Best Gola Ganda and Kulfi in Karachi: Dhoraji and Beyond

The best gola ganda in Karachi is on Ghazi Salahuddin Road in Dhoraji, near Stadium Road, where around 50 carts line both sides of the street on summer evenings. Saleem Qadir Uncle's stall, which traces its roots to 1952, is the one most people queue for. For kulfi, go to the old Delhi kulfiwalas on Sir Shah Muhammad Suleman Road in Liaquatabad, or Dilshad Kulfi House on Burns Road for matka kulfi.

Where is the best gola ganda in Karachi?

Dhoraji is the answer almost everyone in Karachi gives. Ghazi Salahuddin Road in Dhoraji Society turns into a run of gola carts in the evening, alongside stalls selling limca and ice cream falooda. Arab News counted roughly 50 carts there in 2023.

Among them, Saleem Qadir Uncle's Gola Ganda is described as by far the most popular. The family say they have been at it since 1952 and credit their homemade syrups for the difference. Dawn's 2014 feature on the street also named Khalid Saleem Amla Gola as one of the established names, and told the story of two vendors, Shakoor and Ghaffar, who sold gola in Dhoraji in Gujarat before Partition and started again here.

Newer names such as Uncle Gola Corner and Mama Gola Ganda are on the same road. Walk the street before you choose, and pick the stall with the steadiest queue.

Our Karachi street food guide maps where else to find gola carts in summer.

What should you order?

Gola ganda is shaved ice packed into a ball, soaked in syrup and finished with toppings. The basic choice is how it is served:

• Stick gola: ice pressed round a stick and dipped in syrup. The cheapest and the most nostalgic.
• Plate or bowl gola: the ice is piled in a dish and loaded with condensed milk, fruit and dry fruit. This is what most people order at Dhoraji.
• Special or signature gola: the bowl version with everything on it: ice cream, jelly, pineapple, coconut, almonds, canned and fresh fruit.

Syrups include raspberry, Rooh Afza, orange, pineapple, banana and ice cream soda. If you can't decide, ask for the house mix.

What does gola ganda cost in Karachi?

Prices have risen fast. At Saleem Qadir Uncle's in 2023, Arab News reported a plain gola at PKR 250, a pineapple jelly gola and the special stick gola at PKR 350, and the signature bowl at PKR 600. Posts from Dhoraji in 2026 show the most loaded golas at around PKR 800. Treat these as rough figures, since prices change every season and each stall sets its own.

A plain gola is enough for a child, and a loaded bowl is easily shared between two.

Where can you get good kulfi in Karachi?

Kulfi is denser than ice cream because it isn't churned. Milk is cooked down until it thickens, then sweetened, flavoured and frozen in moulds. The street kulfi cart has largely gone from Karachi, as Dawn noted in 2024, so you now find kulfi at a few old stalls and at sweet and ice cream shops.

• Liaquatabad street kulfiwalas. On Sir Shah Muhammad Suleman Road, Arab News met two families still making kulfi the Delhi way in 2025. Muhammad Abid's grandfather brought the craft from Delhi to Karachi in 1968, and Abdul Rasheed, who runs Madina Kulfi, calls himself a fifth-generation kulfiwala. This is the closest you will get to old Karachi street kulfi.
• Dilshad Kulfi House, Burns Road. Open since 1969 and known for matka kulfi and kulfi falooda. Easy to add to an evening on Burns Road food street.
• Ice Berg. Its crunch kulfi is the one served at a great many Karachi weddings. It also does khoya, pista and badam zafran.
• Rehmat-e-Shereen and Peshawari Ice Cream. Two older names with branches in the city. Our guide to Peshawari ice cream explains how the Saddar parlour began in 1948.

If you want kulfi with noodles and syrup, see our guide to falooda and rabri in Karachi.

When should you go?

Dhoraji is busiest in the hot months, from about April to October. Go after sunset, when the stalls are fully set up.

Hours are shorter than they used to be. In 2014 Dhoraji's vendors worked from about 3 pm until late at night. In September 2026 the federal government again ordered restaurants and food outlets to close by 11 pm, with takeaway and delivery exempt (Dawn). So aim to arrive by 9 or 10 pm, and check the news for the current rule before you go.

Is gola ganda safe to eat?

The risk is mostly in the ice and the water used to make it. A 2024 study in the journal Heliyon tested ice sold across Karachi and found heavy metals in the samples, and ice made from untreated water can also carry the germs that cause stomach upsets. So choose carefully.

• Pick busy stalls. A long queue means the ice block and syrups are turned over quickly.
• Look at the ice block. It should be clear and kept covered, not sitting in the open gathering dust.
• Prefer cooked or tinned toppings. Condensed milk from a fresh tin and dry fruit are lower risk than cut fresh fruit that has been sitting out.
• Buy kulfi from a working freezer. Kulfi that has softened and been refrozen turns icy and grainy, which is a sign it has thawed.
• Drink bottled water alongside, and keep young children to smaller portions.

Our guide to whether street food in Pakistan is safe covers stall hygiene in more depth.

Is Dhoraji worth a special trip?

If you are in Karachi in the hot months and like sweet things, yes. Few places give a whole street to a single dessert, and the older stalls have done it for generations. It works best as a short stop after dinner. It suits families who don't mind standing at a cart; if you want a sit-down dessert in air conditioning, a kulfi or falooda shop is better. For more ideas around Karachi, see our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions