The hip new food street on Tipu Sultan Road in Karachi, dotted with all the ‘it’ eateries, restaurants and cafes, is a fairly new phenomenon. Preceding it in time is KhaoDosa, situated within the Tipu Sultan Community Hall in Bangalore Town, just off Tipu Sultan Road, and a stone’s throw away from the famous Jahangir Meerut Kabab House.

KhaoDosa offers South Indian delicacies, such as idli sambar [fluffy steamed cakes in lentil stew], batata vada [potato fritters], vada pav [potato fritter in bread], pav bhaji [vegetable gravy with bread], khattay aaloo (savoury potatoes), veg and non-veg dosa [crepe], chicken and beef khaosuey [spaghetti curry], an assortment of chaat, fried chicken, paratha rolls, sandwiches and burgers, and loaded fries. And nothing beats their karrak doodh-patti chai (strong tea brewed in milk), served in metal mugs.

Situated within Tipu Sultan Hall in Karachi’s Bangalore Town, KhaoDosa offers South Indian delicacies amid sunset views and the city breeze….

But it is the ambience that scores a perfect ten, with its sprawling and spacious lush-green lawn ideal for hi-teas, letting the cool evening Karachi breeze calm and soothe your frazzled and battered nerves, after spending a harsh, hot day under the scorching, blazing sun.

KhaoDosa is situated next to a park with a jogging track and play area. What more could one want than to have an unhindered view of the rolling clouds in the evening sky, offset by the dusky hues of the setting sun, or to simply watch the mynahs, sparrows and crows at play as they peck and pull at the grass roots for earthworms or to gather twigs for nest-building. It feels like you have travelled back in time, where the hustle and bustle of city life has been replaced by one of serendipity, and entered a realm of blissful retreat.

It also does help that the extremely helpful and courteous servers keep serving you soul food from the busy KhaoDosa kitchen.

The writer is a member of staff. He can be contacted at quraishi.faisal@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 20th, 2025