For the best mithai in Karachi, go to Burns Road for rabri at Delhi Rabri House and dahi baray and samosas at Fresco Sweets, to Gulshan-e-Iqbal for Bengali cham-cham and rasgulla at Bhashani and Dacca Sweets, and to Rehmat-e-Shereen on Tariq Road or Dilpasand in North Nazimabad for Eid boxes. If price matters more than the box it comes in, Liaquatabad's Mithai Gali sells the same classics at wholesale rates.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Oldest sweet street | Burns Road, in the old city |
| Bengali sweets | Bhashani and Dacca Sweets, Rashid Minhas Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal |
| Eid favourites | Rehmat-e-Shereen (Tariq Road), Dilpasand (North Nazimabad), Bhashani |
| Cheapest | Mithai Gali, Liaquatabad, from about PKR 350 a kilo for gulab jamun (2025) |
| Busiest days | Chand Raat, Eid and 12 Rabiul Awwal |
| Pay with | Carry cash, especially in the old city |
Which are the oldest sweet shops in Karachi?
The oldest names are on Burns Road, the food street that Delhi migrants built up after 1947. Delhi Rabri House is the one most people mean when they say "Burns Road ki rabri". Its founder, Haji Muhammad Ismail Dehlavi, had dealt in milk in New Delhi and started selling rabri on a pushcart after moving to Karachi in 1964, The News reported in its Burns Road series. The family later bought the shop the cart used to stand outside. The rabri is milk reduced slowly until it forms layers of cream, served chilled. A 2026 dessert round-up put a serving at around PKR 300.
Signs for "Burns Road ki mash-hoor rabri" appear on sweet shops all over the city. Most have nothing to do with the original.
A few steps away, at what locals call Fresco Chowk on Shahrah-e-Liaquat near Aram Bagh, Fresco Sweets is known for samosas, sweets and dahi baray, and its corner is packed before iftar in Ramazan. Hafiz Sweets on the same road is another busy samosa and sweet stop. Our Burns Road food street guide covers the rest of the street.
Where can you buy Bengali sweets in Karachi?
Karachi is the place in Pakistan for Bengali mithai. Two shops on Rashid Minhas Road in Gulshan-e-Iqbal are the ones to know.
Bhashani Sweets was started by a family that came to Karachi from Bangladesh in 1971 and brought its recipes with it, the owner told Arab News in 2024. Its cham-cham is the item customers send to relatives in the Gulf, Europe and Canada. Kacha gulla, rasgulla, sandesh and ras malai are the other things to try.
Dacca Sweets, nearby, opened in the late 1970s and specialises in Bengali sweets made, its staff say, by cooks of Bengali origin. Dawn's 2014 visit listed paneer barfi, rasgulla, ras malai, sandesh and a salty Dhaka paneer. Ask for kacha gulla, which is less sweet than cham-cham, or the cream-filled malai cham-cham that some regulars call a "malai burger". It added a branch in Bahadurabad in 2014.
Bengali sweets are made from fresh chhena (soft cheese) and soaked in syrup or milk, so they keep only a day or two out of the fridge. Buy them last.
Which sweet shops are best for Eid mithai and gift boxes?
Reporting from the Chand Raat rush in 2024, Arab News named three leading outlets: Bhashani, Dilpasand and Rehmat-e-Shereen.
- Rehmat-e-Shereen, on main Tariq Road in PECHS, is known for desi ghee mithai, and for its kulfi with falooda and its rabri. It is an easy stop if you are shopping on Tariq Road.
- Dilpasand, in Block A North Nazimabad, sells mithai alongside cakes, nimko and savouries, which makes it useful for one-stop shopping before guests arrive.
- Delhi Sweets, on Shahrah-e-Faisal in PECHS Block 6, is a small shop almost everyone has heard of. It is known for halwa puri, samosas and its halwas, including a winter dry-fruit halwa.
- S. Abdul Khaliq, which The Express Tribune described in 2013 as a mithai brand with a 500-year family history, is the place for malai pera with pistachio, panjiri pera and malai khaja filled with khoya. Its cashew barfi (kaju barfi) is the expensive gift box.
- Ambala sells Punjabi mithai such as kaiser-pak, a layer of kalakand and a layer of habshi halwa topped with coconut.
What is Mithai Gali in Liaquatabad?
In Liaquatabad, a lane locals call Mithai Gali is lined with pakwan kitchens that make mithai by the tonne and sell it at wholesale rates, about a quarter of what a regular sweet shop charges, Dawn reported in 2025. At Azeem Sweets and Rabri House, gulab jamun was PKR 350 a kilo, cham-cham PKR 450, barfi and besan or motichoor ladoo PKR 550, and kalakand PKR 650. The sellers say they keep prices down by using powdered milk rather than fresh. Many pricier shops buy from these kitchens.
It is worth going just to watch gulab jamun fried in vast woks. Expect a crush before both Eids and 12 Rabiul Awwal.
Liaquatabad also has Karachi's old kulfi stalls on Sir Shah Muhammad Suleman Road, run by families with Delhi roots. One seller told Arab News in 2025 that his grandfather set up there in 1968.
Tips for buying mithai in Karachi
- Avoid the evening of Chand Raat if you can. Order a day ahead, or go in the morning.
- Check closing times. Federal fuel-saving rules from September 2026 ask shops to close by 9 pm, with bakeries and dairy shops exempt. Provinces apply them differently, so check before a late trip.
- Mix hardy and soft sweets. Barfi, ladoo and sohan halwa travel well. Cham-cham, ras malai and rabri do not.
- Check the price board. Mithai is sold by the kilo. Mithai Gali's 2025 rates are the floor; the famous shops charge well above them, and we found no reliable 2026 lists, so check at the counter.
Our guide to traditional sweets of Pakistan explains each sweet, and Eid food in Pakistan covers what families serve on the day.
Which Karachi sweet shop suits you?
- For a taste of old Karachi: Burns Road, rabri at Delhi Rabri House and dahi baray at Fresco.
- For the best Bengali sweets: Bhashani or Dacca Sweets in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
- For Eid gift boxes: Rehmat-e-Shereen, Dilpasand or S. Abdul Khaliq.
- For the lowest prices: Mithai Gali, Liaquatabad.
More ideas are on our experiences page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most famous sweet shop in Karachi?
There is no single answer. Delhi Rabri House on Burns Road is the most famous for rabri, Bhashani for cham-cham, and Rehmat-e-Shereen and Dilpasand are among the busiest at Eid.
Where can I buy cheap mithai in Karachi?
Mithai Gali in Liaquatabad, where kitchens sell at wholesale rates. In 2025 gulab jamun there cost about PKR 350 a kilo.
Where is the best rabri in Karachi?
Delhi Rabri House on Burns Road, which started as a pushcart in the 1960s. Beware of shops elsewhere that borrow the Burns Road name.
How long does mithai keep?
Barfi, ladoo and sohan halwa keep for several days. Cham-cham, rasgulla and ras malai need the fridge and are best within a day or two.
