Where to eat PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 Zürich: Bombay Karachi

Bombay Karachi

Stampfenbachstrasse 32, Zürich

Published June 24, 2025 · by Amanda Rivkin Häsler

What we ordered: For two people, two lamb menus, both served with biryani rice but one plate with yellow lentils and one with vegetable curry.  To drink, one iced tea and one sparkling water.

Cost: 46 CHF / €49 /$57

In many ways Bombay Karachi is another quick spot for lunch in the Zürich city center that is dotted by such places catering to office workers in search of a hot lunch. Located near the rail station, Bombay Karachi though also offers travelers a chance at a quick, hot lunch at affordable prices in quiet comfort.

Now in its 22nd year, it's quite clear the folks at Bombay Karachi know exactly what they are doing in serving up hot comfort food. Everything is halal and alcohol is absent. The service is cafeteria-style, offering a chance to afford a glimpse at one wants before ordering. Drinks are plucked from a cooler by the register. Payment is made after eating on the way out.

We both opted for the lamb menu and the biryani rice. I had the lentils and Georg went for the vegetable curry. On a rainy spring day, the food provided great solace as the lamb was fork tender and the sauce, which tasted a lot like the description of the national dish nihari, was very smooth and rich in flavor without being too heavy. The vegetable curry also offered a punctuation on the lamb, smoothing over the decadence with a richness of flavor but with a lightness of being. 

For condiments, a quick note that everything from mint to yogurt to spicy chili is available for customers to help themselves. I always opt for extra spice when and where possible, so I loaded a corner of my plate with the spicy chili. There is also an option to add salad at the self-service bar, though neither of us did.

As a quick, no-frills lunch spot, we were in and out in about a half hour. But given the convenience and the affordability and the friendliness of service, there is little reason to imagine we will not be back at some point. As an easy, hearty but not heavy lunch spot, and one so conveniently located near the main rail station of Zürich, it is easy to see why it would win the affections of nearby workers and observant Muslims in the Swiss financial capital over the last 22 years.

How to get to Pakistan from Switzerland:

To drive from Switzerland to Pakistan is an approximately 88-hour perilous journey of wonder, if undertaken without breaks throughout, what is sure to be a harrowing odyssey via Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey before the real difficulties begin in Iran, on the Kandahar Herat highway in Afghanistan and finally, Pakistan. 

By rail, there is even less of a possibility of success, meaning simply, there are no options.

To get to Islamabad from Zürich in under 15 hours, there are a few options, namely with Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines with connections in either Doha, Dubai or Istanbul. From Geneva, it is a similar story with an additional routing option possible via Riyadh on Saudia. 

How many Pakistanis are in Switzerland: Under 3,000 

Distance between Bern and Islamabad: 7,619 km 

Distance from Bombay Karachi to Islamabad: 7,505 km

Come Friday: learn how to make Pakistan's national dish, nihari, and about its origins.

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