From Luchi and Dal to Dawn Biryani: Five Old Breakfast Addresses in Old Dhaka

A morning in Old Dhaka is hard to match with a morning anywhere else in the city. Dawn there means a different bustle of people, and the food shops in its lanes open up. Somewhere hot luchi puff up in a pan and bakarkhani are baked in an oven; somewhere else the aroma of spices drifts from a pot of biryani. And somewhere, the day begins with a glass of matha or a steaming bowl of nehari.

Several old establishments in Old Dhaka have held on to the taste and tradition of these foods for generations. The city has changed with time, but people's pull towards these foods has not.

At Chourangi Restaurant, at 47 Northbrook Hall Road, a morning visit reveals a breakfast spread from a bygone era. Known for more than a hundred years, one of the restaurant's main attractions is its luchi and dal.

Restaurant worker Md Fahim said hot luchi, dal and bhaji have long been at the top of customers' choices for breakfast here. Each luchi costs 12 taka, and the dal and bhaji served with it are free.

An egg mamlet, or omelette, costs 25 taka here, and a cup of tea 15 taka. People of all ages crowd in every morning to enjoy this familiar taste at modest prices. For some it is their regular breakfast place; for others, an address for recovering a nostalgic taste.

A little further from Chourangi Restaurant, at 28 Northbrook Hall Road, stands New Cafe Corner. The restaurant, which began its journey in 1962, has passed more than six decades. With its old-style chairs and tables and simple decor, it still retains an air of tradition.

Its breakfast menu offers luchi, dal and vegetables, halua, chicken gizzard and liver, poached egg and tea. Because of the variety and its long familiarity, customers start arriving from the morning; sometimes, finding no seat inside, many wait standing outside.

New Cafe Corner is also known for its afternoon food, alongside breakfast. Many people crowd in during the afternoon especially for its crumb chap and cutlets.

Rahim Biryani in Sutrapur holds a special place on Old Dhaka's morning food list. At this shop, known since the British era, crowds begin gathering to eat biryani right after Fajr prayers. The taste of its biryani, its way of using spices and its particular cooking style set it apart from many others.

Shop workers said biryani sales begin every day after Fajr prayers. Demand is so high that all the biryani runs out between 8:00 and 8:30 in the morning. According to them, about three pots — two maunds — of biryani are sold every day. Customers come from far away to taste the hot morning biryani.

Matha has its own place in Old Dhaka's food tradition. From very early morning, people of all ages gather in front of a small shop in Rupchan Lane. Some come out of regular habit, others to taste Old Dhaka's traditional matha.

On the breakfast list here are matha, chhana matha and makhan kheer. Customers arrive from the morning to taste these milk-based items. A glass of matha costs 20 taka, while makhan kheer sells at 20, 30 and 50 taka. Though the shop is small, its long familiarity and traditional taste keep it crowded with customers all morning.

'Maa Shahi Nehari' in Lalbagh is another attraction among Old Dhaka's traditional morning foods. The thick gravy and spice aroma of nehari, cooked for a long time with mutton, are a special draw for food lovers. Hot nehari with ruti or naan is many people's choice for breakfast. Crowds coming to eat nehari are visible towards dawn, and many travel from far away for this slow-cooked dish.

The food and setting of these five Old Dhaka shops are not the same. But they share one thing: as the city's way of life has changed with time, these old spreads have held their place in people's food memories. Amid the crowd of modern restaurants, people still return to Old Dhaka's familiar lanes, drawn by luchi and dal, morning biryani, matha or nehari.