Eating out in Pakistan is different to any other country I’ve traveled around and it’s fraught with tensions. To begin with if you are not in a large city, and you are a woman, there are few options. There are establishments called ‘hotels’ which cater for migrant workers, and these have eating places, at street level which consist of a few tables and chairs and a cooking area. Often I prefer to grab some street food and eat on the hoof.
Street Food in Pakistan
There are samosas and pakoras on nearly every street, so it’s great for vegetarians as the samosas are usually made of potatoes and lentils. At the tandoors you can get naan type bread with a potato topping or with besan (chickpea flour), chillies and a slice or two of tomato to keep you going, or there are large naans in an oval shape favoured by Pathans and so known as Pathan naan. If you go to a bakery you might be able to find a pizza type item although sometimes they have a strange sweet base, which is not what your taste buds were expecting, especially as they come with chillies and a version of ‘cheddar’ cheese.
Eating at a Pakistan “Hotel”
Again, if you are a woman you may not feel comfortable in one of these places, not because of any obvious reason, but you will be rapidly escorted to the back of the room where there might be a curtained section which will screen you from the men. These sections are called “family rooms” and the waiter will carefully pull the curtain across when he leaves the room. The food is good in these places, but simple and you have to eat what they have cooked, so try to catch a glimpse of the food in the huge pots that will probably be near the door as you are whisked through the main eating room.
The tastiest food I’ve had in one of these places is the chicken halim, which is different lentils and meat that has been cooked slowly for hours, so that it has shredded and melts in the mouth. Winter is the best time to find this dish.
Pakistani Restaurant Chains and Chinese Restaurants
In the large cities of Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi for example there are many Chinese restaurants and these are popular with the Pakistani middle classes. In tourist areas you will find eateries such as the Red Onion chain and walking down Mall Road in Murree, you can find Afghan, Thai and Chinese cuisine on offer. In brand new shopping malls (think small not US or European size) there will probably be a good eatery, and only the other day I spotted a Subway outlet near Jhelum, but it was still being decorated and hadn’t opened for business. Famous fast food outlets like MacDonalds are very popular with young people, and are the places to be seen.
If you hanker after European food because your stomach is in revolt after a surfeit of spices, then head for a city or a tourist destination and try a hotel restaurant. They have tight security and probably not much of a view if you are in Islamabad, but you can probably get a meal that your fragile stomach can tolerate. Personally I love spicy food and can’t get enough of it, but I can cook at home and the choice of what I eat only depends on the season, not a menu.
Pakistani Cuisine is Best when Home Cooked
As with most other world cuisines Pakistani home cooking is usually superior to restaurant food. Unfortunately you may not be invited to a Pakistani home for cultural reasons. For example, if you are a woman, then you would be invited quite readily into a home with unmarried daughters, but if you are travelling with a male companion, this might not happen as the daughters would have to be segregated from your companion, and the men would eat in one room while you ate with the women in another room. If you wonder why your Pakistani friend is happy to take you out to eat but doesn’t invite you home, it could be because he or she has to think of the reputation of their offspring. Pakistan is still a very traditional culture and however modern people appear they are very much bound by the traditional mores.
Different regions have very different cuisines and a tour of Pakistan will bring many culinary delights. Just be prepared for the kinds of places you can choose to eat in.
Lynne Evans - I have a BA(hons) in English and American Lit, and a MEd in TEFL and multicultural education.I have been a consultant in the fields of ...
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