Best Restaurants in Dhaka (2026)

Dhaka eats. That is simply who we are — a city that debates biryani recipes the way other cities debate politics, where a good meal is never just food but memory, identity, and belonging. Whether you grew up here or are navigating Dhaka for the first time, knowing where to eat well is genuinely life-improving. This guide is for you.

TL;DR

• 🍛 Haji Biryani in Nazira Bazar has been feeding Dhaka since 1939 — it is the city's most beloved biryani institution
• 🔥 Tandooriwala and Farzi Cafe Dhaka represent the new wave of elevated, flavour-forward dining
• 🕐 Hours vary wildly — always check before heading out, especially on Sundays
• 📍 Great food is spread across every neighbourhood, from Gulshan to Mirpur to Uttara
• 💰 Dhaka's restaurant scene covers every budget, from street-level biryani houses to polished dining rooms

The Biryani Question (And Yes, There Is an Answer)

No honest guide to restaurants in Dhaka can begin anywhere other than biryani. It is the city's defining dish, fiercely argued over, deeply personal, and available in a hundred variations. The real question is never whether to eat biryani — it is which biryani, and from where.

Haji Biryani – Since 1939 at 70 Kazi Alauddin Road in Nazira Bazar is the answer most Dhakaites will give you without hesitation. Open seven days a week from early morning and running through to midnight, this place has outlasted governments, floods, and food trends. The Hyderabadi-style preparation has remained consistent across generations, which is exactly why people keep coming back. You can reach them at 01711523505 or visit hajibiriyani.com if you want to place an order ahead of time.

Fakhruddin er Biriyani at 37 South Gulshan, Circle-1 brings the Mughlai-Awadhi tradition — biryani, korma, tehari — to the Gulshan crowd. Open from noon to 10 pm, it is a reliable choice for a long, slow lunch.

For those in Uttara, Hyderabad Biryani and Fast Food on Road 2 in Sector 3 and Allahar Dan Biriyani House in BNS Center on Road 5, Sector 7 are both worth knowing. Allahar Dan runs Monday through Wednesday from 10:30 am to 11:30 pm, with slightly later weekend openings.

Old Dhaka Classics That Locals Protect

The lanes of Old Dhaka hide some of the most serious cooking in the city — restaurants that have never needed a social media presence because the food does all the talking.

Al-Razzaque Restaurant at 29/1 North South Road in Bangshal is a Bangladeshi kitchen operating in a neighbourhood dense with history. It is not glamorous, but it is honest and deeply local in the best sense.

Nanna Biryani on Dakshinkhan Road at Haji Camp has a loyal following that stretches across decades. The website nannabiryani.com carries current information if you need it before visiting.

For something similarly rooted in tradition but slightly off the usual trail, Hazina Nna Biryani at Mannan Plaza in Khilkhet is open from Thursday through Saturday with extended evening hours on Thursdays and Fridays — useful to know if you are planning a weeknight dinner.

💡 Desi Insider Tip: If you are going to Nazira Bazar for Haji Biryani, arrive before 1 pm on a weekday. The afternoon crowds are intense, parking is a genuine test of patience, and some days the biryani simply runs out. Eat early, eat well, leave happy.

Where the New Dhaka Goes to Dine

Dhaka's newer generation of restaurants is doing something genuinely interesting — taking familiar flavours and presenting them with more intention, better interiors, and a wider vocabulary.

Farzi Cafe Dhaka at 54 Gulshan Avenue is the most talked-about example of this shift. The menu moves across regional classics, kebabs, and international influences with a modern plating sensibility. It is the kind of place where you might bring someone visiting from abroad and feel genuinely proud of the city's food scene. Reservations can be made at farzidhaka.com.

Tandooriwala brings serious Hyderabadi biryani and well-executed chicken and mutton dishes to two locations — the Bashundhara branch on the 4th floor of Rahman Tower on Bashundhara Road, and the Uttara branch on the 3rd floor at 88 Shah Makhdum Avenue. Their contact number is 09639155261 and the full menu lives at bdtandooriwala.com.

PRIVEE Resort and Restaurant offers a wide-ranging menu covering everything from seafood to Chinese to kebabs, with a more resort-style setting that suits longer gatherings. Their website at privee.com.bd carries current details on availability.

Kebabs, Grills, and the Smoky Middle Ground

Between a proper biryani house and a full-service restaurant sits a beloved category: the kebab place. Dhaka has excellent ones.

Kachalonka Restaurant and Kabab Garden at House No. 67 on Kalabagan 1st Lane is a name that regulars in that part of the city know well. It is the kind of neighbourhood spot that earns loyalty not through branding but through consistent, smoky, well-spiced food.

ANJUM Kabab Ghor at 10/1 Toyenbee Circular Road and Al Baik Restaurant and Kabab Ghor in Askona Purbapara, Dakshinkhan are both worth visiting if you are in those areas and craving something off the grill.

Marwa Kebab and Restaurant at Plot 2/A, Road 13 in Nikunja 2, Khilkhet rounds out the options for the airport-area crowd — practical for a meal before or after travel.

Neighbourhood Finds Worth Knowing

Some of the most satisfying meals in Dhaka happen in places that do not make lists. Here are a few verified spots that deserve a mention.

Alkaderia Restaurant at 2/3 D.I.T. Road in Rampura is a multi-style kitchen covering chicken, kebabs, and regional cooking. Minu's Kitchen on Satmasjid Road at Green Akshay Plaza runs an eclectic menu that spans fish, pasta, Thai-style dishes, and desserts — a genuinely flexible option for mixed groups. Classy Dine at 1/B Road 5 covers everything from grilled items to curries to fine dining and is one of those addresses that works for a casual meal as easily as it does for a more formal occasion.

For Mirpur residents, Biriyani House on Hazi Avenue in Rainkhola, Mirpur-2 is open from 8:30 am to midnight every day without exception — one of the more reliable early-morning biryani options in that part of the city.

Practical Tips Before You Go

Dhaka dining has a few rhythms worth understanding before you plan your outing.

First, Sunday closures are real. Hazina Nna Biryani, for example, is closed on Sundays entirely. Always check hours before making a trip, especially for the smaller spots that do not have dedicated front-of-house staff to answer last-minute calls.

Second, lunch hours between 1 pm and 3 pm at popular spots can mean long waits without a reservation. Arriving at noon or after 3 pm smooths the experience considerably.

Third, many Dhaka restaurants — particularly the heritage biryani houses — run out of specific dishes by early afternoon. If there is one thing on the menu you are coming specifically for, go early.

Finally, most of the restaurants listed here are reachable via ride-hailing apps, which takes the parking question entirely off the table. For Old Dhaka spots like Al-Razzaque and Haji Biryani, this is genuinely the better option.

FAQ

Q: What is the oldest restaurant in this guide? Haji Biryani on Kazi Alauddin Road has been operating since 1939, making it the longest-running entry on this list by a considerable margin.

Q: Which restaurants are best for a group celebration or event? Farzi Cafe Dhaka and PRIVEE Resort and Restaurant are both well-suited for larger group bookings. Farzi has a reservations system via their website, and PRIVEE's resort setting accommodates gatherings comfortably.

Q: Are there options in Uttara specifically? Yes — Tandooriwala has a branch at 88 Shah Makhdum Avenue, Allahar Dan Biriyani House is in the BNS Center on Sector 7, and Hyderabad Biryani and Fast Food is located on Road 2 in Sector 3.

Q: Can I order online from these restaurants? Several are available through food delivery platforms. Haji Biryani has its own website at hajibiriyani.com, and Tandooriwala can be reached via bdtandooriwala.com. Some of the smaller neighbourhood spots are listed on third-party delivery services.

Q: What cuisine styles are most common in Dhaka restaurants? Biryani — particularly Hyderabadi and Awadhi styles — dominates, alongside kebabs, Mughlai cooking, and Bangladeshi home-style food. The newer dining scene in Gulshan and Bashundhara adds more eclectic, internationally influenced menus to the mix.

The Bottom Line

Dhaka's restaurant scene in 2026 is as rich and layered as the city itself — heritage biryani houses that have survived nearly a century sit alongside modern dining rooms pushing the format forward, and between them is every shade of neighbourhood cooking worth knowing. The best meal you will have here is probably the one a local insists you try, in a place you would never find on your own. Use this guide as a starting point, then let the city do the rest.

For more local recommendations, community events, and neighbourhood guides written for people who actually live here, keep exploring Desi.Net — your Dhaka, your community, your home.