The Boat Basin area in Clifton comes alive after dark when the food stalls set up along the road and the restaurants on the surrounding streets fill with the evening crowd. This is the upscale version of Karachi street food culture — the vendors are slightly more organised, the seating slightly more comfortable, and the prices slightly higher than the Saddar equivalents, but the energy is the same. The specialities are chaat, seekh kebabs, gola ganda (shaved ice), and fresh juices, eaten standing up or balanced on the plastic chairs that spill onto the pavement.
The food street operates at its best between 9pm and 1am, which is when Karachi's social life peaks. The surrounding streets of Clifton provide context: this is a prosperous neighbourhood, and the clientele reflects that — young professionals, families from the nearby apartment blocks, the occasional foreigner staying in one of the nearby guesthouses. It is a safe and sociable place to spend a late evening, and the variety of food available within a hundred-metre stretch is considerable.