Best Chicken Biryani in Boston Area?

[idealist]

My husband loves chicken biryani and I wanted to know if anyone had suggestions of where I can find good chicken biryani in Boston. Right now I'm leaning towards JMP because it sounds like the kind of dive food stall that might have a good biryani. Any other suggestions?

[Luther]

Mutton biryani at Kabab & Tandoor in Waltham. Really fantastic. Make sure you get actual biryani, sometimes if they're in a rush they'll try to pass off lesser rice dishes (perfectly tasty greasy basmati rice with peas and such) as biryani.

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Kabab & Tandoor
699 Main St, Waltham, MA

[hiddenboston]

I really like the chicken biryani at Shanti in Dorchester.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

The chicken biryani at JMP is fantastic, but the lamb is even better.

One of our standard "I don't feel like cooking" takeout dinners is a lamb biryani, one of the spinach dishes and a garlic naan from JMP. However, last time we got takeout from there, I finally got something I didn't like: avoid the chicken tikka masala. Unless, that is, you're having a severe case of childhood nostalgia for Spaghetti-Os. Then you might love it.

[Prav]

Ha, spaghetti-Os... that's exactly how I'd describe their CTM as well. Or some runny Campbells tomato soup.

I'll have to try that lamb biryani. Do you know if it's got nuts?

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Hm. I don't *think* so, but given that my own biryani (ironically, what I'd decided to make for dinner tonight even before I saw this thread!) does have a handful of nuts and diced fruit thrown in, I'm having trouble being positive that JMP's biryani doesn't, if that makes sense. I know theirs has no fruit, and I'm pretty sure it has no nuts either, but I'm not comfortable enough to say 100% that it doesn't.

[Luther]

It doesn't have nuts. I'd describe it as mellow and a little smushy... comfort food.

[Prav]

Thanks fellas. :) (I'm allergic to nuts). May have to pick some up. I've avoided this place in the past (as I usually am tempted by other things in the Super 88 food court) 'cause I had the tomato-soup CTM, but I'll have to check out their rice.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Honestly, the tikka masala is the first disappointing thing I've ever had from here. As I said, the saag dishes are uniformly quite nice, and make good accompaniments to the biryani.

[Luther]

Yeah I remember the saag being by far the best thing, very fresh tasting.

[MC Slim JB]

I second the JMP Int'l rec (also lamb first, then chicken), which I learned about here from BFP.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[jajjguy]

I'm no expert, but the biryani at Kabob Factory in Somerville is very tasty.

[blink617]

I've been pretty impressed with the biryani at Kebab Corner in Medford

[BostonZest]

I'm more a lamb biryani than chicken person but two standouts for me are India Samraat on Mass Ave between Commonwealth and Marlborough and the Tamarind Bay Coastal Kitchen version.

Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/

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India Samraat Restaurant
51A Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115

[MC Slim JB]

Another place worth mentioning is Cafe Mamtaz in Southie, a worthy little take-out place with Bangladeshi owners. They do biryani in Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi styles, though I couldn't tell you precisely what that means.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/