Visakhapatnam’s Food Story in 2025: Comfort, Chicken and Late-Night Cravings Lead the Way
Visakhapatnam’s food habits in 2025 painted the picture of a city deeply rooted in comfort, value and familiar flavours, with a growing appetite for convenience and indulgence. According to the Visakhapatnam edition of How India Swiggy’d, the year saw strong growth across meal occasions, cuisines and delivery formats, reaffirming food’s central role in the city’s everyday life and celebrations.
Dinner emerged as the most loved mealtime in the city, with dinner orders growing by 23 per cent year-on-year. Late-night binging also picked up sharply, with orders between 12 am and 2 am surging by 48 per cent, highlighting Visakhapatnam’s growing preference for indulgent comfort food well into the night.
Chicken, Dosas and Desserts Dominate
Chicken Biryani stood tall as the most ordered dish in Visakhapatnam in 2025, clocking nearly 13.12 lakh orders during the year. Traditional South Indian staples such as Veg Dosa, Idli and Onion Dosa followed closely, firmly holding their place among the city’s top five dishes.
Dessert cravings leaned indulgent, with Chocolate Cake emerging as the most ordered dessert, followed by Mango Rasmalai, Gulab Jamun and Boondi Ladoos, blending celebration with comfort.
Mornings in the city remained traditional. Veg Dosa led breakfast orders with 1.47 lakh orders, closely followed by Veg Idli at 1.43 lakh orders. Onion Dosa, Veg Vada and Poori rounded off the top five breakfast choices, keeping mornings light and familiar.
As evening hunger struck between 3 pm and 7 pm, snack-time choices turned decisively indulgent. Chicken Burgers dominated this window, averaging 165 orders a day, followed by Chicken Fry and Chicken Nuggets.
Late-night orders reflected similar preferences, with Chicken Biryani topping the charts between midnight and 2 am, followed by Chicken Burgers and Chicken Nuggets.
Regional Influence and On-the-Go Eating
The city’s culinary preferences also reflected strong regional influence, with Maharashtrian cuisine emerging as the fastest-growing cuisine in Visakhapatnam, recording a 64 per cent growth in 2025.
Travel-time cravings saw a significant rise as well. Orders through the Food on Train feature at Visakhapatnam Junction grew by a massive 171 per cent during the year, underlining how food delivery has become an essential part of travel.
On Swiggy’s affordable 99 Store, Chicken Biryani once again topped the list, ordered nearly 233 times a day, followed by Veg Dosa and Veg Idli. At workplaces, professionals leaned on Swiggy to power their lunches, with Chicken Popcorn topping DeskEats orders at over 157 orders per day, followed by Veg Idli and Masala Dosa.
High-protein food also gained prominence in 2025, with over 2.12 lakh high-protein orders placed through the year.
Speed Matters: Bolt Deliveries on the Rise
Quick delivery continued to be a key driver in Visakhapatnam. On Bolt, Chicken Biryani led with 2.5 lakh orders, followed by Veg Dosa and Veg Idli. Rasmalai, Bobbatlu and Choco Lava Cakes were the most ordered desserts on Bolt.
In one standout moment, a plate of Chicken Dum Biryani was delivered to a customer in just three minutes. Late-night Bolt orders mirrored overall trends, with Chicken Biryani, Chicken Burgers and Chicken Nuggets dominating the midnight hours. The city’s largest Bolt order included 16 pizzas and 28 Choco Lava Cakes.
Commenting on the trends, Sidharth Bhakoo, Chief Business Officer, Swiggy, said, “In 2025, food continued to be an important part of our daily life and celebrations as India indulged in its favourite dishes. In Visakhapatnam, we witnessed a fine balance between the love for classics and the comfort of national favourites. From late-night indulgences to premium dining out, the city embraced its rich cultural tapestry through food.”
Dining Out Sees Steady Growth
Dining out also gained momentum in Visakhapatnam in 2025, with over 60,000 diners seated through Swiggy Dineout. Collectively, the city saved ₹1.52 crore through the platform, while the highest individual saving touched ₹21,495 in a single booking.
Premium dining found its audience too, with an average of over 27 premium dining bookings per day. Celebratory dining stood out, with the highest single bill recorded on Mother’s Day at ₹17,926, while Father’s Day saw a peak spend of ₹16,894.
India-Wide Trends: Biryani Reigns Supreme
At a national level, Biryani continued its decade-long reign as India’s most loved dish, with 93 million biryanis ordered in 2025. Burgers and pizzas followed closely, while Veg Dosa remained a favourite with over 26 million orders.
Snack-time cravings across India leaned heavily towards burgers, rolls and nuggets, while the chai-samosa ritual continued strong. Desserts saw a mix of global and desi favourites, with chocolate-based cakes leading the charts.
Global cuisines such as Mexican, Tibetan and Korean gained traction, while regional cuisines saw strong growth, reinforcing the trend of hyperlocal and authentic food choices. Dinner remained the most dominant mealtime nationally, with dinner orders nearly 32 per cent higher than lunch.
All statistics are based on data collected between January 1 and November 30, 2025.
