Cafe Flo — Restaurant in Karachi Division

Wow, what a culinary delight! But unfortunately, there's a disappointment that I'll get to after the good parts.

When I travel, I usually stick to local cuisine, but I'd heard so much about this place that when I was invited for lunch, I gladly accepted the offer. From the moment I arrived, I was treated like a celebrity, with first-class service from the gate to the table. The service was impeccable, and the appetizers were a real treat, especially the grilled calamari.

To my surprise, the burger was juicy and excellent. I only tried a bite from my host, but I was impressed. I say "surprisingly" because beef isn't traditionally the preferred meat here, and it's not typically of the same quality as in Texas, where I currently live. I highly recommend the burger, but without all the sauces, so you can enjoy the actual flavor of the meat.

I ordered the red snapper, which was very well prepared and came with numerous sides. Unfortunately, I couldn't do justice to the quantity of food.

We also tried several desserts. The crème brûlée was perfect and came in a generous serving. However, their house special, Café Flo's chocolate mousse, while tasty, had just been taken out of the freezer. It hadn’t fully thawed, so it was more like ice cream than mousse, though still enjoyable.

Now, here's where the disappointment comes in. I’m always surprised that high-end restaurants and boutiques on 26th Street continue to operate amidst the filth and stench from the gutters just outside their doors. I can’t understand why you don’t collectively address this issue and get the roads and gutters fixed. We had to step over deep puddles of water just to reach the gate, where we had to back the car up to avoid getting dirty water on our shoes and clothes.

I'm sure your patrons would gladly pay an additional charge if it meant bringing the streets up to the level of cleanliness you maintain inside. This way, the businesses wouldn't have to bear the entire cost.

Just imagine—if you could lead this initiative, we could work together to clean up our beloved city and make it the "Paris of Asia." There isn't a more "posh" area in Karachi than yours, and your leadership in this matter could inspire other areas to follow suit. It would be such a wonderful thing. I understand the argument that we pay the government to do this, and yes, we all do. But this is your street, our city, our country. Let's take action. A grassroots movement—one business, one street, one neighborhood at a time—is exactly what we need to clean up the literal...

We just dined at Cafe Flo this evening, and while the food and ambiance lived up to the restaurant’s reputation, our overall experience was unfortunately overshadowed by a concerning issue at the time of payment. The dinner itself was excellent, the dishes were flavorful and well-presented, the atmosphere was elegant and welcoming, and the service throughout the meal was attentive and courteous. However, when the bill arrived, we noticed that a 10% service charge was already included. Naturally, we assumed this was the gratuity. But when we asked the waiter, he insisted that this was not a tip, and that we should leave an additional amount for the front-of-house staff. He claimed that the included service charge “goes to the back” (i.e., kitchen staff) and not to the servers. When we questioned the logic behind having separate tips, the waiter went a step further and stated that “Madam has created such policies and rules that separate the two.” In other words, he implied that this was an official directive from the restaurant's ownership. This struck us as unusual, so we raised the issue with the manager. To his credit, he apologized and clarified that the 10% service charge is, in fact, the tip — and that the waiter had made a mistake. However, by that point, we had already added an additional tip based on the misinformation. The manager did not offer a refund or make any attempt to address the situation beyond the verbal apology. What was particularly troubling was the fact that the waiter’s explanation sounded rehearsed, which suggests this may be a recurring practice, one that relies on guests not questioning the bill. Even more concerning is that the owner’s name was used to lend credibility to this misinformation. If the ownership is unaware, they need to know that such practices are taking place under their name and potentially damaging their restaurant’s reputation. It is unfortunate, because Cafe Flo has all the elements of a top-tier dining experience, but issues like this can erode customer trust and reflect poorly on an otherwise excellent establishment. A word of caution to future diners: enjoy the food and setting, but when the bill arrives, review it carefully. A service charge is already included, and unless you truly want to, you should not feel pressured to tip...

Horrible experience at this place. As digital nomads, we have had the luxury to travel to many countries and often like to explore up market and exclusive restaurants that we review and rate.

We arrived at Cafe Flo on my birthday the 29th of November. The entrance way looked nice and the green plants were a nice sight after a long uber drive through the normal Karachi dust and smog.

We arrived at the door, with waiters just standing about, none to actually open the door and welcome you (as you'd expect at 5 star restaurants). There were only 2 other tables busy and with no waiter standing outside, I can't seem to understand what they all were doing.

My husband, child and I proceeded to seat ourselves in the other corner of the room, as we knew that our child was crabby and hungry and would fuss until he had some food in his belly.

We looked through the menu, whilst my child rattled with the cutlery. The manager carried on shaking his head, pointing at us and muttering to the waiters. They took our order for our starters, after which my son began to cry. This manager then came up to my husband and somehow assumed he spoke Urdu, and then continued to tell us that the other tables complained about our child and that we should go outside. (Mind you, Karachi has been suffering from a huge fly infestation read more about this online)

I'd just about had it with the lack of service and professionalism and the judgment from the staff at the restaurant. I picked up my backpack, and shopping bag and stood up. This other lady who also seemed to be some manager/owner proceeded to say "Thank you" whilst folding napkins.

We walked straight out of there.

We were clearly judged on our clothing when we first entered (tights and some kurti top, and I hadn't managed to put on any lipstick yet) and treated like some locals. Also their website/Facebook page made no mention of a no child policy.

Disgusting attitude and service from management/staff.

Would have loved to try some dishes, but I'd much rather book a ticket to France again, than give this place a...