Old City Tikka and Chargha Trail (self-guided)

The Old City Tikka and Chargha Trail is a self-guided food walk through Gujranwala, in Punjab, Pakistan, built around the city's best-known culinary identity: charcoal-grilled chicken and fried or roasted chargha. There is no tour operator and no booking; the route is a free, self-organised itinerary that takes roughly 2.5 hours and costs about PKR 1,200-2,500 (around $4-$9) in food, depending on appetite. The trail starts at Al-Mashoor Haji Allah Rakha Tikka on Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) near Police Lines, then moves toward the Sheranwala Bagh area and the old-city bazaar lanes.

The route covers four stops, and the balance is firmly savoury with a single sweet-leaning finish. The first stop is chicken tikka cooked over charcoal on GT Road, usually eaten with naan and raita. The second is karahi at Mohammadi Restaurant, a wok-cooked chicken or mutton dish typical of Punjab. The third is dahi bhalla, lentil dumplings in spiced yoghurt, from vendors in the old-city bazaar, which offers a cool, tangy contrast to the grilled meat. The walk closes with doodh patti chai, strong milk tea that is the customary end to a Punjabi meal.

Nothing is included in a package sense: visitors pay for each dish at each stand or restaurant, and transport between stops is not provided. The distances between stops are best covered by rickshaw or a short taxi ride, with walking possible within the bazaar lanes. Because the trail is self-guided, there is no fixed group size, language, or pace. Menus and vendor conversation are mainly in Punjabi and Urdu, and basic English is not guaranteed at street stalls. Dietary substitutions are not formally offered; the dishes are meat-heavy, so vegetarians are largely limited to dahi bhalla, chai and side dishes such as salad and raita.

The food is at its best from October to March, in the evenings, when the weather is cooler and the grills are busiest. Visitors who prefer a lighter plan can share portions across a small group, which also makes it possible to sample all four stops without arriving overly full. Prices are posted informally or quoted verbally, so asking the price before ordering is common practice. The trail suits travellers interested in everyday Punjabi eating rather than polished restaurant dining, and it offers a compact introduction to why Gujranwala is associated with tikka and chargha across Pakistan.