What’s still missing from Dhaka’s food scene?

The restaurant industry of Dhaka can safely be regarded as the most widespread entertainment option in town. Over the past few years, various types of restaurants have mushroomed in every corner and alley of the city, from busy dim sum houses to quiet cafes.

So, surely you won't be disappointed in a food venture in Dhaka – but is that really the case?

Amid the endless array of options, what is Dhaka still lacking in terms of its food scene?

Although options for eating out are varied, Dhaka still lacks various cuisines, or the complete offerings from such. Think back, how many names can you list if you are looking for proper Moroccan or Indonesian cuisine in the city? Not many.

Simultaneously, many well-renowned franchises are yet to step into Dhaka—when do we finally get to smell Starbucks and McDonald's in the local streets? While this gap may be questionable from a diner's perspective, a restaurateur knows exactly why this is.

"The lack of diversity of food in Dhaka can be attributed to the market not being big enough to cater to such needs. In effect, certain ingredients are hard to source, and the limited purchasing power also makes it difficult for us to scale up," pointed out Ashfaq Rahman Asif, Managing Director of a chain of restaurants, including Tarka.       

While the lack of international cuisine persists, something more concerning is the unavailability of food from different parts of our own country. Bangladesh is a diverse melting pot of cultures, with wholesome food speckled throughout, and Dhaka being the central hub ought to have a representation of this. Even so, one can only list down a handful of places that serve Bengali cuisine from all over the country.

To a great extent, restaurants of Dhaka also lack authenticity. While different options are popping up, such as South Asian and Mexican, a true food connoisseur will be able to tell the vast gap that persists in authenticity. "Although our options are increasing, authenticity is still lacking. There is an evident touch of Bengali twist in the food to match our acquired taste, but this snatches away the true essence of the cuisine," remarked a frustrated customer and avid foodie, Maisha Tabassum.   

Apart from food options and availability, thousands of restaurants in Dhaka still lack consistency. You are regularly going to your favourite Italian bistro in town, and suddenly, one day your choice of pasta tastes different – with the reason being the chef has changed.

This can be one cause, but in general, restaurants in Dhaka struggle to keep up consistency in terms of taste and quality that they initially start with. This also expands to the quality of service restaurants offer. In most cases, after the hyped-up opening, it is not long before things take a downward spiral.

Not only that, restaurants in Dhaka are yet to be truly innovative. "When the Dhaka crowd seems to be liking something, it is only a matter of time before others start replicating the idea to produce their own. There have been many examples over time, most recently waffles on a stick! So, although we ace in terms of quantity, not so much when it comes to originality," opined Ashik Ur Rahman Udoy, Food Blogger at Alonetimeeating and Founder of Bangladesh Eats.

Although there are still many shortcomings to overcome, which shall be conquered in due time, Dhaka's food scene continues to be one of the liveliest industries abuzz with foodies.