The Pakistani-American Kitchen: A New Wave of Flavors Redefining the Diaspora’s Culinary Identity

In the summer of 2017, journalist and chef Pervaiz Shallwani and his wife, Laena McCarthy, found themselves in the middle of a backyard cook-off celebrating a friend’s birthday. As the grill fired up, the couple decided to offer a culinary bridge between two worlds: a Chicago-style hot dog reimagined through the lens of Karachi street food. They topped the frankfurter with bhel puri, a beloved South Asian snack composed of crispy puffed rice, diced red onions, fresh tomatoes, and a vibrant, contrasting drizzle of tangy and spicy chutneys. What began as a spontaneous experiment—a happy, flavorful accident—would eventually become the foundational spirit for a burgeoning movement in the American food scene.

This creative collision of cultures is emblematic of a broader, more significant shift within the Pakistani-American community. For decades, the story of Pakistani food in the United States was one of quiet persistence. When Shallwani’s father migrated from Karachi to the U.S. in 1971, he was part of an early wave of immigration that gradually established roots in major urban centers like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Houston. Yet, throughout the 1980s and 90s, the restaurants that served this community often operated in the shadows. To gain broader appeal or to navigate a food landscape that favored established labels, these eateries frequently identified as "Indo-Pak" or simply "Indian," leaning into the mainstream success of dishes like butter chicken and chana masala. Alternatively, they remained tucked away in tight-knit immigrant enclaves—places like Hillcroft in Houston, Little Pakistan in Coney Island, or Devon Avenue in Chicago—catering almost exclusively to their own diaspora.

For a long time, the Pakistani culinary presence was eclipsed by the far larger Indian American community, which holds the distinction of being the second-largest immigrant group in the United States. However, the demographic landscape has shifted dramatically. The Pakistani diaspora has grown from a relatively small population of approximately 32,600 in 1980 to nearly 680,000 today. With this expansion, the culinary output of the community has moved beyond the periphery, finally feeling the warmth of a mainstream spotlight.

While a few stalwarts have long stood as exceptions to the rule—such as the wildly popular Aga’s in Houston, which was recently recognized as one of the busiest single-location restaurants on Uber Eats, and the James Beard Award-nominated Zareen’s Kitchen in Palo Alto—these successes were once outliers. Now, the momentum has shifted toward a new, distinctively "Pakistani-American" kitchen.

Much of this transformation accelerated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current wave of Pakistani-American dining is not defined by the grand, formal menus of fine-dining establishments, but rather by a scrappy, fast-casual energy that mirrors the rise of other diaspora food movements, such as the contemporary West African scene or the Filipino culinary boom of the 2010s. Today’s chefs are introducing the bold, complex profiles of South Asian cuisine through quintessentially American vessels: hot dogs topped with zesty chaat, New York-style chopped cheese sandwiches bolstered by the savory depth of chapli kebab, and crispy, buttermilk-brined hot chicken seasoned with a sophisticated medley of South Asian spices.

In Fort Worth, Texas, pitmaster Zain Shafi found his own path to this intersection through the state’s legendary barbecue culture. Growing up in Texas, Shafi had rarely encountered barbecue, largely due to the scarcity of halal options. When he finally experienced it, the impact was profound. "It blew my mind," Shafi recalls. While balancing his responsibilities at his family’s furniture business, he delved into the craft of smoking meat, eventually training at the acclaimed Goldee’s. This led him to launch Sabar, a food truck that, from 2023 to 2025, served halal, Pakistani-inspired barbecue. His menu featured innovations like sausage seasoned with seekh kebab spices and smoked tandoori turkey, paired with traditional sides like raita, lentils, and fresh naan. For Shafi, the food was more than a menu—it was a social bridge. "In the midst of Islamophobia in Texas, food was a good stepping stone to introduce Pakistani food to people," he says. "It broke the ice."

This strategy of "remixing" familiar American favorites has proven to be the key to widespread appeal. Usman Chaudhry, an accountant who moved to the U.S. from Pakistan in the early 2000s, saw this potential in the fall of 2020. Alongside his brother, he opened Namkeen in Chatham, New Jersey, with a vision to serve high-quality halal hot chicken to the Tri-State area. The menu was tight, replicable, and bold, featuring items like the "Clucking Waffle Sandwich"—hot fried chicken between jalapeño-and-cheddar Belgian waffles—and a "Tikkaville Sandwich," which layered fried chicken with rich tikka sauce, coleslaw, and mint chutney on a brioche bun.

Despite opening during the height of the pandemic, Namkeen saw lines stretching out the door. The business model, designed for takeout and delivery, proved perfectly suited for the times, and its success allowed for rapid expansion. Today, Namkeen boasts 10 locations across three states and Canada, and the brothers have since branched out into a second concept, Ori’s Cheesesteaks, applying the same premium halal ethos to the classic Philadelphia-style sandwich.

In New York City’s East Village, Zeeshan Bakhrani has taken a similar approach at his 600-square-foot counter, Nishaan. Here, the focus is on the iconic NYC bodega staple: the chopped cheese. Bakhrani’s version uses chapli kebab, griddled with peppers and onions and finished with a bright lime-cilantro sauce and tamarind chutney. The menu is a vibrant reflection of his upbringing, including bihari barbacoa tacos, elote chaat, and Pakola soft-serve—a nod to the iconic green Pakistani soda.

Bakhrani’s journey was non-traditional. After a layoff from his IT job in 2024, he turned to content creation and menu-testing, eventually securing a spot on the 18th season of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race in 2025. Winning the $50,000 prize provided the necessary validation to sign a lease for his first brick-and-mortar space. He has since become a vocal champion for the community, hosting Pakistan Day block parties and fostering collaborations that celebrate the intersection of his identity. When asked if he was concerned about the business risks of leading with the "Pakistani" label, his response was defiant and optimistic: "It won’t hurt me either."

This newfound pride in the "Pakistani" label marks a significant departure from the strategies of the past. Saud Khan, founder of the Harlem chai café Kaafi, was raised in his father’s restaurant in upstate New York and initially had no desire to follow in those footsteps. However, while sitting in a café one day, he was struck by a simple question: Why wasn’t there a space centered on chai and Pakistani-inspired snacks? After opening two locations upstate, he brought the concept to New York City in 2024. "As soon as the doors opened, it was a success story," Khan says. He believes the city is currently in a golden era for South Asian restaurateurs. "We are having a moment right now, we just need to lock in."

Before the current wave of Namkeen, Nishaan, and Kaafi, there was BK Jani, founded by Sibte Hassan in 2015. Hassan, a creative arts professional who moved to New York from Lahore, was frustrated by the lack of quality in the Pakistani food he found in the city, which was largely geared toward quick, low-cost meals for cab drivers. He began hosting backyard grill sessions for friends, eventually taking over a former pizza parlor in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. The early days were grueling, with days passing without a single customer, but a glowing review in The New York Times by Ligaya Mishan changed everything. Hassan was dubbed the "Midas of Meat," and his focus on premium halal burgers cemented his place in the city’s culinary history.

For Pervaiz Shallwani, whose 2017 hot dog cook-off sparked the creation of his own venture, Chaat Dog, the evolution of this cuisine is a natural part of the American story. "You know what you know, you take what you can find, and you adapt it over time," Shallwani says. "Every immigrant group that comes here makes American food their own. That’s what defines American food." With Chaat Dog now established in Brooklyn’s Time Out Market, it is clear that Pakistan’s vibrant, spicy, and tangy flavors have moved from the margins to the center of the American plate, firmly and proudly in the mix.