Hot & Roll may be the best-kept secret in Iowa City. Nestled unobtrusively in a non-descript strip mall within a former Chinese restaurant is the city’s only Pakistani restaurant, a small establishment that serves big flavors. “Everybody loves it – they give me five stars. They say this is the best restaurant they have ever […]
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Hot & Roll may be the best-kept secret in Iowa City.
Nestled unobtrusively in a non-descript strip mall within a former Chinese restaurant is the city’s only Pakistani restaurant, a small establishment that serves big flavors.
“Everybody loves it – they give me five stars. They say this is the best restaurant they have ever had,” said Fawad Nawaz, owner of Hot & Roll.
The restaurant – at 1800 Boyrum St. – is named for the chicken roll paratha that is served rolled up and hot, one of the many specialties that Mr. Nawaz serves. The secret – according to Mr. Nawaz – is in the sauce.
Each dish is marinated and flavored with sauces that Mr. Nawaz has concocted himself, from the sweet and tangy mango sauce to the spicy sweet hot, to the creamy garlic sauce. Spices explode like fireworks in your mouth – red pepper, salt, garlic, lemon and mint, among many others.
A customer favorite is the chicken shawarma, a dish made of grilled, marinated chicken chopped up and situated in the middle of a warm tortilla shell and drizzled with mango and sweet hot sauce, then topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, green peppers and garlic sauce. Mr. Nawaz's personal favorite is the gyro mix kebab, created with naan bread, marinated chicken, seasoned steak and garlic sauce.
“(I) used to make kebabs in England, so (I) know how to make it and people like it and (other restaurants) don’t know how to make it like Pakistan,” said Mr. Nawaz.