Monday 4 November 2013

Top 5 Cafes in Karachi

The onset of the 21st century saw a café culture explosion in the metropolitan that is parallel to the time of 1960s, when the city used to have an amazing night life. The implementation of Hudood Ordinance in 1980s took away the booming cafe culture, which only made its return under the last military regime.

These days, new cafes are popping up around the city nearly every day and are lacking any distinguishing feature, which can make them stand out. Based upon my experience and reviews, here the (current) top 5 cafes in Karachi:

5- Sattar Baksh

Not a personal favorite but according to reviews and hearsay, it is one of the ‘in’ places this season. The ambiance is no doubt great but the food is really overpriced; I mean who will pay Rs.300 (Rupees Three Hundred) for a Bun Kabab? For someone like me, value for money is equally (if not more) important than the ambiance or fancy names of dishes, therefore Sattar Baksh did not make it to my personal favorite place to eat at least.

4- Café Pink Cadillac

Although this café will not win any award on originality of its menu, the ambiance is truly novel and is not comparable to any other café out there. The food is a little overpriced compared to (Roasters or Arizona Grill) but considering the quality & quantity of the food, it is totally worth it. They took their name very seriously therefore the interior is designed based upon the pink theme and an actual Pink Cadillac is mostly parked outside its premise.

3- Euphoria

This cafe has the burgers to die and at a very reasonable price. The ambiance is not extraordinary but is good enough to have a decent outing with friends. If you are short on cash or really hungry, I would definitely recommend you to check this place out.

2- Bella Vita

This café is my favorite whenever I have a craving for something sweet. Bella Vita offers some of the most original flavors in ice-cream and is also in the business of producing their own magnum style bars. If you still have not visited this place, you are missing out on something really exotic.

1- Xanders

Whether you are pizza lover or in the mood of having Boba Tea, this place has it all. The food quality is amazing and the serving size is respectable (compared to other cafes located in the same line like Café Forty4. Majority of the times I have found this place to be jam packed and had to wait for a table. In terms of crowd, it is a ‘maila’ & ‘taru’ free zone. 


What do you think about these places? Did your favorite café made it to this list?