Pakistan's first horror-themed cafe takes over Islamabad

Café Crossbones will make your nightmares a reality

The idea of themed cafes has taken Pakistan by storm. It started off with a F.R.I.E.N.D.S themed café in Lahore a few years ago and a  Hogwarts Café in Islamabad last year but didn’t stop there. Now, we have Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones themed cafés in Islamabad too.

The latest themed café to open in Islamabad is Café Crossbones – Pakistan’s first haunted café.



One can argue that most themed cafés may lack originality since they copy everything from the show or movie but this one is different. It may have picked the haunted theme but has shown originality in terms of décor and the menu.



Located on PWD road near Bahria Town, Café crossbones is the brainchild of Maheen Furqan and her family who moved back from the United Kingdom and decided to share their love and passion for food and scary movies with the world. Maheen told The Express Tribune that this café is a family business and is themed haunted because her family has a tradition of sitting together and watching a scary movie every Sunday. “We love watching scary movies and we thought of bringing their essence to a themed café but we are unlike any other. We don’t use posters and merchandise to make the look like a certain theme," she said.

Quality – 3/5

Café Crossbones has an extensive menu. The menu is up on the wall and they serve everything from soups to appetizers, burgers, steaks, pastas, doner kebabs and pizzas along with a few desserts. This café is very home-style where you may not get a very posh dining experience but it has everything right. The menu is tailored according to the theme and the theme reflects in the appearance of the food too. The highlight of their menu lies in the welcome drinks. While the smoothies left us a little disappointed, the juices and welcome drinks are presented in such a spooky way that one is bound to be impressed before even tasting the food.



For starters, we tried the nachos, which were delicious. A bed of crispy nachos layered with all sorts of delicious toppings, this appetizer is a filling meal in itself. According to Maheen, the American Cheese burger is their best burger which has a juicy burger patty topped with American cheese, mushrooms, a unique sauce and herbs that make it delicious. Their burgers would taste even if they use better buns though.



 

One can’t comment on how the pizza is because they have a build your own pizza but it is really interesting because they bake a standard crust and let you top it with anything you want from their pizza topping display. It’s just like some burger joints give the option of building your own burger. Its actually great because they have perfected their crust and the taste depends on the topping that you pick.



The brownies are delicious and we couldn’t have enough of them. However, since they are themed they can be a little too spooky for some people’s liking. I personally don’t like the thought of edible eyeball props on my brownie but it seems like the perfect item for kids who are into haunted experiences.

One of the most interesting features of the café, apart from the food is the karaoke. The café has karaoke and encourages guests to sing and make the space more fun. It’s great fun for people of all ages and helps keep the vibe interesting and fun!

Atmosphere – 5/5

If you like scary movies and haunted experiences, Café Crossbones is the place to be. Its atmosphere is like no other. While it hints a haunted experience from the outside, one can’t even imagine what it has to offer till they enter. Spooky trees in corners, textured walls and ceilings with bats and skull themed chandeliers greet you to Café Crossbones. The walls are adorned with skulls, bats, crows and all kinds of spooky characters to give you the best-haunted experience.

The most interesting aspect is that the atmosphere does not focus on a particular scary movie. From Chucky and his bride to the girl in The Exorcist and other scary characters, you'll find everyone here. What's even more special about the ambiance is that Maheen and her family did the décor themselves. Maheen is a 20-year-old art student who has put her skills to use. Whether it was getting the texture of the walls or putting together the trees and webs or building a skeleton chandelier, it's all Maheen’s hard work and it’s so real that you'll forget you’re at a café and not at a scary movie set.

Service – 2.5/5

Service is where Café Crossbones needs to up their game. While I personally had a good experience, I felt a few customers received a different order.

Verdict – 3/5

Café Crossbones is an experience for the daring ones. It’s a home-style, casual café where one can get a spooky experience, decent food, delicious desserts and enjoy a night of karaoke.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Maheen Furqan was erroneously mentioned as Maheen Sultan. The error is regretted and has been fixed.