Lyari Cafe Brings a Whole Subcontinent of Flavors to Northwest Dallas

As Indian food continues to evolve around Dallas, we’re humbled every day by the endless amounts of chicken biryani, naan and thick mango chutney there are to try in any given neighborhood.

But it’s not every day that you get access to the cuisine of the entire Indian subcontinent, which is what Lyari Cafe brings to Dallas.

The cafe’s namesake is a neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan, along the Arabian Sea. Inspired by the melting pot of cultures and flavors, Lyari Cafe showcases authentic Indian and Pakistani halal cuisine using locally sourced ingredients.

We were eager to try a variety of foods from the menu, as we are still dipping our toes into the complex flavors of the region. Naturally, we grabbed samosas to start: aalu, chicken and beef.

Our favorite was the aalu (spiced potato and pea), but all three of them had a variety of ingredients that brought complex flavors and a wish that we had doubled our order. The three sauces on the table? Also good.

We didn’t catch the names, but they’re each very different. The first is a refreshing, yogurt-based sauce with mint and other herbs; the middle man is a type of tamarind chutney; the last one is chili-heavy in all the right ways. Adding any or all of these only adds to the flavors of whatever you put it on.

If, like us, you don’t have much knowledge about this regional cuisine, ordering is a touch interesting. None of the menu items have descriptions, so in a way you order blind, but you won’t be disappointed with the outcome. If you need help, the employees are happy to explain any dish and give personal recommendations.

Also, there is crazy value in the menu. Where else are you going to get a basket of freshly made naan for $1.99? Let us know. We’d love to stop in.

For mains, we ventured outside of the typical butter chicken order and tried nihari beef, a rich, slow-cooked meat stew, and beef behari, a popular Pakistani street food made with thin strips of marinated beef that are finished off with coal smoke. Accompaniments were house-made mango lassi and two types of naan, garlic and butter.

What’s deceiving about Indian food is that at a glance it’s easy to assume basic flavors are happening in any given dish, but one bite proves the cuisine is a feast for the senses.

There are so many different flavors happening at any given time, and they can be transformed further by sopping up some curry with a piece of naan, adding sauces or something as simple as a fresh element on top of a rich stew. And when it tastes home-cooked like these dishes do, you can never get enough.

If you’re familiar with desserts outside of the scope of the U.S., you know the most common trait among them is that they’re never too sweet. Our two desserts, kheer and gulab jamon, were exactly that.

Kheer is a type of rice pudding in which the grains, whole milk and sugar are slow cooked to a creamy consistency. A bit like oatmeal but not nearly as soggy. Cardamom, saffron, jaggery and pistachios are added for a complex flavor.

Gulab jamun are a classic dessert in the region made by frying milk-based dough balls and soaking them in a syrup made with green cardamom, saffron, clove and rose water. It’s straightforward in concept, but many of the steps and ingredients added to the recipe are done to ensure the dough balls hold structure and don’t get too soggy while in the syrup.

All of the desserts are premade and served in tiny to-go containers, which makes it easy to pick up another two or three on your way out the door. You’ll be more than tempted to.

Lyari Cafe, 11641 Harry Hines Blvd. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.