A highly recommended place for good mid-range Lahori food is at Mirchi on M M Alam Road. You should try their tamatar paneer cut and the sheesh tauk.

Lahore is famous for its dahi bhallay, so visit Chakhara in Mini Market near M M Alam Road, to taste this dish. You will find snack food there like samosas and chaat as well.

In the old city of Lahore, Cuku's Cafe is worth the visit. If you eat on the topmost floor in the evening, you will get a staggering sight of Badshahi Mosque, which is across the road from the Cafe. The food is all brought from the neighboring roadside restaurants, and is pulled up using the pulley system, which the women in the Inner City use for their daily shopping.

In the up market area Gulberg III, there is Bandu Khan Restaurant in Liberty Market. Bandu offers good standard Pakistani food. The mutton karahi is delicious but coming at Rs 500 is little higher than other dishes.

If you are looking for traditional setting, then Village Restaurant is a must. With waitors dressed in traditional clothes and restaurant interior designed to reflect a village setting, you cannot help but feel transported back in time. Village offers some excellent food. 

Other midrange restaurants are concentrated in Defence and Gulberg. Freddy's, on M M Alam Road, is a family-oriented restaurant which has a safe, vaguely continental menu. Freddy's offers an afternoon high tea buffet which offers a full variety foods and some drinks for approximately Rs. 500.

Salt n Pepper is a good chain, with both Pakistani and continental food.

Lahore has seen the birth of several cafes recently; the best for cakes, desserts and coffee is Masoom's on M M Alam Road, while the best sandwiches can be had at Coffee, Tea and Company nearby. In Defence, Hot Fuzon is a Masoom's franchise.

Lahore many a large number of Chinese restaurants .  Hsin Kuang, a pagoda-like structure near Mini Market, is very popular, but the quality varies. It is renowned for its strong-flavoured 19-B soup. Dishes are typically in the Rs 200 to 300 range. Other Chinese restaurants are Shanghai Chinese Restaurant and Sheng Zheng Chinese Restaurant in Gulberg, and Mei Kong in Fortnress Stadium. Note that the Chinese food is ‘Pakistani’ style, so expect it to be heavily adapted for local tastes.

There are also several foreign chains, including Nando's, McDonald's, KFC, Subway and Dunkin Donuts for those tourists who want to stick to their traditional brands.

The approximate cost for eating out in Lahore is:

• At fast food restaurants:  300 – 500 Rupees
• At mid-range restaurants and 3/4 star hotels:  500 – 900 Rupees
• High end restaurants and 5 star hotels:  900 – 2000 Rupees