad’s swanky commercial hub. Even when we visit it some time before its launch, a group of officegoers in their pinstripe shirts have stepped into the All American Diner, possibly to enquire about it. You know they would come back for lunch later. 

To step into the All American Diner is to step into a life-size version of the cartoon eateries you saw on television as a kid. Cherry red seats? Check. Strawberry milkshakes loaded with cream and sprinkles? Check. Red and white striped straws? Check. The Diner brings to life every little American trope you could imagine, and then some more. 

The walls are lined with enamel plaques that Khattar personally collected from US flea markets for 50 cents to a dollar apiece. A limited-edition Elvis Wurlitzer jukebox at a corner plays Elvis Presley as we eat. The original opened at India Habitat Centre in 2001 and shut in 2023, and many of the knick-knacks (like the jukebox) have made their way to this outlet. 

The menu runs all day and favours volume (it’s as American as it can get, remember?). The Bacon Jam Benedict, with the fluffiest eggs, collects the warmest praise. The Dodge pairs homemade biscuits with sausage gravy and goes down easily. Avocado toast with fried capers, feta and pickled onion gives the table relief from the heavier plates, and the fried chicken burger lands crunchy and spicy with a sweet edge. The star, however, is the pancakes, soft and airy, a lovely delight to have in a morning when you are determined to have a great day.

But if you thought that the food was a lot, get ready for the drinks. If looks could feed, the Chocolate Bonanza Crazy Shake could single-handedly make up for lunch (and expect that it does should you order it).  For above the shake is a mountain of whipped cream stacked with cookies, malt balls, wafer sticks and candy bars. The B-52 Ice Cream Cone packs three liquor-infused scoops on a wafer cone balanced on a cocktail glass (no theatricality is too much here). Sugar and cream course through every drink on the menu, although some, like the Apple Pie have mastered the moderation well enough for it to not give you a rush right away.

Not that there are no misses: the waffle is harder than you would like, and the pastry in the pot pie is detached when we get it. Some of the drinks overflow with garnishes to the point of spilling. The fish in the fish and chips is too intense for a sea bass, although it’s much better when we try it the next time. 

Fireback is the Thai third of the building. In fact, all three eateries- the Diner, Fireback and Hosa- share a common verandah with tables for days when reservations pile up. The semi-open kitchen here cooks over open fire, a nod to Thailand’s barbecue traditions. The mains here run from the Jungle Curry, with its robust chilli heat and earthy spice, to a Red Curry with Soft Shell Crab that is rich yet controlled, perfumed with ginger and kaffir lime. The Thai Barbeque Pork Ribs have that tangy crust while maintaining the softness underneath.  The dimmed lights and golden accents do not give you the kind of ambience you would visit for your favourite comfort food, but the fried rice here is so soothing in its simplicity that you could visit just to have it by itself. 

Barback is on another wing behind Fireback, with 35 seats, a high ceiling, burgundy tones and gold light that dims as the evening deepens. The room suits a date, a loud group or an overdue catch-up, depending on the weeknight. Head of bars Varun Sharma sends out a Tom Kha Colada worth reordering, a tom yum gimlet whose aroma fills the head. 

Vegetarian starters in both outlets outdo the nonvegetarian ones: chef Kaustubh Haldipur’s khanom jeeb dumplings play a spicier, more assertive cousin to siu mai, and the corn ribs carry a rub that feels just right. 

Hosa sits on the ground floor of The Loft, its name meaning “new” in Kannada. The menu ranges across all five southern states, but its the little birds etched across the pages, all nods to the different states, that catch your eye. The Hyderabad branch opened in August as the brand’s third, after Goa and Gurugram. Brand chef Harish Rao ensures that its offerings are both a comforting nod to home and a dare to purists: Shimeji Mushroom Varuval, Roti Canai, a Pesto Curry Leaf Snapper Ceviche and a Kari Dosa with bone marrow hollandaise. The Toddy Shop Prawns and Crab Masala with Neer Dosa is a highlight for any seafood lover.

As we’re heading out, Khattar tells us how he now belongs to a Hyderabad food WhatsApp group of about 1,000 members, and most mornings he wakes to 300 or 400 new messages. A new restaurant opens in the city every week, he says, and the group tells him before the press release does. It is a humbling inbox for a man who has just parked four restaurants in one building: a thousand locals, all eating out, exploring, every new day, what food can be. The Diner’s jukebox no longer takes coins, yet it plays on, an attraction of its own. Delhi nostalgia can buy a restaurant its first month in Hyderabad; the city’s appetite decides what happens in the months after.