A conversation during dinner at a local eatery posed the question: if you had to make someone experience the best of Lahori street food, where would you take them? Finding the answer led us on a gastronomic hunt that was a nostalgic smorgasbord of childhood staples like the masala challi and steamed sweet potatoes drizzled with tamarind chutney to chaats, bun kababs and shami burgers. Deliciously satisfying and definitely not as fattening as some of our other local meals, we also realised another quality of street food that endeared it to us even more as adults – it’s easy on the pocket. If you’re looking for a quick fix and a bang for buck food, here are some of the standouts that we loved as kids and would happily recommend even today.

Pani Puri

There’s something about eating pani puri that tends to relax even the most poised. Perhaps it’s the fact that there’s no clean, sanitized way of eating them; you have to dig in and get dirty. The sweet and spicy water will drip down your face and hands but it’s hard to be bothered by the stickiness when you’re overwhelmed with flavour. We had the best serving at Awesamosas, that balanced savoury, spicy and sweet. The chickpea chaat was delicious enough on its own, as was the dipping water (which we later drank after having finished the remaining condiments) but combined with the tangy chutney, this pani puri took us right back to childhood and having gol gappas with the family at Liberty Market.

You should also try their sweet samosas; the Nutella samosa is too good to miss and generally their menu features a delightful twist on traditional dishes.

Papri Chaat

While Lahore loves its dahi phulki, which along with fruit chaat you can’t escape in Ramzan, we quite prefer its crunching cousin, the papri chaat. What’s also great about papri chaat is that it is a healthy, filling meal that works great as a lunch or mid-day snack. The winner for us came from Lahore Chatkhara. An old and trusted classic, executed to perfection. The ratio of the chickpea chaat to the yogurt is perfect and even more importantly, the diced onion doesn’t overpower the mix. The crispy shards of papri, served on the side if you’re looking to take away, a sprinkle of chaat masala and you can tuck into this cool, refreshing bowl of goodness.

If you’re at Chatkhara and looking to try some of their meals, we recommend the chaar minaar thaali or their vegetarian thaali for some gobsmacking green chilli curry, curried tomatoes, bagharey baingan and khatti daal. Though served with tandoori roti the meal tastes best with a paratha and a tall glass of lassi. Food coma!

Trio of buns

There’s been a recent flux of small and upscale eateries adding local bites to their menus but not many can truly pull it off with complete authenticity. The green chilli chutney in a bun kabab can have the same recipe but taste entirely different in each household or eatery. The shami, seemingly easy to make but difficult to perfect. The slaw that uplifts the whole combination, bringing crunch and lightness. Lahore has its famous shami burger joint called Burger Corner in Mini Market but we discovered a new gem that served not only shami burger but also bun kabab and bun platters. This lovely dhaba styled eatery, Sarrak Kinarey, has a menu that will make your mouth drool – all the local junk food you can imagine, served in one place. But what we keep going back for is its trio of burgers. Bano Bazar’s anda shami, Burns Road bun platter and the good, old bun kabab all served together. What’s great about this trio of sliders is their serving size. They’re bigger than a half portion yet smaller than full size. They taste great though and really satisfy the craving for a spicy, saucy and grill toasted local burger.

Sarrak Kinarey also does fresh, crispy pakoray and a surprisingly good sajji. Their dhood patti is strong and has a kick.

Special mentions: Garrato Jalebi, the street carts selling corn on the cob, steamed or toasted, naram makai that can be found dotting streets and neighbourhoods are just as delicious. The next time you’re crossing one, stop and try. It’ll taste like childhood and smell like after school!