Must-see restaurants in Dhaka

Wildly popular with the locals, and rightly so, Al-Razzaque does delicious curries, biryanis and Bangladeshi breakfasts, but the pièces de résistance here…

Indian street food served in a clean, trendy, air-con restaurant. Everything here is delicious, but the chaat (spicy snacks, Tk 50 to Tk 70) are excellent…

After being ransacked by militants in mid-2016, this top-notch bakery rose like a phoenix in a new (albeit tiny) address within a shopping mall in early…

A Dhaka institution in its own right, this legendary store offers an amazing variety of traditional Bangladeshi sweetmeats, as well as a delicious mix of…

It might sound like sticking our necks out, but we reckon this no-nonsense joint probably serves the best biryani in Dhaka, plateful by massive plateful…

A stylish and intimate setting for probably the best pizza and pasta you’ll find anywhere in Bangladesh. The antipasti and fish and meat courses are also…

With smart decor and obliging staff, this upscale restaurant serves a mouth-watering range of authentic Sri Lankan dishes such as oven-baked pol roti …

A very pleasant coffee shop in a quiet, refined courtyard. The coffee isn't super-cheap (around Tk 140), but it's good and you can get great light lunches…

Sushi is relatively new in Dhaka, but Samdado is one of the city's oldest Japanese restaurants. The dark wood and bamboo decor here lends an appropriate…

Bamboo Shoot is Dhaka's most reliable outpost for authentic Chinese cuisine and well worth a splurge. It's in the same building as Agora supermarket – a…

A small but chic new Indian restaurant, with modern cream-and-black fittings and an offbeat line in menus made from laser-inscribed wood. Luckily, the…

Part of the hugely popular Star Kebab chain, this is a hit with the local student population, and does ever-dependable and ever-affordable local nosh in a…

Pan Tau has established itself as a trusted place for great Thai curries, a refined atmosphere and excellent service, all washed down with one of their…

A new and popular Indian restaurant, specialising mainly in Mughal cuisine. Expect thick and buttery curry sauces, tender meat, and a procession of kebabs…

An expensive, but authentic and well-regarded Korean restaurant, which also branches out into sushi.

An Old Dhaka institution, Haji only does one dish – mutton biryani – but does it exceedingly well. This place is tiny, so you’ll almost certainly have to…

Named after an Indian stringed instrument and billed as a ‘symphony of dining’, Santoor serves up mouth-watering Indian dishes. The tandoor kebabs are…

Proving Gulshan isn’t just about Western-friendly posh nosh, this no-frills local favourite knocks out tremendous mutton, chicken and beef curries as well…

A good central choice for kebabs. The beef sheekh kebab (grilled meat on a skewer) and the grilled chicken are sumptuous, and the rotis sure aren’t bad…

One of the most popular of Dhaka’s Star Kebab chains, this one does a mutton leg roast to die for, plus the usual tasty biryanis and curries, and good…