Chakwal Famous Food: Rewri, Barfi and What to Eat

Chakwal's most famous food is rewri, the small sesame and jaggery sweet sold in boxes all over Pakistan, and the best-known name for it is Pehlwan Rewri from Chhapar Bazaar. The city is also known for Nisar's barfi on Talagang Road, for haleem and chicken pulao in Chhapar Bazaar, and for the peanuts and loquats grown in the surrounding Salt Range. If you are passing on the M-2 or visiting Kallar Kahar and Katas Raj, these are the things worth stopping for.

This guide covers Chakwal famous food dish by dish, where to buy each one, and what travels well.

What is Chakwal rewri?

Rewri is a bite-sized sweet made by melting gur (jaggery) with glucose and desi ghee, cooling it, then rolling it in toasted sesame seeds. It is crunchy outside, chewy inside, and it is a winter food: people eat it at night after dinner, often with roasted peanuts or a cup of green tea.

Dawn traced the Chakwal rewri story in 2015. A sweet vendor called Fazal Elahi started making it in the city in 1951 and later named it Zaffar Rewri after his grandson. Haji Mohammad Nazeer, known as Pehlwan, and his brother-in-law Haji Gulsher then launched their own Pehlwan Rewri, which became the most sought-after brand in the district. Dawn reported that production had grown from about 15 kg a day at the start to around 1,000 kg a day in peak season, and that the rewri is sent all over Pakistan and abroad through traders.

Interestingly, Dawn noted that none of the four ingredients is grown in Chakwal itself. The reputation comes from the recipe and the people making it.

Where to buy Pehlwan rewri

The original shop is Pehlwan Juice House in Chhapar Bazaar, Chakwal's main market in the centre of the city. Online resellers listed Pehlwan rewri at about PKR 1,500 to 1,650 per kilo in 2026, in plain and elaichi (cardamom) versions. Buying at the shop is usually cheaper and fresher, but prices change, so check before you order a large quantity.

Several Chakwal makers sell rewri, and the names on the boxes vary. If you want Pehlwan's specifically, as a gift for example, buy it at the shop in Chhapar Bazaar.

Nisar barfi: Chakwal's other sweet

The second sweet people take home from Chakwal is barfi from Nisar Sweets and Bakers, a family business started in 1968 and still run by the family. It is on the main Talagang Road, opposite Heral post office, and locals call it the Nisar barfi shop. The barfi is made from milk, sugar and desi ghee, with almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts and coconut.

Pakistani Soghat, which sells it online, listed it at PKR 2,250 per kilo in 2026. Like most milk sweets, it keeps for a few days rather than weeks, so buy it at the end of your trip. Our guide to traditional sweets of Pakistan covers how barfi differs from city to city.

What else to eat in Chakwal

Chakwal is a working district town, not a food destination like Lahore, so its everyday food is plain Punjabi fare done well. The names below come from Dawn and from Wikivoyage's Chakwal listings. Small eateries change, so ask locally if one has moved.

Chicken pulao and samosa channay

Pehlwan Juice House is not only a sweet shop. Dawn reported that it also serves murgh pulao and samosa channay, along with ice cream, and Wikivoyage lists the Pehlwan Hotel in Chhapar Bazaar for chicken pulao. Pulao here is the Punjabi kind, rice cooked in chicken stock with whole spices, served with raita and salad.

Haleem in Chhapar Bazaar

Two haleem shops are listed in Chhapar Bazaar: Tasty Haleem Center and Madina Hotel. Haleem is a slow-cooked mix of wheat, lentils and meat, eaten with naan, fried onions, ginger and lemon. It is at its best before lunchtime, when the pot is fresh.

Daal anda, tikka and lassi

• Haji's daal anda, at Shah Multani on Bhaun Road, is listed for daal with fried egg, a cheap and filling lunch.
• Sheraz Tikka House on Talagang Road is a name for barbecue in the evening.
• Nisar Hotel on Talagang Road is listed for lassi.
• Pehlwan Juice House also does milkshakes and fresh fruit juice.

Prices at these places are local-market prices and much lower than in Islamabad, but none publishes a menu we could verify, so ask before you order.

Chakwal peanuts and Salt Range produce

Chakwal is rain-fed barani country, and peanuts are its traditional cash crop. The Barani Agricultural Research Institute in Chakwal has bred many of the groundnut varieties grown in northern Punjab, including one named Chakwal Gold. Roasted peanuts are a winter snack across northern Punjab, and in Chakwal they are the usual partner for rewri.

The district is also known for loquats. A study in the Pakistan Journal of Botany named Kallar Kahar and Choa Saidan Shah as Chakwal's two famous loquat-growing places. Loquats ripen in spring, so a spring trip to Kallar Kahar is the time to look for them. Chakwal has also been at the centre of Punjab's olive-planting drive since 2015, according to Dawn.

How to fit Chakwal's food into a trip

Most people come through Chakwal on the way to somewhere else: Kallar Kahar, the Katas Raj temples or the Khewra salt mine. A simple plan:

1. Leave the M-2 at the Balkassar or Kallar Kahar interchange and drive into Chakwal city.
2. Have haleem or pulao around Chhapar Bazaar for lunch.
3. Buy rewri from Pehlwan in Chhapar Bazaar and barfi from Nisar on Talagang Road.
4. Carry on to Katas Raj or Kallar Kahar for the afternoon.

Our places to visit in Chakwal guide and our Khewra and Katas Raj day trip cover the sights. For other ideas built around food and culture, see our experiences page.

Is Chakwal worth a detour for food?

For rewri, yes, if you are already on the M-2 or heading into the Salt Range. Chhapar Bazaar is the real source, and the city is a short drive off the motorway. For barfi, it is worth the stop if you are buying gifts.

As a food destination in its own right, Chakwal is modest. There is no food street, the eateries are simple, and in summer the heat makes a bazaar walk hard work. Come between October and March, when rewri and peanuts are in season and the weather is pleasant, or in spring for loquats. Chakwal has no travel advisory beyond the ordinary, and the bazaar is a normal, busy Punjab market.

Frequently asked questions