A Telugu feast for the eyes

This Telugu restaurant in Hyderabad serves a gentle reminder: you can’t spell architecture without art

04 Sep 2025

A world of dualities awaits you behind this restaurant’s guarded entrance, which stands at the threshold of Hyderabad’s evolving epicurean landscape. Dubbed Telusa, brushes of Dravidian clues and a contemporary twist take the centrestage here, masquerading as a portal to the city’s glorious past. While some details are carefully concealed behind a Kalamkari-inspired teak wood partition, others are peppered throughout the 5,500 sq ft space as a way for the diners to stop, gaze and linger.

Geethu Gangadharan and Sreyas Vidhu, founders of architectural firm Fellow Yellow, masterfully demonstrate with Telusa how novel ideas and tradition can coexist in aesthetic harmony. “Inspired by the Warangal Fort and its Kakatiya columns, a central pillar stands at the heart of this space. Rising from basalt tiles, it reminds visitors that they stand before a lineage built on stone,” the duo explains.

“Inspired by the Warangal Fort and its Kakatiya columns, a central pillar stands at the heart of Telusa. Rising from basalt tiles, it reminds visitors that they stand before a lineage built on stone”

Geethu Gangadharan and Sreyas Vidhu, Fellow Yellow

Colour, moods and Hyderabad

Like Osmania to an Irani chai, a step inside lures you towards the central Kakatiya pillar, akin to the city’s historic Charminar. Although every element at the restaurant assumes a larger-than-life stance — be it the artisanal Cheriyal wall paintings or the lamps — it’s this feature which plays the protagonist with exceptional elan. It rises into a massive lotus bud installation arranged in concentric circles using pots, with a near-hypnotic centripetal force inviting guests in. Dinner with a view? Check.

Drenched in deep tones of red and brown, colour and contrast pose as moodsetters. Accented by sculptural objects and vibrant prints, it stands in stark contrast against the matte black backdrop of the Kadappa stone flooring. This interplay between bold and muted tones contributes aptly to Telusa’s thematic mastery, where authenticity bounces off every Cheriyal-panelled wall.

Local and colloquial

Born out of creative dialogues between first-generation entrepreneurs Pranav, Ananth, and Vamsheedhar, Telusa is fundamentally authentic with its eager reverence for Telugu cuisine and culture, palpable across the space. While Telusa translates to do you know? For them it was a meaningful abbreviation — Telugu Sampradayalu, or Telugu traditions.

The bar counter operates as an entity of its own, boasting a custom-made drum light with kalamkari-inspired print and counter-wall cladding featuring slate stone stripes; Photography by Jubin Johnson

The colossal column which seemingly upholds the structure of Telusa, features fibre pots arranged in concentric circles, surrounding its summit; Photography by Jubin Johnson

This oscillation between culture and conversation became the philosophical foundation for the restaurant, rooted in heritage yet uprooting any redundancies, inauthentic to the Telugu narrative. An extension of this being the Kalamkari, Ikat and gold figurines deep in silent conversation, and the 7ft Nimmalakunta leather chandelier, courtesy of national award-winning artist Dr. Dalavai Kullayappa, which appears suspended in time (literally) with its traditionally glowy facade.

A seat at the table

At Telusa, the setting and seating mindfully cater to different demographics. There’s the central dining space encircling the restaurant, and then, there’s the comely Private Dining Room, perfect for those who like to pair their kura (curry) with quiet.

Monotony does not stand a chance here, with quadrilled walls playfully adorned with Kondapalli toys and lanterns. Meanwhile, the bar counter boasts panoramic views of the Kokapet skyline, a sole window to the present-day Hyderabad, now long dissolved into Telusa’s conventional landscape.