One of the aspects of traveling and experiencing novel places is a region’s cuisine whether it is a country, province, city, or town. Each place has a significant array of food that is also sold in local restaurants and hotels. 

Are you travelling to Hunza and wondering where you will eat? Don’t worry! There are many delicious things to eat in Hunza that are a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Couple the food with scenic views and you get an immersive, enjoyable experience that you will be sure to remember in the years to come. 

To get started, here’s a list of authentic places in and around Hunza that provide the finest food. 

1. Hidden Paradise Hunza, Karimabad

This restaurant is in the scenic Hunza Valley, on Bazaar Road in Karimabad. It is a small heavenly paradise that has Hunza’s authentic, bona fide, and traditional food that will make sure you go back for more.

The owner and chef of the restaurant, Mr. Lutfi Ali started this business back in 2000 and since then has served all those who pass through its doors by giving them a traditional, organic, and lovely dining experience. The restaurant serves a different range of food, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The place also has a food palette for everyone, from modern foods to traditional Hunza meals.

Price Range for Main Meals

500 PKR – 3000 PKR

Prominent Menu Items

Supra – Boiled Mutton dish
Hoilo Garma – Organic flour dough mixed with potatoes and spinach or spinach pasta
Burus Berikutz – Cheese filled chapattis
Chap Shuro – Crustless Hunza pie filled with ground meat, spices, and vegetables, also known as Hunza Pizza
Hunza Platter – Different Hunza recipes in a single platter which come in small, medium, or large sizes
Balti – Meat based curry
Yak Meat Naan – Yak meat stuffed naan

2. Gingerford Café, Karimabad

Gingerford Café is another quaint, unique café in the Karimabad town of Hunza Valley. The rooftop also offers a stunning view of the surrounding mountains. With a cozy environment and an artistic ambience, this café is the café of your dreams. No matter what you are here for, an aesthetic reading space, a stop after a grueling journey or your daily go to place for food, the café aims to impress, amaze and delight anyone who stumbles upon it.

Gingerfort is an Italian, American café that is sure to woo you with its hospitable and skilled staff. Ever wonder where the name came from? It is called Gingerfort because the owner is gingerheaded!

Price Range for Main Meals

700 PKR – 1400 PKR

Prominent Menu Items

Stuffed chicken
Grilled chicken
Steak
Roasted Potatoes
Alfredo Pasta
Apricot Juice

3. Magpie Nest, Ali Abad

Magpie Nest is an Asian restaurant that has dine-in and drive through options. It is in Ali Abad, the administrative and commercial hub of Hunza. Organic food, eye-catching scenery, hospitable owner, and staff and even a view of the famed Rakaposhi mountain are the spellbinding features of this restaurant.

According to the owner, when a magpie sings in Hunza it has been traditionally associated as an announcement before the arrival of guests. That is how the restaurant got its charming name!

Price Range for Main Meals

250 PKR – 3000 PKR 

Prominent Menu Items

Traditional Yak Soup – Soup with Yak meat
Biryani – Mixed rice dish with Indian spices and either meat or potatoes
Penne Arrabbiata – Pasta with Arrabbiata sauce
Diramfitti – Sprouted wheat bread with almonds and apricot seed oil

4. Café Culture Hunza, Altit

This café is in Altit Village on Fort Road, a short 20-minute drive from Karimabad town of Hunza. The historic Altit Fort is also nearby so you get scenic views, tasty food, amazing ambience, and fascinating history all in a single trip. 

Café Culture was originally started in 2015 by a trained professional along with their family to serve local, authentic Central Hunza cuisine to tourists. The place caters to on-demand, on-site orders and sometimes caters to local guest houses and hotels. 

Price Range for Main Meals

500 PKR – 1000 PKR

Prominent Menu Items

Poppy Seed Soup – Hunz Daoodo or soup with locally harvested poppy seeds
Almond Chapattis 
Burus Berikutz – Cheese Chapattis
Rose Mantu – Rose shaped Dumplings 
Lavender Tea – Tea made with infusion of Lavender buds
Chap Shuro – Crustless Hunza pie filled with ground meat, spices, and vegetables, also known as Hunza Pizza
Chomos – Apricot juice

5. Pizza Pamir, Karimabad

Another restaurant in the town of Karimabad but specializing in pizza with a twist, Pizza Pamir lies on Baltit Fort Road near Fort Chowk. This eatery combines usual Hunza cuisine in a new, fresh Italian form. Some of their pizzas use mountain herbs and apricot oil dressing that make them fully organic. Pizza Pamir offers dine-in, takeaway and delivery services as well.

Price Range for Main Meals

450 PKR – 2400 PKR

Prominent Menu Items

Sea food Pizza – Pizza with tuna fish, cheese, and assorted vegetables topping
Yak Pizza – Pizza with grilled Yak meat, Yak smoked veal, cheese, and assorted vegetables topping
French fries
Cheese sticks – Mozzarella Sticks

Conclusion

This list highlights the most prominent go-to places to feed your hunger while in Hunza that you can enjoy along with the breathtaking views and scenery. So, what are you waiting for?! Become a part of the Hunza Valley tourism and start planning a pleasant and fun vacation to Hunza Valley today!

Main Image Photo  by Moez Mustafa on Unsplash