Lahore is well-known for being many things: Pakistan’s second largest city of ~12mn people, the self-professed cultural capital of the country (with good reason), and jokingly (or not so jokingly) described as the Paris of the East. But to me, Lahore is first and foremost one thing – my home for seven months, which is why it has an amazingly huge place in my heart (despite the lack of good food I’m accustomed to #sadness) So, the purpose of this blog post is really to share the absolute beauty of Lahore and the good (albeit rare) food that can be found in this precious city

Table of contents

• The most stunning locations in the city
• The yummiest food in the city

The most stunning locations in the city

Badshahi Mosque

If you’ve only got two hours in Lahore, I would definitely spend my time checking out the Badshahi Mosque, the MOST iconic landmark in Lahore, and for good reason – it is hands down, absolutely stunning. Pictures don’t do it justice, just imagine what this could’ve looked like during the Mughal-era!

If you’ve got the time, I’d recommend you have dinner at Andaaz or Haveli, which are both located in the vicinity of the Badshahi Mosque and will offer excellent nighttime views of this religious house! The food’s pretty great too

Lahore Fort

Right beside Badshahi Mosque is the Lahore Fort, a citadel in the city of Lahore, which has actually been inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding repertoire of Mughal monuments. As for me, I was most impressed by the GIGANTIC staircase that was used by elephants to transport folks in and out of the city during its heyday, and the beautiful fresco murals

Not only that, Masjid Wazir Khan (another stunning mosque, and also a potential UNESCO Heritage Site) is also found within the walled city of Lahore (albeit a bit far from where you are right now – as the walled city is huge!). If you want to read about this site, do check out my UNESCO Heritage Site blog as well

Minar-e-Pakistan

Again, within the exact same vicinity (isn’t that just convenient?), you have the Minar-e-Pakistan, a public monument built to commemorate the day the Pakistan resolution passed resulting in a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British India (hello Pakistan!). Here I have a slightly ironic photo of Minar-e-Pakistan behind barbed wires (woops!)

Rickshaw riding

Ok, so this is technically not a location, it’s more of an activity – but it is damn fun. While at the Lahore Fort area, go find a shiny rickshaw (try to get a driver who can speak English) and ask him to tour you around

Enjoy the rickshaw ride! If possible, ask the rickshaw driver if he can drive through the highway. Wooo, it’s super fun and a bit freaky as your rickshaw races through the highways alongside cars, carts, and trucks!

Lahore Museum

From here, I’d suggest you head to Lahore Museum which should be en route. While this museum doesn’t hold a candle to the Taxila Museum which is beyond amazing; it does have nice trinkets that could help you appreciate some culture and history while here (only problem is – none of their signs are in English…)

Grand Jamia Mosque

Next up, it’s time to check out the seventh largest mosque in the world found in Grand Jumia. It’s rather far from Lahore city center itself (around 30 minutes). But if you’ve got the time, why not right? I guarantee, this beautiful mosque will chase away your Monday blues

Emporium Mall

Well, since you’re already in the area – why not head to a mall? But not just any mall, introducing… the largest mall in South Asia. In terms of stores, it’s mostly clothing shops and restaurants. The clothes sold here aren’t exactly cheap (especially when compared to Philippines’ standards) but they are pretty! Likewise, you’ll also be pretty spoilt for choice in terms of food, so if you’re bored on a weekend, you can always come here to do some people watching

 

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Okay, I know. It’s weird that I have a university as a place to visit – but hey, I’m suggesting it for good reason! LUMS is one of the premier universities in the country, and is well-known for its top-notch students, its beautiful campus, but most importantly, its amazing events (from live sports TV, to rocking concerts, to government debates – it all happens here!)

 

The yummiest food in the city

Unfortunately, I don’t actually know what I was ordering in these places as half the time, I couldn’t pronounce the names or I had no idea what I was referring to, while for the other half, the dishes tasted nothing like what I expected (example: Chinese food here does NOT taste like Chinese food anywhere else…) Because of this, I’ll simply be listing out the restaurants I did enjoy, and you should check them out – surprise yourself with the enticing yet inscrutable tastes of Pakistani cuisine (I also call the “international” food Pakistani fusion haha)

• South Asian cuisine
• International cuisine / Pakistani fusion

South Asian

Bundu Khan

Location: Multiple branches across Lahore

Spice Bazaar

Location: T-01, Off MM Alam Road، Tipu Rd, Lahore, Pakistan

Haveli

Location: 2170-A, Food Street, Fort Road

Andaaz

Location: 2189 A, Fort Road، Lahore, Pakistan

Bombay Chowpatty (fancy biryani!)

Location: Just order through Foodpanda

The Lakhanvi

Location:  87 The Lahore، Lahore 54000, Pakistan

International cuisine / Pakistani fusion

Café Aylanto

Location: C-1, 12 M. M. Alam Rd, Lahore, Pakistan

Cosa Nostra

Location: 23-A, H-Block، Gulberg II، Lahore, Pakistan

Café Zouk

Location: 43 L, Complex Plaza, M.M. Alam Road, Gulberg II, Lahore

Tuscany Courtyard

Location: 5-R M. M. Alam Road, Lahore, Pakistan

And that’s a wrap! Enjoy Lahore, my friends!

 

Interested to know more? Read my other Pakistan blog, and enjoy!

• Pakistan: A logistics and travel guide for first-time travelers
• Islamabad: Exploring Pakistan’s political capital
• Karachi: Exploring Pakistan’s business capital
• Day trips from Lahore and Islamabad: Exploring Pakistan’s North
• Wagah Ceremony: Celebrating Indo-Pakistani relations
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Reliving history and the beginnings of civilization
• Taxila and Takht-i-Bahi: Tracing the footsteps of explorers