Adil Najam
Note: An updated list of the Best Pakistani restaurants outside Pakistan is now available here.
Here at ATP we like talking about food. Especially Pakistani food (on chai here, on ganderi here, here, on aam here and on omletes here). The start of Ramzan, fasting and feasting, seems to be as good a time as any to talk more about food.
Soon after this blog was first launched we did a post (1 July, 2006) asking our readers to nominate places where they thought one could get the Best Pakistani food Outside of Pakistan. Over the last 12 weeks or so, the post has got some – but not too many – responses. But, interestingly, it remains one of our most consistently visited posts, especially through Internet searches. My guess is that while people are unwilling, or unable, to suggest good places to eat Pakistani food outside Pakistan, they are very eager to find what others suggest.
It is time to tabulate results and do a second installment.
The purpose of this post is (a) to again invite our readers, especially newer ones, to suggest good places for Pakistani food outside Pakistan (especially if you happen to be outside of USA but not in Pakistan); and (b) to consolidate the list that has evolved in the comments section of our first post. This is labelled version 0.01 partly because we hope to have future versions released, and partly because our level of confidence in this is fairly scanty because we know from personal experience that there is much more out there than is reflected in this list.So, based largely on the comments on the first post, but also on my own (wide-waistline) experience, here is a first cut at a list of restaurants (Pinglish = ‘hotels’) outside Pakistan where one might get good (sometimes, great) Pakistani food. We will start with the US, where we did get some fairly specific suggestions.
United States of America (USA)
For variety alone, nothing can come close to Devon Street (Pinglish = ‘Diwaan’) in Chicago. However, great culinary treasures are also to be found in in Dallas and in the San Francisco Bay Area. At least according to those who responded in the first round, the New York / New Jersey belt has a lot of Pakistani food, but not the best Pakistani food to offer. Here are some specific suggestions from our readers:
Best of the Best:
Tahoora Sweets (Chicago) for mithai and meetha
Shalimar (Bay Area, San Francisco) for chicken tikka
Bar B Q Tonight (Carrollton, Dallas) for nihari
Ravi Kabab (Washington DC) for chicken karahi
Highly Recommended:
Sabri Nihari (Devon, Chicago) for nihari
Usmania (Devon, Chicago), for paya and kabab
Lahore Grill (Devon, Chicago) for chargha
Al-Markaz (Richardson, Dallas) for bihari kabab
Kabob King (Jackson Hieghts, New York) for seekh kabab
Roti Boti (Jackson Hieghts, New York) for desi fish
Food Factory (Washington DC), for tikka
The Pakistani Cuisine (Manhattan, New York), for karahi
Agha’s Juice (Carrollton, Dallas) for gola
Royal Sweets (Carrollton, Dallas) for mithai
Mirch Cafe (Freemont, San Francisco) for mithai
Kabab Palace (Washington DC) for kabab
Unfortunately, from elsewhere in the world, the suggestions we got in the first round were less specific. I know from personal experience that there is a lot of great Pakistani food to be found in Canada, in the UK, all over Europe and in the Far East. I am hoping we will get more specific suggestions in the second round.
Canada
Toronto has a large Pakistani population and many Pakistani restaurants; especially in Gerrard Street (Toronto’s mini-Devon). Our readers suggest Lasani, Iqbal Tikka House and Lahore Tikka House (which, we are told, is actually owned by a Lahori!
United Kingdom
Some readers lament that there are lots of ‘desi’ restaurants in the UK, especially London, but not too many real ‘Pakistani’ ones. Amongst the exceptions that have been suggested are: Mirch Masala (branches in Tooting and in Streatham) and the very highly recommended Salloo’s in Knightsbridge.Far East
We are told that in Kuala Lumpur there is a small dhaaba called Pakeeza (off Federal Highway in Petaling Jaya). “The Lahori chef there will cook things ‘desi style’ if you ask him to and will even do paaya and nehari on request in advance.” In Singapore, there is Saffron (in Clark Quay).
So, that is it for now. We hope to hear your views on these and of any others you would add. Especially outside of the United States.
There is a good review of Ravi Kabob on Food Washington – http://www.foodwashington.com/archives/3
As for the UK, the Best Pakistani food i’ve ever had outside of pakistan is probably at the Lahore Karahi restaurant in Southall outside London. They are very very clean and the food is very very good.
I am sad that I have not found a single good Pakistani restaurant in Boston in the past 9 years. A Pakistani resturant opened here a few years ago but closed down – probably due to not having enough business.
I hope somebody can find a business plan around this that would work in Boston – maybe a franchise? If dozens of Indian restaurants with similar-tasting curries can make money, why not a distinctively Pakistani restaurant? Where do I find my Chicken Karahi, Nihari, Paaey, Haleem, Behaari Kebab, Gola kebaab, Andaa Aaloo, and Nargisi Keftay. Chicken Tikka Masalas and Chicken Vidaloo just don’t do it for me :(.
The restaurants mentioned on gerrard street in toronto arent really that great.
In the downtown area and surroundings – not suburbs like Mississauga etc, the best Pakistani food place is Eqbal foods in Thorncliffe.
Bihari Kababs at ‘Pakwan’ in Hayward California are the best
In Germany, I would only suggest Mumtaz Mahal Restaurant in Heidelberg, which offers good service and nice food, their mostly customers are Americans and British. Actually there are many Pakistani restaurants in Germany but they have to put the name as an indian restaurant, otherwise Germans would hardly go and eat there. Its stereotyped in Germany that anything if you sell with the name of Pakistan they wont bother to buy but just put the lable of India on the same thing and you will see all Germans will close their eyes and buy it. I know a shopkeeper from Pakistan who sells Mangoes and Basmati rice by putting the lable of India as he says otherwise Germans wont touch them. No doubt why many Pakistanis in Germany prefer to sell Italien Pizza instead of calling themselves indians and selling the Pakistani food with the name of only Indian food.