KARACHI: In the late hours of the night in Ramadan, many families in Pakistan’s seaside Karachi metropolis converge on Burns Road and other food streets for the predawn meal after a tiring night of shopping at the city’s busy commercial centers.
Among them is Muhammad Khurram, a businessman from Orangi Town, for whom Eid shopping and Suhoor at restaurants go hand in hand. As chicken karahi sizzles and other food dishes on the menu spread their aroma in the air, his family shares laughs and stories of shopping adventures while sitting at the wooden tables of Aga Sajji eatery, waiting for their meal.
“We went for shopping before coming here [for food] because we thought that Burns Road was nearby,” he told Arab News.
Khurram said his family wanted to experience double excitement in a single trip and decided to have their food at the roadside restaurant after shopping for clothes and gifts for Eid Al-Fitr.
Naveed Iqbal, owner of Delhi Kabab House in the same food street, said he had witnessed a surge in the number of such customers at Suhoor.
“It doubles,” he said. “During the last ten days [of Ramadan], there is more rush because people go out for shopping, families go out, and it gets delayed, it becomes late night, so they say let’s eat outside and then go home.
That’s why there is more rush during Suhoor.” Ayesha Siddique, a housewife, said she was enjoying a break from Suhoor preparations at home, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to unwind with late-night dining.
“Thank God, when things become easy, it feels good definitely,” she said, adding her family had ordered platters containing a variety of food items. “We often make such family plans to go out and enjoy,” she said with a smile.
“When Ramadan comes, these activities become livelier, you know.
Muhammad Shahid, a businessman taking a break from shopping, stopped by Café Laziz at Burns Road, saying he was there to pick up food for his family, highlighting the convenience of dining out.
“The shoppers come here … [to] eat and drink so they don’t have to rush home for Suhoor,” he noted.
Shahid said the waiting time for him to get food was nearly one and a half hours, pointing out that more and more residents of Karachi had started going out for their predawn Ramadan meal.
While locals flood the eateries in different parts of the city, visitors from other places in Pakistan also found themselves enchanted by Karachi’s vibrant late-night culture.
“I have come from Lahore,” Muhammad Faizan, who is visiting friends, said. “I have not seen such an environment, not even in Lahore or any other place in Punjab.”
“Burns Road has its own charm, and the food here has never disappointed us,” he continued.
Faizan expressed surprise to see so many families sitting at roadside eateries at such a late hour at night.
“Everyone here is sitting, sitting as if it’s around 8 or 9 o’clock at night,” he said.
