ISLAMABAD: Most New Year’s resolutions involve improving your health by hitting the gym more often and embracing special diets. While no one but you will be to blame if the gym part does not come true, restaurants and cafes in Karachi are ready to support your dietary promises throughout the next 12 months.
One of the most popular diet options, which remains a fad in 2020 and probably will not go away anytime soon, is gluten-free eating.
Gluten is a group of proteins, called prolamins and glutelins, which give the bounce, hold and texture of everything delicious: bread, pasta, cereals. So when you land in Karachi with a commitment to skip gluten but indulge in the city’s cuisine, you are safe. It not only has the best food in Pakistan, but is also the most gluten-free friendly city in the country.
For those on a health kick, there is perhaps no better place to pop in than the highly popular Evergreen. Owned by the same people who brought cult Xander’s to the culinary world, Evergreen is about clean, simple food, and a fitness enthusiast’s dream menu – from protein shakes to juices, gluten alternatives, vegan and keto options.
For the gluten intolerant, Evergreen does what other restaurants cannot do. It gives options. All their pastas can be substituted with zoodles – noodles made of zucchini. They even have gluten-free pancakes, cereals and granola on the menu!
Adobo is the newest brick on the culinary block in Karachi. A Mexican fast-food restaurant, similar to the very popular Chipotle and Q’doba in the US, Adobo is bringing authentic flavors to Pakistan, with even their avocados imported from Mexico. To skip gluten in taco shells or wraps, one can indulge in burrito bowls with steak, shrimp, chicken or ground beef. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available. Adobo can break up the boring bbq and vegetable diet that many gluten-avoiding persons in Pakistan are forced to adopt.
Côte Rôtie is one of the best-known restaurants on the pricier side of things in Karachi. It is not an everyday visit kind of place for the budget-conscious, but if you find yourself there, there is a wide variety of options for those who want to skip the bread, even though it’s a French restaurant! With a number of appetizers to their long list of seafood dishes and steaks, for a treat night, Côte Rôtie is a perfect choice.
Tapas restaurant Loco has spent considerable time on Karachi’s top restaurant rankings and for good reason. Loco delivers on Spanish-inspired cuisine, but also caters to the gluten intolerant. One can even get Crunchy Seaweed Tacos that use seaweed instead of flour tortillas. Their hearty seafood menu includes ceviche and patatas bravas – a classic small dish based on potatoes, which are the favorite of all those who skip gluten.
While the holiday season can be a bit dry without cakes, cookies and all things “yum,” you can still add sweetness to your life with some hot chocolate. Espresso in Karachi is going all out for the festive season with an emphasis on extremely decadent hot cocoa with charred marshmallows and chocolate shavings, which is deeply imbued with the warm, intense flavor of chocolate.
One of the biggest things one has to give up when going gluten-free is the soul-filling comfort food of parathas, lasagnas and most chaats, but if you eat meat, Sol in Karachi won’t have you thinking about anything else. With a slow cooker and true to barbecue styles in the southern states of US, Sol slow-cooks beef brisket, ribs and makes mouth-watering burgers – just forgo the bun. It is must-visit by gluten eaters and non-eaters alike.
Cafe Flo is another gluten-free friendly option! Flo knows how to make a good steak which goes with incredible potato. But what really steals the show is their authentic, nostalgic French Onion Soup. Hearty, delicious and worth going back for. When others are slapping butter onto freshly made bread, the warmth of the soup will let you set aside all gluten-related longing.
While talks about Karachi cuisine can never be complete without biryani, the good news is that rice is not related to gluten in any way, so you can rush straight away to the unmatched Biryani of the Seas (BOTS). Their shrimp biryani, shrimp karhai, and Goan-style crab curry will immediately make you forget all your naan-related yearnings.