09/07/2026
Sea Gull, Dolphin, Mermaid, Sagar & Red Carpet Restaurants – Remembering the Golden Days of Boat Basin, Clifton Karachi.
Boat Basin has long been one of Karachi’s most celebrated food destinations. While today’s Boat Basin is famous for its wide variety of cuisines, cafés, BBQ, desserts, and late-night dining, its journey began decades ago with a handful of iconic restaurants that helped shape the city’s dining culture.
During the 1980s and 1990s, restaurants such as Sea Gull Restaurant (located on the ground floor of Sea Breeze Centre), Mermaid & Dolphin Restaurant (beside the famous Sagar Video), and Red Carpet Restaurant, became household names. Families gathered here for weekend dinners, celebrations, and memorable evenings that are still fondly remembered by many Karachiites.
One longtime Karachiite recalls:
“The Chicken Shashlik and Cream Soup at Sea Gull Restaurant were family favourites. Even today, I haven’t found that same taste anywhere else.”
For many, these restaurants were about much more than food. They represented an era of warm hospitality, family traditions, and unforgettable moments.
Today, Boat Basin presents a completely different landscape. Many of the original buildings and restaurants have disappeared, new commercial developments have transformed the area, and a new generation of restaurants has taken their place. Visitors now come to enjoy everything from sizzling BBQ platters, karahi, handi, steaks, burgers, pizzas, seafood, shawarma, and Chinese cuisine to specialty coffees, artisan desserts, and late-night street food.
Well-known names such as Tandoori Hut, Nihari Inn, Pizza Inn, Handi Inn, Baloch Icecream, Baithak, Cafe Frontier, Khyber Bbq Karachi Broast,, Al Nakeel, Chick N Chips, Spicy Chicken, 7 Star, KFC, Nando’s, OPTP, Subway, Flamingo, Roll Inn, Tipu and many other restaurants continue to make Boat Basin one of Karachi’s busiest and most diverse food destinations. Signature dishes such as Chicken Handi, Mutton Karahi, BBQ platters, steaks, burgers, seafood, Chinese specialties, pizzas, and traditional desserts now define the modern Boat Basin experience.
Although Sea Gull, Dolphin, Mermaid, Sagar, and Red Carpet Restaurants are now part of history, they remain an unforgettable chapter in Karachi’s culinary heritage. The faces, flavours, and buildings may have changed, but Boat Basin continues to be a place where families and friends gather to create new memories—just as they did decades ago.
Did you ever visit these legendary restaurants? Which dish do you remember the most? And which of today’s Boat Basin restaurants has become your favourite? Share your memories with us.
Courtesy: Once Karachi 🫶
