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The winners for Karachi's first ever restaurant awards are out
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The winners for Karachi's first ever restaurant awards are out

The All Pakistan Restaurant Association had its first ever grand award show to recognise Karachi's finest eateries.
Images Staff
Updated 12 Dec, 2019

The APRA Awards - Pakistan’s first ever Customer Choice Food Award Show - finally took place on Monday, 9 December at Marriott Hotel in Karachi.

The All Pakistan Restaurant Association organised the event with the "aim to recognise and acknowledge special features of restaurants including food and service excellence, outstanding dining and delivery experiences."

We all remember when the nominations list that came out, and now a winner has been selected in each of those categories.

The ceremony had the same glitz and glam as our film and TV award shows, complete with a red carpet and Ali Safina as a charismatic host.

The Jury for the APRA Awards consisted of Chef Saadat, Chef Abdul Hadi, Sumera Hussain, Dr Sadia Safdar. Ali Sultan was initially a jury member but had dropped out for reasons not yet revealed.

We do give props to APRA for honouring Zubaida Apa though.
We do give props to APRA for honouring Zubaida Apa though.

We have to say, we were already puzzled at the nominations list that came out which seemed to have snubbed many deserving restaurants but some (read: most) of the wins are just as confusing to us.

Oh well, customer's choice. We do give props to APRA for honouring Zubaida Apa though.

Cuisine

Best Burger House of the Year

  • Big Thick Burgerz
  • Burger Lab
  • Burger O Clock - Winner
  • Moos N Cluck
  • Oh My Gril
  • OPTP
  • The Sauce

Best Pakistani Restaurant of the Year

  • Afridi Inn
  • Hot n Spicy
  • Kebabjees
  • Khanji
  • Lal Qila - Winner
  • Nawab Dynasty
  • Tau’s

Best Pan Asian Restaurant of the Year

  • Bonsai
  • Chop Chop Wok - Winner
  • Cocochan
  • Miyako
  • Tao

Best Chinese Restaurant

  • Bam-bou
  • China Grill
  • China Town
  • ChopSoy
  • Ginsoy - Winner
  • Kowloon

Best Coffee Place of the Year

  • Bella Vita
  • Coffee Wagera - Winner
  • Chatterbox
  • Esquires
  • Gloria Jeans
  • Mocca
  • New York Coffee

Best Chai Place of the Year

  • Cafe Clifton
  • Cafe Pyala
  • Chai Master
  • Chai Shai
  • Chai Wala
  • Chit Chat Shai
  • Chotu Chaiwala - Winner

Best Pizza House Award

  • Broadway - Winner
  • California
  • Pizza One
  • New York Pizza
  • POMO
  • Pizza Max
  • Junaidi's

Best Biryani Restaurant Award

  • AA Food Centre
  • Biryani Square
  • Haji Akhter
  • Jans Food
  • Jeddah Biryani
  • Student Biryani - Winner
  • White Biryani

Serving

Best Buffet Restaurant of the Year

  • Babujees by Port Grand
  • Chaupal
  • Lal Qila - Winner
  • Rajdhani

Best Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year

  • Bella Vita
  • ChatterBox Deli
  • Del Frio - Winner
  • POMO
  • Sizzlerz
  • Sobremesa
  • Rosati

Food Legend

Food Legend Award

  • China Town
  • Ginsoy - Winner
  • Hanifia
  • Karachi Broast
  • Pompei
  • Student Biryani
  • Waheed

Special

Best Pocket Friendly Restaurant of the Year

  • Cool Inn
  • Hot n Spicy
  • Karachi Broast
  • Kaybees - Winner
  • Pizza 363
  • Red Apple
  • Waheed

New Entrant of the Year

  • Daal Rice
  • Fettucine
  • Ginsoy Live
  • Great Wall
  • Sals
  • Wall
  • Yoshi’s - Winner

Best Innovation Dish Award

  • Cafe Praha
  • Cloud Naan
  • Lush Crush
  • Meat the Cheese - Winner
  • Plan B
  • Steak by CFU
  • Thyme

Best Restaurant for Ambiance

  • Chatterbox Cafe
  • Cocochan
  • Esquires Coffee
  • Koel
  • Rosati
  • Sultan
  • Thyme - Winner

Delivery On Time Award

  • Broadway
  • California Pizza
  • Foods Inn
  • KFC
  • McDonalds - Winner
  • Tooso
  • White Biryani

Restaurant of the Year – Karachi

  • Bonsai
  • East End
  • Kebabjees
  • Koel
  • Meat the Cheese
  • McDonalds - Winner
  • SteakbyCFU

Special APRA Awards

Best Fine Dining Restaurant of the year: Okra

Food Veteran Award: Bar.B.Q Tonight

Best Customer Experience Award: Kolachi

Best Brand Turnaround Award: KFC

Best Industry Facilitator: Pepsi

LifeTime Achievement Award: Zubaida Apa

Comments

nauman mansoor Dec 10, 2019 02:41pm
I think kolachi has awesome taste and hasent given any award for best food
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Samir Dec 10, 2019 02:43pm
Student Biryani zindabad!
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Anon Dec 10, 2019 02:44pm
Even the nominee`s are not correct !! Long way to go for a restaurant awards in Pakistan....anyway good start.
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M. Saeed Dec 10, 2019 03:04pm
There should have been a category of best on pocket award.
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naqi akbar Dec 10, 2019 03:11pm
very superficial
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Salman Dec 10, 2019 03:24pm
Im confused, should I laugh or cry! Will all the food scene in karachi.. foodie customer's of karachi, you disappointed me. Who made the nominations BTW?
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Shoaib Ahmad Dec 10, 2019 04:00pm
Needed this list. Thanks DAWN
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AAM Dec 10, 2019 04:06pm
Seriously!!!! they have awarded Lal Qila as a winner in two categories??? This really shows that how baseless and senseless these awards are.
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Mian Shaukat Hussain Dec 10, 2019 04:32pm
Agree 100% with the Dawn writer. The nominations are selective and with no basis which can be rationally explained. They add insult to injury with their set of airy fairy winners. Am amazed how a Trade organization can execute such unprofessional work. Hope they can make major amends, to this endeavour, which is a requirement of the Industry as it grows and matures. best wishes!
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Qaisar Saleem Dec 10, 2019 05:11pm
Excellent projection. Karachi is undoubtedly the best place in the world for numerous variety of most delicious foods.
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Kamran Dec 10, 2019 06:03pm
Totally Rubbish awards. The best biryani goes to Student biryani and the best chinese goes to ginsoy shows how biased the awards are.
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Sikander Mirza Dec 10, 2019 06:31pm
for those who have monies to burn.
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Adeel Dec 10, 2019 06:47pm
Not a single award went to a worthy winner
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Saeeds Dec 10, 2019 06:52pm
Great ! Some competition .
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Hasan Dec 10, 2019 07:39pm
No award for cleanliness while preparing the food?
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Ehsan Dec 10, 2019 07:58pm
Didn’t know Macdonald is considered a restaurant, in the country of its birth it’s considered a fast food and doubt ever would win the best restaurant award
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Eaterrr Dec 10, 2019 08:30pm
Yes, it is confusing! Good food is good food no matter where from as long as the facility is hygienic. Good attempt that will hurt many. So, ignore the winner's list.
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Abdul Ghani Budhani Dec 10, 2019 08:41pm
Unfortunately big shots always deny the popular brand dhabba where poor and medium size of population enjoys,is it true,
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adnan Dec 10, 2019 08:43pm
Restaurant of the Mcdonalds over kebabjees. Kya Hoga Hamara. This food is considered 3rd rate in all western countries but we love it like it was high class cuisine. Pathetic. We have to get rid of this mental slavery.
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Captain Dec 10, 2019 08:52pm
Many top names are missing. Student Biryani winner ??.?. Strange !! And many more are strange winners by the way !! Judges are big question mark !!
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Zia Dec 10, 2019 09:03pm
Surprised to see student biryani won, in reality no one wants it. Similarly Waheed kabab house in pocket friendly and legend, no one else is even close to it.
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ijaz Dec 10, 2019 10:11pm
Restaurant of the year - McDonalds!!!!!! If McDonalds is the best Karachi has to offer heaven help our Industry
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Tariq, Lahore Dec 10, 2019 11:29pm
If MaCDonald's is a restaurant of year then I am sorry to say that the quality speaks volumes!
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Ahsan Iqbal Dec 10, 2019 11:39pm
It looks like the awards were distributed in a similar fashion as of filmfare awards. All the attendees got at least one. Btw it's a shame if restaurant of the year in karachi is McDonald's.
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waleed Fakhar Dec 11, 2019 12:04am
Lal Qila is the worst restaurant. These awards do not appear to be genuine
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Irfan Siddiki Dec 11, 2019 06:22am
Amazing choices ; some of the biggest culinary artists and places snubbed out. Categories awfully mixed up, no clear definition of what's the difference in a fine dining Restaurant, a restaurant, a Dhaba, a fast food joint, takeaway and delivery outlet. To top it off, with all due respect, none of the judges besides one or two had any experience in front of the house, how can Chefs decide anything besides the food taste. Would love to hear Ali Sultan's take on his absence.
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AGAKHAN Dec 11, 2019 07:23am
Liked the article and was amused by the list- Good start to recognize our eateries. Near the end when McDonald's name appeared - that washed away my all the excitement. Even though it was for service - delivery time. Our guys are the delivery boys of Mac - We (our restaurants) must aspire to beat American service/management.
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Zulfiqar Dec 11, 2019 07:35am
It would have been nice if you included website or contact for these eateries also in the article
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Zulfiqar Dec 11, 2019 07:38am
How can you give best restaurant of the year to McDonald’s? It is literally the worst food one can eat. A bun kabab of a street vendor is way more tasty and more nutritious than a Big Mac.
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Zulfiqar Dec 11, 2019 07:39am
How come there’s no seafood category? Karachi has the best seafood ever!
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Queen Dec 11, 2019 08:19am
Before handing out awards, were the customers of these restaurants asked to vote on the basis of delivery, ambience, food, service, etc of a restaurant?
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Mustafa Dec 11, 2019 08:20am
Burger O Clock, Lal Qila and Student Biryani are the winners?? I am judging the judges.
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Chris Roberts Dec 11, 2019 08:26am
Karachi has become such a foodie city and the culinary offerings have become very diverse. These awards will encourage restaurateurs to 'up the ante'. Some of the names on the list were a bit surprising, however.
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Rasheed Dec 11, 2019 11:58am
Mac donald's the restaurant of the year...is this a joke
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Ali Habib Dec 11, 2019 12:50pm
McDonalds? Really? Sorry! Can't take these awards seriously if Karachi's best restaurant was McDonalds. If chicken nugget loving 7-year olds had been the judges I'd understand but these judges are chefs! How does McD's even get nominated in a list of best restaurants?
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bkt Dec 11, 2019 10:30pm
Its a strange list. Two really top restaurants in Karachi, are Okra and Café Flo, yet neither are even quoted. And Kolachi which attracts huge crowds every night, is not even mentioned. No for that matter is Bbq tonight. Very surprising list of restaurants
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Asad Ali Khan Dec 12, 2019 11:30am
Students biryani is not what it used to be. Not for the last 20 years smh. Also, where is heck is Xander's? FLO? CHINESE food at ming court is centuries ahead of ginsoy or bonsai etc. I think these awards like most awards are worthless
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DC Dec 12, 2019 05:25pm
Not agree with Lal Killa.
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