After two years of subdued Ramzan on account of the pandemic, restaurant owners and caterers are looking forward to business picking up as the Muslim community gets ready to observe the Holy Month, which will begin on April 3. Food is an integral part of Ramzan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. After sunset, families and friends observe Iftar , the evening meal. 

“The last two years we went through a huge loss, but this year we are hoping to recover losses and bring back the festive mood for all. We just hope that COVID-19 cases don’t rise again,” says Shahid, owner of Charminar Kabab Paradise. He will offer special menus along the lines of what was served pre-COVID such as mutton egg kheema kebabs and haleem. 

In Fraser Town, restaurateurs are preparing to set up food stalls that attract hundreds of people across religions every night. “We have so many customers from other religions frequenting our stalls. Varieties of food will be added to the menu and sweets such shahi tukra, jilebi, and kheer will be available,” said a vendor from Fraser Town.

On Mosque Road, one restaurant owner is excited to serve the popular lamb dish, Pathar-ka-Gosht. “This is one of the famous and mouth watering dishes of this area. Also our haleem is more in demand during this time of the year,” said one proprietor. While Mosque Road is famous for its iftar menus, Shivajinagar is more wallet friendly. “Items such as chicken, mutton kabab, chicken roll, and jalebi will be available for Iftar. We prepare this type of food all year round, but during Ramzan we increase our quantities,” said a street vendor at Shivajinagar.