Lahore, which is the capital of Punjab province of Pakistan, is sometimes referred to as the food and cultural capital or the heart of Pakistan. A mythological legend based on some oral traditions said that Lahore was named after Lava, the son of Lord Rama, who supposedly found this city. Even today, Lahore city has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava. This city has played an important role during the movement of independence in undivided India. It was also considered as the largest city of Pakistan post-independence, which provided easy access to India through Amritsar, which is just 30 miles away. Hence, this city has varied cultures and cuisines. The people of Lahore are called as Lahoris, and they are known for their love for food and eating.
10 Famous Pakistani Street Foods:
The best food in Lahore is its street food, and no restaurant can match the authenticity of the taste these dishes offer. The street foods in Lahore can serve you an entire day’s meal with some excellent breakfast, delicious lunch, and lip-smacking dinner. Here we have a list of the best street foods available in Lahore.
Dahi Bhallay:
There is a famous song written by a Pakistani lyricist Tariq Tafu saying that “If you haven’t seen Lahore, you haven’t even born. Those who have seen Lahore let us celebrate with eating Dahi Ballay”. These are the soft fluffy balls made up of black lintels and dipped in Dahi (curd) with a mixture of mashed potatoes and boiled chickpeas. These fluffy balls are topped with green chutney and sev. To enhance the taste, they add a pinch of chaat masala. This mouth-watering dish is served with thin-sliced onions and tomatoes to have a colorful look.
Halwa Puri:
The name itself says that it is a sweet snack. This usually is the breakfast dish that the people of Lahore love to eat. The halwa in Lahore is made of pure Ghee, and this served with the puris accompanied by chanaa masala. If you are visiting Lahore anytime soon, do not miss this salivating dish.
Laddu Peethiyan:
This is yet another beloved dish available on the beautiful streets of Lahore. These are the fried batter gram lentil balls served with sour and sweet tamarind sauce, plum sauce, and apricot sauce, and this dish is accompanied with thinly grated radish salads. This dish looks falafel, but it’s crunchy and tasty. The radishes served with this dish makes a healthy dish.
See More: Street Foods in Turkey
Nihari:
This is the famous non-vegetarian street food of Lahore that consists of a stew with a lump of slow-cooked meat (usually a lamb, beef, goat, or chicken) along with the bone marrow. This thick curry is marinated in special spices, lime, and garlic. This mouth-watering dish is served with freshly cut ginger and coriander leaves and accompanied with naans or bun. This dish offers a wide range of Nihaaris, but the Tawa fried Nihaari is just lip-smacking.
Butt Karahi:
This dish is considered as one of the traditional street foods of Lahore. Butt Chicken Karahi is the thick gravy cooked with a blend of spices, pieces of boneless chicken, and garnished with a dash of tangy lime on it. This yummiest dish is the heartthrob of many Lahorians. This is served with butter naan or tandoori roti, which makes it a perfect meal for lunch or dinner.
See More: Popular Street Foods in Goa
Beef Khoya Tikka:
This famous dish is made from the small and succulent pieces of beef meat. These pieces are fried and soaked with the best of spices along with the lime. These tikkas come in 2 types of wet and dry tikkas. The wet tikkas are served with naans or tandoori roti, and the dry Khoya tikkas are amazing when eaten alone. The dry ones are served with a spicy green chutney, dip the tikkas in the chutney before eating to have a mesmerizing feeling.
Paaye:
This is a widely enjoyed dish on the streets of Lahore. This dish consists of trotters or hoof of the cow, buffalo, goat or sheep. These are cooked to perfection with a variety of traditional herbs and spices along with a dash of lime on it. The salivating gravy is served with Lahori roghni naans with sliced onions and vegetable salads for a delightful meal.
Taka Tak:
This dish sounds crazy, but to be sure this dish is named after the sound produced from the metal utensils while the chef prepares it. The boneless organ meat, such as the brain, liver, heart, and kidneys, is minced on the tawa. These are sizzled in assorted spices, traditional herbs, and served with a topping of mint chutney on it. The best Taka Tak dish is available at Café Riaz, Samanbad.
See More: Food Streets in Ahmedabad
Rabri:
Rabri is a sweet dish that is widely eaten after a tasty lunch or dinner as a dessert. Sometimes it may be eaten alone. This is a condensed milk-based dish made by boiling the milk on low flame until it becomes dense. It is then richly embellished with sugar and nuts for an added flavor.
Fruit Chaat:
Lahore streets have a refreshing and juicy fragrance because of the availability of fruit chaat at every corner of the streets. The beautiful arrangement of the various fruits will pull you into their stalls to have the lip-smacking fruit chaat. Different fruits like bananas, grapes, apples, oranges, strawberries, etc. are finely chopped and served in a bowl with a topping of chaat masala on it.
See More: Delhi Street Foods list
Best Food Streets in Lahore:
- Lahore, which is famously known as the food capital of Pakistan, has several food joints available on its streets. If you are a chaat lover, then you should visit Bano Bazaar in Anarkali Lahore.
- Neela Gumbad and the Abid market are best known for the Laddu Peethi in Lahore.
Many local street food vendors offer the Dahi Ballay, but Nafees Dahi Ballay outlet near the Barkat market serves you the yummiest one of Pakistan. - If you are a true lover of Nihaari, then indulge in the best places of Nihari available at Waris Nihari House, Muhammadi Nihari, and Sheermal in Lahore.
- Most of the tourists are attracted to the street foods available in Gawalmandi, Anarkali, and the Badshahi Mosque area. If you wish to visit Lahore then these the places you shouldn’t miss.
- Lakshmi Chowk in Lahore is also one of the famous streets where you can find the delicious Butt Karahi dish. Also, Sultanpura is the area where you can try out the paaye and the best shawarmas.
- Are you tired of eating the local cuisines? Try out the different styled burger called Anda Shami from Rangeela Burger, Main Mall road near Naqi Market.
- Paitha and Gajar ka Halwa from Butt Sweets, Lakshmi Chowk, serves you the best halwas in the entire city of Lahore. These halwas are considered as the undisputed champions of halwas in the whole city of Lahore.
- If you are interested in a vegetarian dish with the local flavor, then Daal mash from Latif Hotel, Laksmi Chowk, is your stopping point.
- Have you heard of Dhood jalebi? Yes, the jaleb is are dunked in a cup of milk and served to you at Gawalmandi. Make sure you do not miss this dessert.
Lahore is the place to visit once in a lifetime because of its varied lifestyles, literature, music, and, most importantly, the cuisine. If you are planning to visit Lahore in the near future, then don’t always spend your valuable money on the lavish restaurants. Instead, try out the famous street foods in Lahore. The authentic taste of a region or city comes only from the streets and hence hit these streets to know more about the foods. The excellent food options are available to you on the streets of Lahore at throwaway prices. Try these foods, and please do share your experience with us.
