I have been eating here since my childhood (early 90s or so) and am sad to note that this place has been on a consistent decline over the last few years (since 2005 or so). The taste is not what it used to be (its very inconsistent- at times good and at times downright unpalatable) and the service reaches a new low every time I am there. I still regularly visit the restaurant (albeit, at the insistence of my parents) but its a sorry state of affairs.
This intensifies during peak hours - people are made to wait, often to see people coming in after them receive a table (has never happened to me as I always try and visit early as I mention below) and when they do manage to get a table, the food quality and the service makes them wonder what the wait was all about! The attitude of the waiters and the steward is ’this is what I can serve you (whether you ordered it or not), take it or leave it’.
For those seeking to brave it out and visit Nanking for nostalgic reasons and in the hope of a good meal like earlier times (like I do!), the safest time to go is by 12.30 p.m. for lunch or by 6.30 p.m. for dinner. The probability of disappointment is lesser. As other users have mentioned, Nanking was one of the oldest restaurants in Hyderabad and its sad to see it like this today - I do hope someone in Nanking takes notice of the problem and does something. Nanking can only depend on its name and past goodwill so far and will be sad to see this place go down further in the pits.