Mithai in Lahore: The Best Old Sweet Shops

For mithai in Lahore, start with the old shops near the walled city: Butt Sweets on McLeod Road at Lakshmi Chowk, set up in 1947, Taj Mahal Sweets by Taxali Gate for its khoya poora halwa, and Rafiq Sweets and Khalifa Bakers inside Mochi Gate. Then go to the shops known for a single sweet: badami gulab jamun at Meher Sweets, pateesa at Amritsari Sweets on Beadon Road and barfi and daal pinni at Fazal Sweets.

Many of Lahore's best sweet shops started as breakfast shops, and some still sell halwa puri in the morning and mithai later in the day. This guide covers who makes what, and how to buy for Eid or to carry home.

Which are the oldest sweet shops in Lahore?

Butt Sweets traces its first shop on McLeod Road at Lakshmi Chowk to 1947, when Ghulam Qadir Butt and his sons opened a small sweet and samosa shop. That first branch spreads over both corners of a narrow lane: mithai, cakes and biscuits on one side, fried snacks and breakfast on the other. Butt Sweets has since opened branches across the city, and it is still one of the first names Lahoris give for both halwa puri and mithai. Our Lakshmi Chowk food guide covers the street around it.

Taj Mahal Sweets, in the lanes by Taxali Gate opposite Badshahi Mosque, was opened in the mid-1960s by Chaudhry Muhammad Akram when he was 17. He named it after the Taj Mahal, which he had dreamed of seeing. Its best seller is his own invention, a poora halwa made with khoya and nuts. In the evening, after breakfast ends, the counter sells sweets, ras malai and samosas. Taj Mahal Sweets won a 2014 contest of walled city cooks organised by the Walled City of Lahore Authority.

Karachi Sweet Shop, at the mouth of the Old Anarkali food street as you come from the Mall, was opened by a wrestler, Rana Abdul Hameed. When Dawn Images visited in 2015 it had no signboard, so ask. After breakfast it sells tikkis, sweet poora, jalebi, sweet pakoras and shakarparay.

One famous name has gone. Nirala Sweets, which Taj Din opened on Fleming Road in 1948 selling halwa puri and mithai, grew to 15 shops in Lahore before closing in 2016.

What should you buy in the walled city?

Mochi Gate is the best gate for sweets.

• Rafiq Sweets has been a Lahore fixture for a very long time, and Lahore food writers rate its original Mochi Gate shop above its newer branches.
• Khalifa Bakers, a short walk away, is famous for nan khatai, a thick, crumbly almond biscuit. The family dates the business to 1925, and in 2016 it said its biscuits were made from flour, sugar and butter with no preservatives. It is not mithai in the strict sense, but no Lahore sweet run is complete without a box.

Ask any shopkeeper inside Mochi Gate for Khalifa and they will point the way. The lanes are narrow and busy with motorbikes, so walk in from the gate and leave the car outside. Our guide to the 13 gates of Lahore helps you find your way.

Which Lahore shops are known for one sweet?

Some shops are worth a trip for a single item:

• Meher Sweets, Lakshmi Chowk: badami gulab jamun, made with almonds.
• Amritsari Sweets, Beadon Road: pateesa, the flaky, melt-in-the-mouth gram-flour sweet.
• Fazal Sweets: barfi and daal ki pinni. Fazal Sweets was the Lahore shop in Google's 2013 "Reunion" advert about two friends separated by Partition, and when Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy, the agency behind it, later visited Pakistan, the shop welcomed him with drums and tins of jhajhariya.
• Mahmood Sweets, Cavalry Ground: a long-standing shop by the Jinnah Flyover, known for its ladoo.

These recommendations come from Lahore food writers and residents rather than any official list, and shops change hands. Check a recent map listing before a special trip.

Why do Lahore sweet shops sell halwa puri?

In the early 1950s it was normal for Lahore sweet shops to sell breakfast in the morning (halwa puri and cholay with tea) and mithai in the evening, and many still do. That is why the same names turn up on halwa puri lists and mithai lists. If you want both, go at breakfast and buy your boxes on the way out. Our Lahore halwa puri guide covers the breakfast side.

Tips for buying mithai in Lahore

1. Go late morning. The breakfast crowd has thinned and the day's mithai is out.
2. Avoid Chand Raat evenings, when every sweet shop in the city has a queue. Order a day or two ahead for Eid or a wedding.
3. Check closing times. Federal fuel-saving rules from September 2026 ask shops to close by 9 pm, while standalone bakeries are exempt. How a sweet shop is treated depends on the provincial order, so go before dark to be safe.
4. Choose sweets that travel. Pateesa, barfi, pinni, ladoo, sohan halwa and nan khatai survive a long drive. Ras malai and milk sweets need a cool box.
5. Ask for prices by the kilo before you choose. We could not find reliable 2026 price lists, and prices move with sugar, ghee and milk.

For more to take home, see our souvenirs from Lahore guide.

Which Lahore sweet shop suits you?

• For an all-round box near the old city: Butt Sweets, Lakshmi Chowk.
• For a walled city walk with sweets: Mochi Gate, for Rafiq and Khalifa.
• For something unusual: Taj Mahal Sweets' poora halwa, by Taxali Gate.
• For a gift that travels: pateesa from Amritsari Sweets or nan khatai from Khalifa.

If you are staying in Gulberg or DHA, the bigger chains have branches near you, but the old shops are a short drive away and worth the trip once. More ideas are on our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions