Can you cross Indian borders to eat delicious halwa, puri and chole?

In Pakistan, halwa, puri, and chole make for a great combination as a breakfast item. Many sweet shops in Pakistan open their shutters in the wee hours of the morning, and gather ingredients to make the aforementioned three dishes that many loyal visitors ask for during breakfast hours. Many businesses in cities like Karachi and Lahore have mastered the art of making the right halwa-puri-chole. Yet, there are a few confectioners or halwais that credit the origin of halwa-puri to the Hindus in India before the India-Pak partition. So, this space goes all to the dedicated breakfast places in Pakistan churning out delicious halwa-puri-chole day after day. Make sure you drop by way before breakfast timings are over. Read ahead.

Taj Mahal Sweets, Lahore
If you make your way to the narrow lanes of Taxali Gate and reach Badshahi Mosque, right opposite to it you will find the Taj Mahal Sweets. The owner named the shop after the heritage monument Taj Mahal located in the Agra city of India. Taj Mahal Sweets excels in making halwa in a way that many shops even in India cannot match. People not only living in the city but also from far off places visit this shop to relish the puri-halwa-chole treat to their heart’s content. The recipes of chole and halwa are the owner’s trade secret.


Breakfast timings: 3:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Also try: Sweets such as Ras Malai and Samosa

Karachi Sweet Shop
If you are in Karachi, then you can kick-start your morning with fresh and fluffy puris and yummy halwa at the Karachi Sweet Shop. There is nothing like it to give you joy in the material plane. They, however, cook their chole with a lot of spices, yet they taste good nonetheless. Besides, the puri-halwa-choley, you can also sample their desserts and other savouries.

Breakfast timings: 12 AM to 2 PM
Also try: Poora, Jalebi, sweet pakoras and Tikkis (cutlets).
Address: Old Anarkali, food street, Karachi

Halwa Puri of Dhamthal, Karachi

Known as one of the best places to eat halwa-puri-chole in Karachi, Dhamthal is named after a lovely village located on the Punjab-Pakistan border. It is basically a sweet shop, but visitors are served piping hot and fresh halwa-puri-chole in the morning. The prices are reasonable and the food is hygienic.


Timing: 4 AM onwardsAlso try: cakes, biscuits, sweets
Address: Gulshan-e-Ali, No. 2, Ayesha manzil, Block-7, Federal B. Area, Karachi

Sadiq Halwa Puri

It is a fourth generation confectionery business that was formed in Amritsar in the year 1880. Although the business was a big success in India, after the partition, the owner had to migrate to Pakistan. These guys make the most unique chole in town, and you may wonder how so? Well, the potatoes are cooked with fenugreek and thereafter mixed with the chickpea curry. Even the halwa they serve carries a special flavour. The puris are soft and crisp, and make for a great combo with the chole and halwa. Several locals visit this shop to buy the halwa-puri breakfast for their family, especially on a day when the woman of the house feels like taking a break from work.

Breakfast timings: 5 AM to 2:30 PM
Branches: Railway road & Main Ichhra road near Shama cinema, Lahore