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?
