Dhaka's food scene is anchored in Bengali cuisine — rice-based, fish-heavy, aromatic with mustard and fenugreek, sweeter in the desserts than anywhere else in the subcontinent. The old city has the most authentic experience: try the biryani at the decades-old restaurants around Nazira Bazaar and the mutton rezala at the establishments in the lanes behind Ahsan Manzil. Street food is best in the university area and around Shahbagh — shingaras (samosas stuffed with spiced potato), jilapi (fried batter soaked in syrup), and freshly cut sugarcane juice.
Dhanmondi has the most comfortable restaurant scene: air-conditioned, upmarket by Dhaka standards, with a mix of Bengali, Chinese, and Continental menus. Haji Mohammad Ali Restaurant in Puran Dhaka is one of the oldest and most respected in the city for traditional Dhaka biryani — the rice fragrant with kewra water and ghee, served with a piece of mutton that falls off the bone. Ifad Restaurant in Mirpur Road is consistently good for hilsa fish.
In the modern commercial districts of Gulshan and Banani, you will find international chains and a growing number of thoughtfully run Bengali restaurants aimed at the professional class. Mezban in Gulshan is worth a visit for Chittagonian cuisine (richer and more meat-forward than Dhaka Bengali cooking).