Lahore Karahi Sold, Aims To Be New "Cabbie" Hot Spot

It is not looking great for fans of Lahore Karahi's sizzling, sweaty making tandoori fish. An anonymous tipster writes in with more information on the new license application over at the Tenderloin Indian BYOB:

"I've been going to Lahore at least once a week for nearly four years and when I went last Saturday they were closed and remodeling the place (fresh paint, new lamps, flat screen tv, etc). [The chef-owner] Guddu came out and talked to me and I jokingly asked him if he was going to have to raise his prices to pay for the remodel and after a couple minutes he let the news drop that he had sold the place. It definitely seemed to me that he had been enjoying it less and less, and you saw how the business went from being open for lunch/dinner 6 days a week to 5 days a week dinner only, with the write your own order down on a pad at the counter.

He said complaints from customers about the nontraditional nature of the service process also got to him (he's too nice to go Soup Nazi on anyone). He also seemed to be having difficulty finding consistent help and some days I would show up and he wouldn't be open at all. Anyway, he told me to come back the next day (Sunday) as it would be his last. I did, along with some of my friends who had eaten at Lahore over the years. He didn't let us pay for our meal. He told me that one day he may start a new place, but not any time soon and it would probably be a to-go only operation. I recommended Lahore Karahi: the food truck.

I also met the new owner Mohammad [Sheikh] who says the place will be open for lunch/dinner and late night—he hopes until 1am as he hopes to be a popular destination for the cabbies late night. He said he thinks everything will be ready to go sometime between today (Tuesday) and this Thursday.

I still can't believe that we are losing Guddu...He definitely seems like a pretty private guy so it doesn't surprise me that he would just decide enough is enough without letting too many folks know. I feel fortunate that I wasn't out of town this week and found out about this at all so that I could thank him before he rides off into the sunset."

At this point, not much is known about any changes to the menu, the decor and whether this really means the end of the tandoori fish. (Although, as mentioned, it does not look good.) As always, additional reports and intel are most welcome in the comments or over the EaterWire.

· All Lahore Karahi Coverage [~ ESF ~]

[Photo: Yelp/Ann L.]