There are stories that begin with a business plan, and then there are those that begin with instinct. Nadira Qureshi’s journey with Nisa Sultan belongs to the latter.
From its beginnings in Lahore to becoming an established name in the city’s dining scene, Nisa Sultan has built its identity around Turkish cuisine, a distinct sense of place and a considered approach to food. In conversation with Mindful, Nadira Qureshi reflects on the journey behind Nisa Sultan, the meaning of authenticity, the realities of entrepreneurship and the legacy she hopes to create beyond the restaurant.
Q: You grew up between Turkish, Azerbaijani and Pakistani influences. How did that intersection of cultures shape who you are?
My biological father was from Azerbaijan, and my mother is Turkish. She moved to Pakistan in 1995 while working with the United Nations and was posted to Islamabad. We have lived there ever since. My biological father, unfortunately, passed away, and I was raised by a Pakistani father.
So, although I have strong Turkish and Azerbaijani roots, I always say that I am much more Pakistani than anything else. Pakistan is where I grew up, and it has shaped so much of who I am.
Q: What made you see an opportunity to introduce Turkish cuisine to Lahore?
I had spent my life in Islamabad, and when I got married in 2010, I moved to Lahore. I noticed that there wasn’t a single authentic Turkish restaurant in the city.
My mother was a working woman herself, and she always believed that a woman should have something of her own. We thought, what better way to do that than to bring a little piece of our roots and culture to Pakistan?
Whatever we ate and cooked at home, I felt there was an opportunity to share with people here. I genuinely believed there was potential in the market, and that’s how the idea for Nisa Sultan came about.
To be honest, we never planned for it to become what it is today. We certainly didn’t set out thinking we would have multiple branches. It started as a little passion project, and eventually, that passion grew into a business.
Q: Turkish cuisine is quite different from Pakistani cuisine. How did you adapt it to appeal to Pakistani tastes while staying true to its roots?
Turkish cuisine is certainly different from Pakistani cuisine, but there are also many similarities between Turkish food and other cuisines across the region and the Mediterranean, including Lebanese, Syrian, Greek and Italian.
There are so many dishes and flavours that overlap across these cultures. There is always a debate, for example, about where certain dishes originated—whether it’s dolma, İskender or döner kebab. You might call something a gyro, while someone else calls it shawarma. There is a lot of shared culinary history.
When you compare Turkish and Pakistani cuisine, of course, there are differences, but there’s also common ground. Barbecue, for instance, is enjoyed all over the world, and Pakistanis are very fond of it, just as we are in Turkey.
We also have a dish called mantı, which I recently discovered is quite similar to what Pakistanis call momos. I actually only made that connection recently!
Q: Your recipes come from your family and from what you grew up eating at home. As Nisa Sultan has expanded, how have you protected that intimacy and authenticity at scale?
The foundation of our authenticity is that the recipes genuinely belong to our family. The barbecue, hummus, salads and everything else you eat at Nisa Sultan are based on what we have always eaten at home—whether in my Pakistani home or in Turkey.
Of course, as we have grown, maintaining consistency has become very important. We have a senior head chef who is Turkish and works closely with our recipes and processes. We also have a central kitchen, which supplies all seven of our branches. This allows us to maintain the same quality and flavours across every location.
Q: How did you approach building the menu at Nisa Sultan?
Everything at Nisa Sultan is very specialised. There are no fillers—nothing is on the menu simply to make it look bigger or to give the impression of endless variety.
Every dish has a purpose, and everything we serve has to stand on its own. We make sure that the food is authentic and that the flavours we introduced on day one remain the same today.
Q: What have entrepreneurship and building Nisa Sultan taught you?
As a woman and as an entrepreneur, particularly when I was younger and starting out, I learned that you should never be afraid. You have to confront your fears because, often, the biggest thing standing between you and success is your own thinking.
I have also learned never to become arrogant. No matter how much you achieve or how successful you become, if arrogance gets in the way, that success ultimately loses its meaning.
Q: Today, what does Nisa Sultan mean to you?
To me, Nisa Sultan is proof that anything is possible.
My vision is that, once the business reaches the level I want it to, I want to give back for everything God has given me. I want to pay it forward by starting a welfare programme and using what I have built to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Q: What do you hope Nisa Sultan brings to people beyond the food?
I would love for people to come and experience Nisa Sultan for themselves—to taste authentic Turkish flavours, but also to feel the love and passion behind the food.
Ultimately, I hope we can spread not just a love for food, but a love for humanity.
