Our story
A resting place for the traveller
Why a Pakistani café and restaurant opened on Elizabeth Street, told in four short chapters.
What the name means
پردیسی ڈیرہ
A resting place for anyone far from home.
- Pardesi
- One who is far from home — a traveller, an outsider, a wanderer in a new land.
- Dera
- A resting place — a homestead, a gathering ground where the door is always open and a meal is always shared.
Put together, Pardesi Dera is exactly what we're building in Hobart: a resting place for anyone far from home, and for anyone who simply loves the food of Punjab and Pakistan.
How we got here
From the road to the table.
Pardesi Dera began with a simple observation: Hobart welcomes travellers from all over the world, yet the city had only one place to find true Pakistani cooking. Our founder — who has spent years building and running businesses on the mainland — set out to change that.
Bringing together an experienced hospitality team, we're building Tasmania's newest home for Pakistani and Punjabi food, from the ground up, with the same care that goes into growing any family business.
In the kitchen
Chef Ali and the charcoal fire.
Chef Ali brings his craft to the tandoor and the karahi, drawing on recipes carried through his family in Punjab. Every dish is built the slow way — hand-ground spice blends, overnight marinades, and a charcoal fire that never really goes out.
He's joined by a general manager with years of hospitality experience both in Australia and overseas, making sure every guest is looked after the way they would be at a family dera.
Brought from home
Every detail, imported.
The plates we serve on, the lamps overhead, the fabric on our walls — most of it is sourced directly from Pakistan and shipped to Hobart. It's a small thing, but it's the difference between a restaurant that serves Pakistani food and a dera that feels like one.
We're building the space piece by piece, and we'll be sharing the journey as we go.