Restaurants in Punjab
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Bundu Khan
Next door to Zanzibar, although not as funky, this restaurant still gets the thumbs up. The waiters are obliging and there's pleasant alfresco dining (indoor seating is also available). The Pakistani cuisine is tasty but can be fiery, so request less chilli if your taste buds aren't up for the ride. Alternatively, opt for the Chinese or fast-food offerings, which include chicken honey wings and chicken cheeseburgers.
The 'kids club' will keep your little monsters occupied while you steal some quiet time.
reviewed
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Bundu Khan
With other branches in Lahore, Bundu Khan cooks up piquant Pakistani cuisine with menu items including a tasty mutton tikka and, for the more adventurous, brain masala. There's also a few non-Pakistani alternatives such as beef burgers and chicken corn soup. During lunchtime this branch mainly deals in takeaway, but in the evening diners can avail of tables and chairs set up outside.
reviewed
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Shangrilla
In the Cantonment area, just off Quaid-i-Azam Rd, Shangrilla is a relaxing place to chow down on Multan's finest Chinese cuisine. The menu includes golden oldies such as sweet'n'sour chicken and beef with lemon sauce.
reviewed
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Lasani Gardens
Whips up the usual mix of Chinese and Continental fare. Sweet tooths will savour the 'chocolate overload' ice cream (Rs60).
reviewed
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Cooco's Den & Café
Set in an eclectic family haveli (traditional mansion), with glorious views of the Badshahi Mosque and environs, the vistas and ambience of this restaurant score slightly higher marks than the food (which is still not at all bad).
The owner, artist Iqbal Hussain, primarily paints portraits of the nautch (dancing) girls of Heera Mandi (Lahore's redlight district), the area in which the haveli is located.
The menu features Pakistani cuisine with traditional favourites and some more-unusual offerings include qeema wala naan (flat bread stuffed with spiced minced lamb) and for dessert, alamghiri laula (a seasonal carrot-based sweet).
Dinner is the most atmospheric time to dine …
reviewed
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Gowal Mandi
Near The Mall, and aptly dubbed 'Food Street' by locals, the area called Gowal Mandi is brilliant for a cheap, hearty feed. The fierce competition between the many eateries along this street works to the customer's benefit, with a variety of tasty, good-value Pakistani cuisine. Although some places are open for lunch, the action really begins after sunset when the area is completely closed to traffic; chairs and tables are set up on the street; and the place takes on a festive buzz.
To stave off the bad bugs make sure you stick to food that is cooked in front of you.
reviewed
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Dumpukht
Named after the cuisine championed by the nawabs (Muslim princes) of Avadh (Lucknow, India) some 300 years ago, this is one of the PC's five fine restaurants. Try the delicious murgh pukhraaj (chicken cooked in yogurt, saffron, Afghan spices and garnished with edible silver paper) - one of the chef's personal favourites. For a midnight snack later, takeaway cakes, croissants, chocolate donuts and other sugary delights are available at the hotel's Pastry Shop.
reviewed
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Jammin' Java
Make a beeline for this hip café if you're suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of a real cup of coffee. There are frothy cappuccinos and lattes, espressos and flavoured coffees. If you've been dragged here by a coffee freak (but aren't one yourself) there are caffeine-free options such as the Hunza High fresh fruit smoothie, as well as light bites. JJ is below the Levis store opposite Café Zouk.
reviewed
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Salt'n'Pepper
Recommended for its tasty Pakistani and Continental cuisine, this restaurant is a welcome retreat from the frenetic streets. A top seller is the boneless chicken handi (chicken dunked in a tomato based gravy). Or perhaps a club sandwich and slice of apple pie will suffice. Salt'n'Pepper has several branches in Lahore. Reservations are recommended on weekends.
reviewed
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Carpe Diem
Just off MM Alam Rd, Carpe Diem serves up organic Mediterranean fusion cuisine. It has a strict 'no soft drink' policy - however the fruit and vegetable detox concoction is invigorating. Enjoy the walnut chicken or the seafood platter in the white washed Med-inspired surrounding. There are live music performances over dinner on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
reviewed
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Freddy's Café
Convivial yet with attitude, Freddy's flaunts a 'politically correct menu' that includes Continental dishes 'flavoured to local preferences'. There's everything from Dijon steak to Afghan 'Tora Bora' chicken. The dessert menu is deliciously insane - who could possibly resist the 'Limited Democracy' ice cream and 'Day & Night' chocolate mousse.
reviewed
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Tourist Street
Near The Mall, and similar to the Gowal Mandi set-up, is so-called Tourist Street. It's another terrific place to fill your belly without spending a fortune. The aroma of cooking oil and barbecued meat fills the air and, like Gowal Mandi, Tourist St has a focus on Pakistani food and also springs to life after sunset, when traffic is denied entry.
reviewed
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Dhaba
Features subcontinental specialities with especially good Mughlai dishes such as nawabi salan (chicken in cashew-nut gravy with herbs and ginger). There are also some Continental offerings - the goat cheese and shrimp pasta and grilled tiger prawns in lemon butter sauce look promising. You can eat indoors or out in the breezy courtyard.
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Eat & Sip
If you have to eat and run, this nondescript restaurant has a hotchpotch of takeaway or dine-in fast food such as chicken burgers, club sandwiches and a satiating (if somewhat greasy) 'lunchbox' (quarter fried chicken, French fries and coleslaw). The innocent-looking preparations in the salad bar can be deceptively chilli-hot.
reviewed
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Zanzibar
Hip and happening, Zanzibar has attentive staff, a chic interior and a swanky circular bar (all that's missing is the alcohol!). The ambitious menu here sports everything from seafood chowder, to hot dogs, to Mexican chicken fajitas. Zanzibar's dessert list even includes an Australian-inspired 'summer pavlova'.
reviewed
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K
Zanzibar 4 Seasons Restaurant
With an attractive interior and good food, this is Bahawalpur's finest restaurant. There are Pakistani, Continental, Chinese and even a few Mexican dishes. Recommendations include the roast beef burgers, jumbo garlic prawn and honey pepper chicken. If your tummy is twisting, try a cup of soothing green tea.
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Gun Smoke
In this Wild West steak house you wont bump into any cowboys, but you can enjoy MTV or the latest cricket match on your own in-booth screen. Brace yourself for some heat if ordering the jalapeño chicken wings and if you are hungry try the Red Hot Sherrif's Cut steak.
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Iceberg
If you've been shopping like a mad thing for CDs and DVDs and need a frosty pep-up, this ice-cream parlour is a godsend replete with icicles hanging from the ceiling. Its 20 flavours include wild strawberry, praline and chocolate fudge; toppings are an extra Rs20.
reviewed
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Café Aylanto
With seating inside and outdoors, this good-looking café tosses up a range of pastas as well as other Continental tempters including New Zealand lamb chops and Norwegian salmon steaks. For pure indulgence you can't beat the lobster thermidor.
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Café Zouk
Funky Zouk whips up imaginative Continental and Thai creations including a divine Pattaya sweet and sour fish, Ethiopian chicken in red pepper sauce and a superb New York cheesecake. Cocktail buffs can sip on a piña colada (minus the kick).
reviewed
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Panda Chinese Restaurant
Comfortably appointed, this is the place to come for familiar wok-tossed favourites such as Szechwan beef. However, like most Chinese restaurants on the subcontinent, the food here is more spice-infused than usual, catering to local tastes.
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Shangrilla Gardens & Barbecue Restaurant
You can opt for standard Pakistani or Continental food here, eaten indoors or out in the garden. The jug of lassi (yogurt and iced-water beverage) is sure to quench the most savage summer thirst.
reviewed
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Chaman
For a cool cone or three you really can't do much better than Chaman, which has carved a name for itself as one of Lahore's most-loved ice-cream parlours. If you have room, try the fruit juices.
reviewed
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Pizzerio Uno Chicago Grill
Decked out in an Al Capone theme, this is perhaps Lahore's best place to sink your chompers into a 12oz fillet steak. Its tandoori chicken pizza is also a treat, as is the Chicago cheesecake.
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Pan Pizza
Opposite Panda, Pan does tasty pizzas as well as a limited variety of burgers and Chinese fare. The delicious hot and spicy pizza does, as the name suggests, leave your taste buds tingling.
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