{"id":360254,"date":"2026-08-01T21:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T21:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/360254\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T21:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T21:14:11","slug":"now-open-at-former-new-tampa-wendys-house-of-biryanis-kebabs-neighborhood-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/360254\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Open At Former New Tampa Wendy\u2019s \u2014 House Of Biryanis & Kebabs \u2014 Neighborhood News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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People have been asking us for years \u2014 and posting questions online \u2014 about whether anything was ever coming to the former Wendy\u2019s location at 19430 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. Until now, we didn\u2019t have any answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The replacement for Wendy\u2019s is a local link in a small but growing chain of 35 halal Indian\/South Asian restaurants called House of Biryanis & Kebabs (HBK) \u2014 and, three days after the restaurant\u2019s ribbon-cutting event with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera on July 6 (above right), photographer Charmaine George and I were treated to a number of delicious dishes by the restaurant\u2019s five local franchise owners, led by Satya Meka (left in photo) and Karthik Achanta (right in same photo). And yes, we thoroughly enjoyed everything we sampled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The three appetizers we indulged in were the most uniquely garlicky Murgh Malai Kebabs (top photo),which were chunks of chicken served fajita-style on a sizzling dish, followed by a spicy Mongadu Gobi (cauliflower, bottom left). Next was an order of Onion Samosas (bottom right), which were different than most Indian samosas I\u2019ve had before, as the tasty onions and potatoes were wrapped in a crisp, spanakopita-style, almost-cellophane-like crust and were not spicy at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can vary the spice on any of our dishes,\u201d Satya told us. \u201cBut, these authentic recipes use the same quality ingredients and taste the same at every HBK location (most of which are along the East Coast and in the Midwestern U.S., with one location in Manchester, England).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, we had to try one of the restaurant\u2019s signature biryanis \u2014 the HBK Special Chicken Biryani (right photo), which combines spicy, long-grain rice, a hard-cooked egg and a side of zesty, slightly sweet red curry chicken.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Our friend Prahlad Madabushi, who introduced us to the owners and is a vegetarian himself, also had us sample a mild mixed-veggie curry that also was excellent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our final sample (left photo) was HBK\u2019s traditional, thick, creamy butter chicken, which we savored with three different varieties of naan flatbreads \u2014 butter, garlic and the spicy (but not too) \u201cBullet Naan\u201d shown bottom right of the page. The naans were all pillowy soft, with a slightly crispy edge perfect for indulging in the butter chicken. I also loved the true Masala Chai tea and Charmaine and I both gave thumbs-up to the Thums Up soda (the Indian version of\u00a0Coca-Cola now owned by Coke) and the house-made, creamy Mango Lassi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In other words, even with its supposedly limited \u201csoft opening\u201d menu, HBK has a lot to offer those looking for authentic (mostly South) Indian cuisine. There\u2019s also lamb, goat, paneer (cheese) and other dishes we will definitely return to try sometime soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information about House of Biryanis & Kebabs, visit HBKTampa.com<\/a> or call (813) 388-6777.<\/p>\n

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