Khyber Pass Café Serving you since 1984
Emel and Masooda Sherzad, owners of the Khyber Pass Café recently celebrated their 27th anniversary in business. The Café is situated next to Dunn Brothers coffee shop at Snelling and Grand, and has been in its current location for the past 12 years. It was previously located on St. Clair Avenue.
Featuring authentic Afghan cuisine, Khyber Pass prepares its food according to old family recipes handed down to Emel and Masooda. As Emel explains, “We select top-quality ingredients for the preparation of our food. We use all natural ingredients—no preservatives or artificial flavor enhancers such as MSG. The lamb is naturally raised New Zealand spring lamb, which is the best lamb in the world. We use extra- lean ground beef for our meatballs. The beans and other legumes are organic. We use the freshest spices available and grind most of them ourselves. We brew organic teas. In order to keep our food healthy, we have adapted our recipes to use as little oil as possible. There is no frying in our kitchen. We don’t take shortcuts.”
In describing the flavors of Afghani food, Masooda explains, “The flavors are generally bold, but the food is not hot. Even within the same family, you may have some people who like their food hot and spicy, while others prefer it mild. That is why the hot elements are served on the side in the form of hot chutneys, pickles, dried crushed peppers, and fresh hot peppers.”