Now serving in Varanasi

A taste of Punjab, poured over Banaras.

Slow-cooked dum biryani, tandoor blistered with cherry-coal, hand-pounded masalas from a 70-year family kitchen. Where Lahori spice meets Banarasi soul.

Book a Table Explore the Menu
Years
15+
Outlets
04
Daily Plates
1.2k
🌶️ Saffron 🍚 Basmati 🔥 Tandoor 🍯 Ghee
Today’s special
Lucknowi
Dum Biryani
लखनवी दम बिरयानी
slow-cooked · 24-hour marinade
Our Story

From a tandoor in Amritsar
to the lanes of Banaras.

In 1955, in a one-room kitchen near Hall Bazaar, our Dadiji rolled her first kulcha. Three generations later, in 2011 we crossed the Yamuna and brought that same dough — and that same fire — to the city of Shiva.

Every grain of basmati is hand-picked. Every spice is dry-roasted on a kadhai older than most of us. The dum biryani sits over slow coal for ninety minutes — because shortcuts have no jagah here.

  • 🌾
    Hand-pounded
    masalas, never machine-blended
  • 🔥
    Cherry-coal
    tandoor at 480°C
  • 🥛
    Daily milk
    set into curd by 6am
House Signatures

Plates that built our name.

Six dishes our regulars order before they sit down. Each one a recipe we have refused to change since the day Dadiji approved it.

No. 01 ₹ 460

Lucknowi Dum Biryani

लखनवी दम बिरयानी

24-hour saffron marinade, sealed with atta dough, slow-cooked over coal until the basmati hums.

Tasting profile
No. 02 ₹ 420

Murgh Makhani

मुर्ग़ मखनी

Smoked tomato gravy, day-old butter, and a spoon of cream that tipped the scale.

Tasting profile
No. 03 ₹ 980

Tandoori Raan

तंदूरी राँ

Whole leg of lamb, hung curd, ginger and a bottle of single-malt the chef refuses to name.

Tasting profile
No. 04 ₹ 320

Sarson Da Saag

सरसों दा साग

Mustard greens crushed with a wooden ghotni, finished with white butter and bajra roti.

Tasting profile
No. 05 ₹ 180

Amritsari Kulcha

अमृतसरी कुलचा

Aloo, anar, paneer — your pick. Stuffed, slapped against the tandoor, brushed with desi ghee.

Tasting profile
No. 06 ₹ 220

Pinni & Phirni

पिन्नी और फिरनी

Atta-ghee pinni from Patiala, set phirni in clay kulhads — an honest sweet ending.

Tasting profile
The Chain

Four kitchens. One Banaras.

Every outlet runs on the same masala, brought daily from our central spice room in Sigra. Drop in, or send a craving — we deliver across the city in 45 minutes.

Flagship

Sigra · Flagship

Our first kitchen in Banaras. The full menu, every dish.

Address
B-21/146, Sigra, Near Bharat Mata Mandir
Hours
11:00 AM – 11:30 PM · Daily
Call
+91 98765 43210
Directions Book here
Late Night

Lanka · Near BHU Gate

Open till midnight. Student combos, big thalis, bigger lassi.

Address
B-1/152, Lanka, opposite BHU Main Gate
Hours
12:00 PM – 12:00 AM · Daily
Call
+91 98765 43211
Directions Book here
Sunrise · 7 AM

Assi Ghat · Riverside

Rooftop seating, Ganga aarti view, by-the-river thandai.

Address
Assi Ghat, near Subah-e-Banaras stage
Hours
07:00 AM – 11:00 PM · Daily
Call
+91 98765 43212
Directions Book here
Banquet

Cantonment · Mall Road

Inside The Mall complex. Family hall, valet, banquet of 80.

Address
Mall Road, Cantt., next to Hotel Pradeep
Hours
11:30 AM – 11:30 PM · Daily
Call
+91 98765 43213
Directions Book here
In Their Words

4.8 stars across 2,400+ reviews.

We do not chase ratings. But we do read every one. Aap ka pyaar — sab kuch.

“The dum biryani arrives at the table sealed in atta. They crack it open in front of you. The aroma alone is worth the trip from Lanka to Sigra.
A Aanya R. Local Guide · Varanasi
“I have eaten Punjabi food across three continents. The galouti at Punjabi Zaika sits in the top three. The kulcha is the top one.
V Vikram Mehta Foodie · Mumbai
“Came for a quick lunch, left after two and a half hours. The captain insisted on the phirni. He was right.
S Sara T. Solo Traveller · UK
“Lanka outlet stays open till midnight. After viva, after submission, after heartbreak — it has been there. Salted lassi cures everything.
R Rohit K. BHU Student
“Catered our daughter's engagement for 80 guests. Not one complaint. Even the dadi-in-law asked for the dal makhani recipe.
M Mrs. Banerjee Resident · Cantt.
“The Assi Ghat rooftop at 6:30 AM, masala chai in a kullhad, the river below — this is the most underrated breakfast in north India.
I Imran Q. Travel Writer · Delhi
Reservations

Save your seat at the tandoor.

Tables fill up by 7. Drop a booking and we will keep the kulchas warm. Walk-ins always welcome — but Saturdays bite back.

Reservations +91 98765 43210 WhatsApp Chat with the host Private Events hello@punjabizaika.adsdial.com

Reserve a table

We confirm bookings within 30 minutes during operating hours.

By booking you agree to our table-hold policy: tables are released after 15 minutes past the reserved time.