It seems like every day there are a number of new eateries opening up in Karachi. In a city that has food integrated into its culture, it is very hard to just set up shop and hope for the best. The people of this city demand the very best and if you can’t deliver on that, you stand no chance of ever becoming part of Karachi food culture.
Recently a few places did seem to appear out of nowhere and have had everyone talking about them. So we decided to go in and take a closer look to see just what the hype was all about.
1. Loco
Latin cuisine is not something you’d commonly associate with Karachi. However, the people at Loco have gone the extra mile and brought you just that – but if you’re looking to go there for lunch you’re going to be out of luck since it opens around 7PM.
As soon as you walk in you question whether you are at the right place, or if there is a secret upper floor to the restaurant. However in due time when you accept that this isn’t the biggest floor space a restaurant has ever had and that everyone in the place is going to be an active listener to any and all conversations you have you can move on to the menu.
The menu itself is great, the appetizers, the main courses, and the desserts are all present in abundance and they have a number of drinks to complement your meal.
However, the Loco magic takes place from the moment you take your first bite. The food is exceptionally good. Having tried as much as I could off their menu, I really couldn’t stop eating. Once I had consumed all that was in front of me and everyone seated next to me I somehow still had space for dessert.
After having finished that I got up in probably one of the best food comas that I’ve had and realized that while I was eating I really didn’t care how small the place was or how close everyone else seemed to be sitting next to me.
Nonetheless Loco is a place that will require you to make bookings in advance. It is highly recommended that you go in a larger group of people which will not only help you sample more of their menu but would also make their slightly above average prices bearable.
2. Jucy Lucy
Starting off at Karachi Eat, Jucy Lucy appeared to be a place that needed its very own physical location at the earliest. Having followed through on the hype, Jucy Lucy began operations in Karachi as I along with numerous others rushed to give it a try. Having missed out on trying them at Karachi Eat, I wasn’t going to wait around to get my hands on the Jucy Lucy this time around.
Given that their menu mainly consists of burgers, it seemed like a great place to take a quick lunch break at.
The restaurant is set up like your standard diner/ new-age contemporary millennial meeting ground. It doesn’t have the largest floor space out there, but their bright yellow door can’t be missed.
Once inside I wasted no time and ordered the Jucy Lucy, which arrived rather quickly and was then consumed twice as fast. However despite the initial buzz of wanting to try it, once I was done, that feeling had vanished. This is because the burger was just average or marginally above average.
I get the raw authentic beef burger vibe that the place is going for, but I feel like maybe they need a little more time to get it right and to meet the demands of a constant customer base. Jucy Lucy is not bad by any means, but for a place that had so many people jumping on the hype train, I expected an experience I would talk about for days, not minutes.
It delivers a meal that does fill you up for a price that isn’t too high or too low. But having said that, I feel you could get a better burger for the same price elsewhere.
Nonetheless, I will be heading back to try their hot dogs which were not available upon my last visit.
3. Cocochan
Cocochan is a restaurant that got most of its initial hype for the construction and design work that was being put in to create the place, way before anyone started to talk about their food.
After you look past the incredibly created entrance and step inside questioning how a restaurant that looks this good could even exist, you actually get an idea of just what Cocochan is all about.
They specialize in creating the best Thai and Mandarin food, coupled with a sushi line-up that would make any sushi lover’s mouth water up. Their international chefs are trained to get the flavors just right, and that is exactly what they do.
The sushi we had was amongst the best we have had in the city!
The service quality was outstanding and even the ambiance that was created inside made every bite taste even better. Apart from the sushi the Chinese and Thai food was also outstanding with a special shout out to the prawns that we were served.
What really sets Cocochan apart from the rest is the flavors in their food. Not only are they extremely authentic but they are also the flavors that get you hooked to a restaurant and have you wanting to visit them repeatedly.
Their prices are a little bit above average, but once you’re done eating you actually wouldn’t care how much you were charged since you’ll probably be planning your next visit back to the restaurant.
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Content contributed by: Areeb Khan
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