Written by: Sadaf Shahzad
Posted on: May 21, 2020 | 
| 中文
(L) People Waiting Outside Khairabad Cafe to see the Quaid's Motorcade in 1947 (photo credits to Dawn) and Khairabad Tea House Now (photo credits to Samaa Digital) (R)
Nowadays, few Karachiites remember the once-prevalent Iranian lunch cafés, which were multicultural hubs of buzz and discussion. In the 1970s, over a hundred Iranian cafés existed in the older parts of the city, which are now simply a handful of such restaurants offering authentic Persian food and an insight into the cosmopolitan past of Karachi.
In the early 1900s, Iran had seen many emigrations of its citizens, which came as a result of turbulent times, even before the discovery of oil and gas reserves. Iranian fled persecution and emigrated to the Sub-continent, which was not only close by, but also relatively more prosperous at the time. Some believers of the Zoroastrian faith, known as the Parsis, settled in the bustling city of Karachi, as opposed to heading to Bombay, India. Many of these café-owning families came from central and eastern provinces of Iran, like Yazd, Kerman, and Sistan.
Khairabad Tea House is located at the corner of I.I. Chundrigar Road and Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, streets which are just as busy as they once were, but not as popular. It is open from two sides on a busy intersection, to allow light and passengers to enter from both sides. The owner, Haji Abbas Ali, can still be seen in the shop, and is usually ready to talk about his family history when he is free from work.
Haji Abbas Ali Taking Orders at Lunch Time (photo credits to Dawn)
Ali’s great-grandfather was a Muslim migrant from the Yazd Province, who stopped over in Karachi in 1932, and decided to settle in the city. The name ‘Khairabad’ comes from the name of his village.
The interior is still largely the same, with narrow wooden doors, old fashioned booths, and patterned tiles of a bygone era. There is a paan (betel leaf) seller outside, as is a staple for Irani restaurants, and inside is a glass cabinet with custard, chullow mahi (fish), green tea, coffee, and ice cream written in Urdu script.
Booths at the Cafe (photo credits to Vice)
In 1973, Ali inherited the café and has been innovating his business in an effort to attract customers. He changed the name to ‘Café Khairabad (Tea Shop) and Food Center’ and upgraded the menu from just Persian cuisine, to include over 90 dishes, including Pakistani and Indo-Chinese food. Customers have been returning frequently, out of loyalty to Ali and his famous doodh patti chai (milk tea). In turn, Ali often eats with his customers, and buys fresh produce for the restaurant everyday.
The Glass Cabinet at Khairabad Tea House (photo credits to Vice)
There are other such cafes sprawled all over Karachi, like Café Darakhshan, Café Pehlvi, or Jahangir Café, which acted as hubs for different ethnic and religious communities of Karachi to come together for business and socializing. Moreover, students and activists in the 1970s used to venture to the café to discuss politics, poetry, literature, and debate over many cups of tea and bun maska, a fluffy butter bun that is a Parsi delicacy. Activity in these cafes was not unlike that of the famous Pak Tea House in Lahore, which saw similar intellectual activity around the same time.
Tea and Bun Maska (photo credits to Runaway Pakistan)
Unfortunately, due to the dwindling Parsi community, and declining business, many are abandoning their historic shops to settle elsewhere. While Khairabad has been lucky so far, not many other restaurants could cope with the rising expenses and the shift in consumer tastes to more high-end coffee shops, or even cheaper tea stalls that are prevalent in the same area.
Concerned citizens are fighting to preserve these rich time-capsules of marble table-tops and bentwood chairs, either through devoting a museum to Iranian cafes or simply conserving them for their aesthetics and fascinating history. This is not to say they succumb and become modern restaurants, but can be celebrated and publically demarcated as informal historical zones, not unlike Food Street in Lahore. It is important to celebrate these spaces and communities who have contributed to the culture and diversity of Karachi for so long.
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