Going out to eat is a hobby of mine (some people collect stamps; I collect restaurants)… in the next year, I hope to go to 100 restaurants in Dhaka.
Until there’s a website or app for restaurants in Dhaka, these are the ones I have been to (and my own rating system):
BBQ Tonight (11/13 stars): meat on stick, three kinds of fresh flat bread, Afghan/Bangla/Pakistani/Indian food – must try: the “rahmali” or “handkerchief” bread.
Thai Kitchen (8/13): Thai cooked by a Thai cook – must try: chicken dumplings steamed.
Dhaba (7/13): Bengali street food in a cafe – must try: “Phoughka” which are chick peas in dough shells.
Roll Express (8/13): Bangladeshi filled flat bread – must try: dhosa filled with potatoes.
Oh Calcutta (8/13): West Bengali food – must try: Luchi/puri = fried bread. Elegant interior and good for business clientele.
Bamboo Shoot (9/13): Chinese owned Chinese food. Must try: fried dumplings.
Spaghetti Jazz (7/13): Italian. Must try: homemade spaghetti with garlic and chili flakes.
Caspian (6/13): Persian. Must try: Baklava bites.
El Toro (3/13): Mexican. Must try: going on a night when they have avocados.
Soi 71 (7/13): Thai. Must try: the play room in the basement. Good for business clientele.
The Steakhouse (8/13): Steak. Must try: Australian beef medium rare.
Khazana (7/13): Indian. Must try: the naan? This place is the place recommended by Indian business clientele.
Heritage (7/13): Indian/Bangladeshi. Must try: the buffet lunch for 450 Taka? Also popular with business clientele.
Don Giovanni (4/13): Italian. Must try: fried cheese.
Wasabi at the Bellagio (5/13): Japanese. Must try: a drink at the bar. One of the few places with a liquor license. Popular with business clientele.
Le Souffle at the Bellagio (6/13): French. Must try: the red mirrored bathroom. One of the few places with a liquor license. Popular with business clientele. The most expensive restaurant in Dhaka. 5,000 Taka for dinner for one.
Arirang (3/13): Korean. Must try: some other place.
Koreana (7/13): Korean. Must try: jigae.
Sura (3/13): Korean. Must try: shabu shabu.
King’s Confectionery (6/13): Baked goods. Sells chicken with curry. Must try: Croissant filled with Nutella and cream.
Movenpick (6/13): Ice cream, Swiss style. Also serves one sandwich type. Must try: a waffle under your ice cream.
Northend Coffee Roasters (10/13): Coffee and baked goods. Must try: cinnamon buns warm from the oven.
Best Western (2/13): Hotel food. Must try: the smoky bar on the roof?
That’s it for now except for a few local places without names.
~ Food with friends tastes best. ~
There actually are several restaurant rating sites in Dhaka. Here are some:
http://www.hottdhaka.com/hottspots/index.php?action=home&categoryid=1
http://www.khadok.com/?l=en
(this one’s very new and doesn’t have much yet): http://www.goromcha.com/
And I forget the other, the really best one with an actual community of reviewers… but I’ll send it to you if I remember it.
You may also be interested in this blog about Dhaka food: http://dhakadelicacy.blogspot.com/
Lauren @ AdventuresIn
hi! I noticed most of the restaurants, you scored them low. Why? are the foods bad? or they are not just your kind of taste/cuisine? or the servings are small compared to the price?
i agree with the cinnamon rolls of Northend coffee roaster
Usually the restaurants just don’t do enough things right for me to really rank them higher. Just my opinion. There are few places where I think, “oh, I crave that…” I think Dhaka will get there eventually.
yeah, there is always something missing…but we are left with no choice, so it will do while living here. Like Samdado, it’s a japanese restaurant and they have limited choices also but whenever i crave for maki, that’s where I go coz there no other place. Until now i’m still in the look out for a restaurant that i will totally enjoy in terms of food, service and value for money.
I’d agree with her on a lot of the ratings (though a few I’d rate higher, and some lower), but a big part of it is weak service (not a big culture of dining out, it seems) and anemic produce. My food sometimes comes cold, or with things in it that aren’t food, the staffers are hard to find. And then, occasionally, I’ll get really great service and good food. But, it’s never amazing food, no matter what the cuisine. It’s sad sometimes, because there is often so much promise… I would love local food, for example, if it had less oil and nicer quality vegetables and meats.
Thanks, adventuresin, for the agree and disagree… We can hope that the foodie culture will get here soon… I feel it in the air.
Dhaba, Spaghetti Jazz, Roll Express, Sura and El Toro have been long-time favorites for me. El Toro has the best Mexican cuisine in Dhaka, hands down.
I find Spaghetti Jazz is reliable. Dae Jang Geum is the best Korean food in town. It’s pricey but it’s palace style food.
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