At Plano’s Biryaniify, the Rice and Spice Make Everything Nice

In a ranking of self-explanatory restaurant names, this one might just take the top spot. Biryaniify is a new takeout establishment in Plano serving more than 22 different varieties of biryani. From chicken to goat to seafood, the locally owned spot is able to mix just about anything into a bowl of biryani rice and make it taste good.

Just the smells at this place will have you drooling like one of Pavlov’s dogs. It seems like the air in the small shop is intentionally infused with smells of garlic, cardamom and masala-marinated meat to prime your hunger before you order.

Our suggestion: order the chicken dum (12.99), a style of biryani that includes a heavenly blend of masala-marinated chicken, potatoes and Indian spices slow-cooked in a clay pot. The gongura shrimp biryani (18.99) is a good option for seafood lovers. It comes with pan-seared shrimp meat tossed into an aromatic blend of spiced biryani rice. Vegetarians, they didn’t forget you. For a meat-free option, try the paneer biryani (12.99), a hearty mixture of rice, vegetables and pan-fried cheese cubes.

If you thought that biryani couldn’t possibly become more customizable, think again. What’s great about Biryaniify is that the kitchen allows you to choose the spice level of your dish. Depending on how confident you are in your spice tolerance that day, you can choose from low, medium or high spice. Don’t overestimate yourself. If anything, underestimate your tolerance. Spice is taken seriously here.

Biryaniify’s other menu items include vegetable-filled momos (8.99), flaky samosa pastries (6.99) and traditional Indian curries like butter paneer and egg masala (12.99). While Biryaniify has an average take on these classics, we might suggest that you fill yourself up on the biryani first. Intense flavors of cumin, coriander and cardamom are nicely balanced by the comforting aftertaste of Indian ghee mixed throughout. Our biryani dish was even better than we expected. But to be fair, we should’ve seen the top-notch biryani coming. It’s in the restaurant name, after all.

The hardest part of our visit here might have been the car ride back. The smells of Indian spices and marinades seem to seep effortlessly out of the food containers. Unfortunately, Biryaniify’s to-go-only restaurant model leaves you no choice but to wait as you drive in hungry anticipation of a good meal. It’s worth the wait. Whether you’re a spice-seeker, an Indian food-lover or just an adventurous foodie who stumbled by, you’ll enjoy the food here. We just hope the car ride isn’t too long.

Biryaniify, 4006 W. Plano Parkway, No. 160, Plano. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – midnight; closed Tuesdays.