Entering the premises of BRAC University Mohakhali campus, people get to see a huge crowd of students along with many food carts and tea stalls. The place is famous for tasty street food at an affordable price. The students of BRAC University, corporate people and even outsiders enjoy the food regularly.
To survive academic pressure, one needs to consume caffeine to stay active. Maybe for that reason, a lot of tea stalls are seen in the campus area of BRAC University. Some mentionable and flavourful teas are green chilly tea, tamarind tea, orange tea, maltova tea, etc. Different types of coffees are also found.
The most popular BRAC University street food is the ‘Chicken cone’ of the food cart called ‘Petuk Naki,’ just in front of University building 3. It is served in a waffle cone and stuffed with fried chicken cubes mixed with their special sauce and spices.
Jhalmuri, pani puri and bhelpuri are also eaten frequently. These are the things which people crave more and eat frequently with friends. The ‘tok’ (sour water) is the main attraction of the panipuri and bhelpuri. There are few sellers of bhelpuri but the one who sits in front of University building 3 is the most popular one.
Tasmim Farhana Anika, a 3rd-year student of BRAC University from the Pharmacy department loves the street food on her campus.
“I eat the velpuri in front of the UB3. The speciality of this velpuri is that they use ‘Beresta’ as a topping which enhances its flavour along with the right amount of lemon. Also, they use a tok above it which is mouth-watering because of the use of different types of Chaat-Masala in it."
If you are looking for a light snack in the BRAC University area, you are in the right place. Behind University building 2, many fried snacks such as shingara, samosa, roll, chop, noodles etc. are found.
Among all fried items, mini shingara is sold the most. The noodles have a decent taste and they kind of taste like homemade ones.
You can find different types of burgers in the ‘Sholo Aana’ cart. These burgers are more like deshi burgers with a flavour of deshi spices. But the good thing about these burgers is they are less saucy and light. You can find this cart near Bot-tola.
“Small shingara, lemonade, and mini-burgers from BRAC University streets are heavenly things. In the case of shingara, they do not put nuts rather they are purely made of alu (potato) and with lots of green chillies," said Farzana Tabassum, a classmate of Anika.
Bot-tola is the centre of street foods. French fry, chicken fry, chicken drum stick, sandwich, shawarma, chicken toast and kebab roll are sold at a reasonable price here. Kebab roll is an item which can be eaten easily on the go.
The shwarma of the shop called ‘Laziz’ is one of the good tasted and unique shawarma you get to see since they provide chopped crispy fried chicken as their stuffing instead of grilled chicken.
Chicken toast of ‘Shariatpur Kababghor’ is simple yet delicious. You'll find more onion than chicken, but considering the price, it is good enough.
You can also get a proper meal for lunch or if you want to eat anything heavy. Just beside the bot-tola, there is a small shop with a limited sitting arrangement called ‘Jadu Bangla Khabar Ghor.'
Bhuna Khichuri is served with an egg omelette, a spoonful of curry and salad. The quantity is perfect for one person. Besides, chicken khichuri, tehari and dal-bhaji-paratha are also available.
Shariatpur Kabab ghor’ serves the chicken chap which is better than many other so-called famous places. They provide luchi or paratha to eat with the chap.
The food cart named Laziz serves several set menus. Their popular set menu consists of fried rice, chicken gravy and coleslaw salad. People can also take their items individually and make a customised set meal.
For a freshening drink, there are two juice shops located at the heart of bot-tola. In Jamal milkshake and juice corner, Lemonade is one of the best-selling items because it is refreshing. It contains a slight flavour of mint as well. They add coriander to it which makes it different from other raw mango juices.
They also serve cold coffee. It is creamy, has a strong flavour of coffee and the sweetness is balanced. Another popular cold beverage is iced tea. It can be found behind University building 2.
Why BRAC students love these foods?
The price of tea and coffee ranges from Tk 10 to 80. The price of most of the food items is in the range of Tk 30 to Tk 100 only.
“As a student, it is not always possible for us to buy food every day from the cafeteria at high prices. Hence, street food is always a better option for pocket-friendly as well as appetising snacks,” explained Anika why she loves these foods.
Farzana pointed out another perspective of having street food by saying, “As a student, we are always short of time. For that reason, instant foods are good to go for us."
Also, having a lot of items increases her cravings so much that she is ready to let the hygiene issue sleep.
The BRAC University premises has become one of the most popular and busiest street food hubs in the capital. If you are someone who regularly tries street foods, BRAC is a place you should visit soon.
