PAYA AT 5:30,biryani till 2 AM.

The workhorse

Twenty hours a day, Saidabad X Roads

Opposite the HP petrol pump, Imperial opens before sunrise for paya and marag regulars and closes at 2 AM for biryani seekers. Few kitchens in the city cover more ground: twelve soups, fifty-plus starters, eighty mains, seventeen biryanis — plus lunch boxes, bakery biscuits and a haleem counter.

The biryani follows the Kachi Yakhni method — marinated mutton layered with fragrant rice — and scales from a mini portion to jumbo and family packs with mirchi ka salan and dahi ka chutney.