For better or for worse, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) continues to raid eateries across the city, slapping fines and in many cases, sealing the establishments for unhygienic practices, substandard products and the like.

And although restaurant owners are complaining of an almost 50percent decrease in clientele, the fact remains thatwith hundreds upon hundreds of eateries small and big operating within the sprawling city, the PFA has its work cut out.

Amongst this deluge of restaurants is a handful that defines the taste of Lahore. Most of them are still operating, practicing what can only be termed questionable standards of hygiene. Before the PFA came knocking, no one batted an eyelid. After all, as one cook at a Gawalmandi establishment once told us, when asked why his keemaywalaynaan tasted so good, "yeh paseenay ka zaiqa hai! (It’s the taste of sweat)."

Gag if you want, but such roadside delights are what have made Lahore the culinary capital of the country. So before PFA shuts them down (which is now only a matter of time), here are some of the institutions that you need to visit to taste desi cuisine in all its glory (we take no responsibility for your health after eating at any one of these, but the food itself will be divine):

Abbott Road was a culinary extravaganza way before Lakshmi Chowk. Back in the day, Nishat was the place to go, for chops, keema gurda and taka tak. The nineties saw the action move towards Lakshmi Chowk and Abbott Road was just the road that took you there. Not anymore. Nishat is back in business and is arguably the cleanest of all such joints.

Just for the boundless number of options available, Lakshmi Chowk remains a culinary powerhouse.  And as winter approaches, an evening filled with Black Pepper Karahi from Butt (only mutton, there is no such thing as a chicken karahi), followed by a bowl of in-season halwa from Butt Sweets right next door is always a viable option.While you wait for the meat to cook in its gravy of butter, tomatoes and green chillies, youcan employ the services of the maalshees that line the streets displaying their array of scented oils in glass bottles.

While nihari was originally a breakfast dish (the name originating from the phrase nihar moon), it has now become an anytime meal. And the same has happened with anda chanaa. And while the best nihari is found not in Lahore, but Karachi, the best you can get is not in Defence, or Mozang, but good old Bhaati Gate, at the original Mohammadi. Another option is Waris, on Nisbat Road. Just don’t mind the open gutters. And discarded syringes.

Thankfully, halwapuri remain hardcore breakfast items, and you will do yourself no disservice by heading out to Royal Park in the wee hours of the morn. Don’t leave it too late though, by 7am things are wrapping up. If you don’t make the cut, head back towards Gulberg, where Capri has finally carved a place for itself amongst culinary snobs as a solid breakfast option.

Did somebody say anda chanaa? It’s a tie between Lakshmi Chowk’ shahi murg cholay or Model Town’s Goga. Fazle Haq on Wahdat Road is a distant third.

And then there are the loose joints, strewn across the length and breadth of the city. From Khan Baba in Chowburji to Bhaiya’s Kebabs in Model Town, there are gems to be found and digested across Lahore.

Recently, I spoke to an entrepreneur who is not only well acquainted with Lahore’s culinary expanse, but is also involved in the Lahore Restaurants Association’s push-back against the PFA. He told me, "the thing about Lahori food is that it is really filthy, but it’s also unbelievably tasty - you take the filth out, and it just doesn’t taste as good."

The man has a point.