Hotel Al-Razzak

Hotel Al-Razzak is a long-running traditional Mughlai eatery at 29/1 North South Road in Bangshal, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. Despite the word hotel in its name, which in Bangladesh commonly denotes a simple restaurant, it is a working food house that cooks on wood-fired stoves and serves over a thousand customers a day. That scale makes it one of the busiest traditional kitchens in the old city. The cuisine is Old Dhaka Mughlai, built around slow-cooked meat, rice and rich gravies. Signature dishes include kacchi biryani, mutton glassi, a layered mutton curry, whole roast lamb known as anam, and a warming soup. The restaurant is also popular for a traditional Dhaka breakfast, which draws early-morning diners from the surrounding Bangshal market streets. Wood-fired cooking is the emblematic feature: it gives the meat a smoky depth that regulars associate with the older style of Dhakai cooking. The dining room is a large, functional, high-turnover space rather than a place for lingering. Expect a loud, crowded and lively atmosphere, communal energy at peak hours and plain furnishings. There is no formal dress code, though modest clothing suits the neighbourhood. Meals cost about Tk 300-600 (approx USD 2.4-4.9), depending on how much meat is ordered. The beverage programme is simple, limited to tea, soft drinks and similar non-alcoholic options, in keeping with the halal setting of Old Dhaka. Reservations are not part of the routine; the restaurant works on a walk-in basis, and large groups are advised to arrive early to secure enough seating together. Because the place is busy all day, visiting outside the main lunch rush gives more space and a calmer meal. The Bangshal location is inside a dense commercial area, so travelling by rickshaw and allowing time for traffic is practical.