Highly seasoned, tantalisingly spicy, rich-with-ghee food? Yeah, we’re talking about the Pakistani cuisine. Just like its culture, the country’s food is influenced by various regional traditions, with a local twist. The Pakistani cuisine is characterised by various regional cooking traditions from Iran, South Asia and Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, as well as elements from its Mughal legacy.
First, let’s look at five restaurants for some amazing Pakistani food if you’re on a budget.
Ravi Restaurant Dubai
The best-known Pakistani restaurant in Dubai, Ravi (originally only in Satwa and now also in Karama) is an unpretentious eatery where you can eat like royalty and be treated like royalty without having to pay a fortune. A crowd favourite since the 1970s, don’t miss its mouth-watering chicken and mutton tikkas or the dal fry. Tales of its special biryani have travelled far – apparently, the American rapper Snoop Dogg came looking for it while he visited Dubai.
Karachi Darbar
This is another of the crowd favourites when it comes to trying out inexpensive Pakistani cuisine in Dubai. Karachi Darbar’s shrimp masala, butter chicken and mutton kadai are quite sumptuous even as its menu also lists Chinese dishes. Whatever you choose will set you back by only a few dirhams per dish – so come with a voracious appetite.
Pak Liyari
For those who miss the taste of Pakistani biryani, Pak Liyari in Deira, Al Nahda and Meena Bazaar offer the best mutton biryani in Dubai. Complement that with a dessert of Zafrani Kheer, and you’ll get transported back to the bylanes of Karachi (Lyari is one of Karachi’s oldest settlements and its most densely populated part).
Student Biryani
This chain of restaurants has outlets in Al Barsha, Al Nahda and Al Karama. It derives its name from Café Student, started by its founder Haji Mohammad Ali in 1969 in Karachi. He offered an affordable bowl of biryani to students returning home, and that sowed the seeds for the brand to evolve into Student Biryani. Biryani is what it is famous for, along with haleem, shami kebabs and tandoori roti.
Daily Express Restaurant
A full serving of chicken biryani along with chicken seekh kabab, salad, yoghurt, a soft drink and dessert for Dh25? Yeah, that’s one of the weekday value meals on offer at the Daily Express Restaurant, located near Deira City Centre and Al Barsha. Biryanis are definitely what you must have, but their dal (Veg meal with dal tadka is Dh19) is also worth a try.
Now let’s look at five Pakistani casual dining restaurants to enjoy if you don’t mind paying a little more.
The Kebab Shop
The Kebab Shop opened its first outlet in Discovery Gardens and is now also located in Dubai Sports City, Silicon Oasis and Media City. Visit this gem of a restaurant for its incredible Kebab Masala and signature curries.
Nayaab Haandi
True to its name (‘nayaab’ means unique in Urdu), Nayaab Haandi in Al Barsha and Al Wasl (also in three locations in neighbouring Sharjah) serves unique handi (earthen or metal cooking pot), grills, biryani and butter chicken.
Spinzer
Located in Al Barsha and Oud Metha, Spinzer serves a variety of Pakistani dishes such as bun kababs, curries and BBQ. Best-known for its biryanis and signatures such as chicken haleem, the ubiquitous chicken tikka and botis too are marinated and grilled to perfection.
Wakha
The restaurant, with branches in Al Barsha, Umm Suqeim and Al Nahda, custom-makes the meat as per the customer’s choice, even letting them choose their cut. Shinwari is a Pashtun tribe found in Western Pakistani and Afghanistan. The Shinwari cuisine is renowned for customised butchering and cooking. Wakha stands out for its chapli kababs and Shinwari kadahi.
B&B Café and Restaurant
Located near Lamcy Plaza and Dubai Motor City, B&B Café and Restaurant is arguably the best place to land beef nihari, aloo bhaji, lassi, and the barbecue favourite chicken tikka. If you arrive here in the early part of the day, don’t miss its halwa puri, a popular ‘weekend breakfast’ in the Islamic republic.
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