This 45 Seater in Hyderabad Is Serving Up Cantonese With Character

Located in the heart of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, it is apparent that Lili is clearly not competing with the city’s larger, louder dining rooms. It chooses instead to slow things down. With just 45 seats and a reservation led format, the space feels tastefully and thoughtfully designed from the moment you walk in, almost like stepping into someone’s carefully imagined world.

For Naveen Krishna, co-founder, the idea began with travel. “We all travel a lot and try different kinds of restaurants. We always wanted to do an intimate, cozy dining scene,” he says. In a city where scale often defines success, Lili takes a different route. “Rather than going for big spaces, we wanted to give the best product along with the experience. In a smaller space, the experience is much better. You are serving fewer people but you are able to focus more.”

That decision comes with its own constraints. With a two hour dining window and four service rounds a day, the restaurant caters to about 180 guests. The demand, however, has been constant. “People are loving the food and space,” he says.

What sets Lili apart is how deeply the narrative runs through it. Designed by artist Siddharth Kerkar, the space feels like a living canvas, layered with references that quietly reveal themselves. There are ceramic pieces, tea inspired motifs, and even a representation of a Chinese traveller who journeyed across India. “Everything you see here is contemporary art driven. We wanted the space to reflect our love for Cantonese food and Chinese culture,” says Naveen.

That love extends to the menu, which leans into Cantonese flavours but does not stay confined to tradition. “We wanted to do an elevated Cantonese. Keep the flavours authentic but present them in a way that works for our palate,” he adds. The name itself carries meaning. “It is not Lili’s, it is Li Li. In Chinese culture, Li is a name used for both men and women. It stands for strength, power, endurance,” says the co-founder.

In the kitchen, Chef Tarun Bhatia, Brand Chef, builds on that philosophy with a menu that balances memory and experimentation. “We started with the idea that there is a void of good premium Asian food in the market,” he says. Initially, the approach was more classical, but the direction evolved as the space came together. “When we saw the design elements, we realised the food also needed to feel more fun and contemporary. That is when we moved towards a more evolved Cantonese approach.”

For him, the challenge lay in understanding the local palate without losing the essence of the cuisine. “In Hyderabad, people enjoy spice and sour notes. I worked around those preferences but my food is always about balance,” he explains. The menu reflects that interplay, rooted in Chinese flavours but shaped by global influences drawn from his experience across cuisines.

Some dishes have quickly found their following. “Our Mala lamb is one of the most popular. It is a 36-hour process and it comes together as a small plate with a lot of depth,” he says. The dim sums, particularly the lamb and the bacon variants, are also among the most ordered. At the same time, the menu makes room for vegetarian dishes with equal attention, from truffle mushroom preparations to nostalgic hakka noodle bowls.

Behind the bar, mixologist Gaurav Dhyani, World Class India Winner 2018, approaches cocktails with a similar sense of balance. Having spent time observing the city’s drinking patterns, he sees Hyderabad as a growing market. “The cocktail culture is still evolving here. You cannot go too complex immediately. You have to build it step by step,” he asserts.

His menu reflects that thinking. “We keep the cocktails simple to understand, but there is always a layer of complexity in the flavour,” he explains. Many of the drinks are pre batched to ensure speed without compromising on taste. “No cocktail should take more than a few minutes to reach the table,” he says.

There is also a clear emphasis on storytelling. Each drink carries an element that stands out, whether it is an unexpected ingredient or a subtle nod to Asian flavours. “There has to be something that makes you curious,” he says. A mocktail like White Season, with apricot, cherry, clarified tomato and white chocolate soda, often surprises guests. “People find it unusual on paper but once they try it, they either want it again or ask to add a spirit.”

Across the menu, that sense of curiosity continues. From highballs built for warm evenings to cocktails layered with umami notes, the bar complements the food without overpowering it. It fits into the larger rhythm of the space, where nothing feels rushed yet everything is carefully paced.

At its core, Lili is about how a dining experience feels rather than how large it is. “A successful experience is when guests leave happy,” Naveen says simply. The team plans to keep evolving the menu with seasonal changes, drawing from an already extensive bank of dishes developed over months of trials.

Lili is the kind of place that invites you to sit down, pay attention, and let the details unfold slowly, whether on the plate, in the glass, or on the walls around you.