Karachi – the uncrowned king of street food

KARACHI: Karachi, a true melting pot, is home to 20 million people belonging to different regions of the country. With such a varied spectrum comes an assortment of cultures and traditions that result in a rather interesting mix of food the city has to offer.

When defining Karachi’s food culture, one will find it hard to narrow it down to a certain style of cuisine. A simple, poetic definition of the food culture here has to do with its bright, and scintillating colour palette, the constantly evolving menus, and how filling everything always is. Karachi’s cuisine is a mixture, of sweet, sour, and spicy, that integrates our combined culture and history, reaching back to the subcontinent.  We can safely assume that there is no other place in Pakistan that offers the same variety and taste as this city does.

The food scenes are so epic in Karachi that you can find meals in every budget and taste around the city and the best part is that you can find a dedicated food street every few miles. Moreover, every food street has its speciality and those restaurants are famous all over the country for it.

If you’re visiting Karachi, Pakistan, and you have absolutely no idea, what to order, and where to start from; here is a checklist to keep you covered for the remainder of the trip!

Choosing the ideal cuisine to suit your comfort is difficult; the variety is vast, each with its flavour and spice profile but we will try to cover all the holy grails in this breakdown. So let’s get right into it –

If you’re looking for something spicy like Seekh Kababs, Malai Boti, or Chicken Tikka we recommend you to go check out Ghousia restaurant at Hussainabad Food Street. For something savoury, like Karahi or Nihari, with a properly balanced curry ratio. For Karahi go to Frontier Restaurant at Boat Basin, for Nehari, the iconic Javed Nehari of course. To satisfy your sweet tooth, get Kheer from Sony or Kulfi from Chaudry Farzand Ali in Saddar.

If you’re on the go and are looking for a quick yet scrumptious bite Bunkebabs will take care of you. They were superior at first until genuine burgers were invented. This desi burger goes well with a dash of mint chatni and lime on the side (YUM). Shakeel Bun Kababs at Burns Road is the one we recommend the most. Or if you want to try a shredded meat burger maybe go to Hanifia.

Gola Ganda and Kulfi is something you want to hold onto when days are summery, and the sun takes away all your energy. In that case, these two assets can help in energizing, and make for aesthetic Instagram, and Snapchat stories. You’ll be spoilt for choice in Dhoraji given the variations they have to offer. They are extremely pocket-friendly and will enliven your heart to its content.

Paani Puri, Chana Chaat, Meethi Puri, is something you don’t want to miss out on because no one does it like Karachi. These affordable flocks of goodness will hit all the right chords. And while the debate between the three is never-ending, you can go grab a plate at the New Karachi chaat house in New Karachi. If you want to try something new for breakfast, the Arabian Paratha from Fresco Bakery, Burns Road is as good as it can get. If you’re craving BBQ-ed seafood Akram Fish Point is your way to go, and for those who like it fresh out of the sea visit Rashid Bangali in Kemari without any hesitation to turn that frown upside down.

If you’re here for the ambience, you can go to Kababjees Do Darya, The Royal Jasmine, Ambala, and Rosati Bistro. If you are craving sushi or other Japanese dishes, Miyako is the answer to your prayers! For Thai food, no one beats SIAM Express. For steaks Steaks by CFU and Angus Steakhouse will not disappoint you!

Whatever you choose to eat, end your meal with a Chai from Café Piyala to soothe the very core of your soul followed by a paan from Panwaari, Bhadurabad to end the day with a burgeoning belly, and a huge grin from ear to ear.

These are just a handful of must-have items that you can try, and while there’s so much more that deserves a mention from the elaborate cuisines the city has to offer, you can always watch this space for more tasty recommendations!