Roasters Coffee House and Grill: Islooites get a dose of caffeine, juicy steaks

Famous for their coffee and steaks, Roasters opens in F7 Markaz.

ISLAMABAD: With the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of sizzling steaks, the much famed Karachi-originated Roasters Coffee House and Grill opened its door to the high-end F7 Markaz on Wednesday.

Located in the heart of Sector F-7/1, the restaurant is not only famous for their coffee but also for a varied array of burgers and steaks.

The restaurant made its mark as a basic coffee place when it opened in Karachi back in 1992 but with the passage of time, savoury meals were introduced into the menu, resembling its sister restaurant Arizona Grill.

Famous among Islooites for their buffalo wings, Arizona Grill left its consumers disappointed when it shut down in the city, however, with Roasters opening up, the food lovers of Islamabad will now be looking forward to having some excellent coffee after vetting their appetite on the juicy steaks that the restaurant offers.

The restaurant’s decor is very basic which follows a standardized theme for Roasters restaurants, with –an addition of the menu painted on a wall – the rest is done up in dark tones of brown with dim lights. A little more lighting, however, would have lifted the aura, giving the atmosphere a livelier appeal to it.

At the opening guests were treated to fresh hors d'oeuvres of crisp scallops with a tangy sauce along with slices of beef and wild mushroom chicken steak. Everyone helped themselves to second and third servings and devoured the chewy, juicy steaks.

Colourised lemonade was also served and waiters scurried to and fro as the restaurant slowly filled to the brim. “I am glad it has finally opened here. Islamabad really lacks good food with a good price range,” rejoiced a lady at the restaurant.

The owner of the restaurant Farhan Malik informed The Express Tribune that one of the reasons for finally opening up in Islamabad was the good deal they struck with the location. “Real estate in this city is sky-high, we fortunately struck a good deal and decided to grab the opportunity and go ahead.”

The 120-seat arrangement seemed small for the number of people that kept pouring in, but considering that it was the opening event, the number will settle down once the place opens up officially.

The menu remains the same with the Roaster platter for starters and their jalapeno beef burger as their star features, while their molten lava cake and caramel latte are considered best for dessert and coffee.

What remains their edge is the quantity of food they serve for the nominal price range – from steaks and burgers ranging within Rs400 to Rs600, which is less than most big restaurants in the city.