Entertainment in Jordan
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A
Grappa
Stylish wooden benches and B&W photos on the wall give this rustic bar a hip feel but it’s the huge windows with views and the summer terrace seating that really draw the crowds. There are decent pizzas, salads and manaqeesh (Arabic bread with herbs) but the drinking takes priority.
reviewed
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B
Living Room
Part lounge, part sushi bar and part study (think high-backed chairs, a fireplace and the daily newspaper), the Living Room is so understated that it’s easily missed. It offers quality bar meals, from North American steaks to salmon with cream cheese, and the fine music seals it as a great place to hang out over a delicious iced tea with lemon grass and mint. Non-teetotallers can enjoy the full complement of expertly crafted cocktails on offer, which are served up strong with a healthy dose of style and refinement.
reviewed
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C
Rovers Return
An aerial version of the Amman expat favourite (it’s located in a mock lighthouse), this pub attracts a young crowd. If you’re British and feeling homesick, stay for fish and chips or bangers and mash (JD7) and watch three-screen football. The only downside is that the compact space can get oppressively smoky.
reviewed
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D
Al-Rashid Court Café
Also known as the Eco-Tourism Café, the 1st floor balcony here is the place to pass an afternoon and survey the chaos of the downtown area below, though competition for seats is fierce. This is one of the best places for the uninitiated to try a nargileh (JD2). Although you won’t see any local women here, it’s well accustomed to foreign tourists. To find it look for the flags of the world on the main facade; the entrance is down the side alley.
reviewed
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E
Nai
A Howard Johnson hotel is not the first place you’d look for a superhip Ottoman-style lounge-club-mezze bar but Nai is definitely one of the hottest places in town. Renowned DJs get people off the sofas with the best in Middle Eastern and international beats. The daily drink specials (6pm to 9pm) will get you properly liquored up, while food specials including all-you-can-eat sushi spreads will make sure you’re not too hungover the next day.
reviewed
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F
Rovers Return
A godsend for homesick Coronation St junkies, this is a popular and cosy English pub with wood panelling and a lively atmosphere. The comfort food includes authentic fish and chips, and roast beef with gravy. The entrance is round the back of the building and can be hard to find – look for the red ‘Comfort Suites’ sign.
reviewed
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G
Al-Sendabad Coffee Shop
About 150m west of the Roman Theatre, this place has great views over the city (though not of the theatre itself), and is kept clean and comfortable by the friendly staff. It’s a great place to smoke the nargileh (JD2), especially on the roof in summer, where you can soak up the sunshine while losing your head to syrupy sweet puffs of smoke.
reviewed
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H
Tche Tche Café
You’ll have to arrive early to get a seat in this bright and buzzy cafe – far from a traditional teahouse, it’s full of Jordanian women smoking the nargileh, sipping on fruit smoothies and nodding their heads to Arabic pop. The ice cream and pecan waffles are a great (if unconventional) accompaniment to apple tobacco.
reviewed
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I
Auberge Café
This authentic Jordanian spot is popular with local men. You’ll have to make your way through the tobacco haze to reach the balcony, which overlooks the main street and is a particularly good place to smoke a nargileh (JD2). There are no pretensions to luxury, but it wears a certain downmarket authenticity as a result.
reviewed
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J
Amman International Stadium
Football (soccer) is followed religiously by most locals. The capital’s two main teams are Wahadat (generally supported by Palestinians) and Faisaly (supported by other Jordanians). The games are mostly played on Friday at the Amman International Stadium, located near Sports City in Shmeisani.
reviewed
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K
King Hussein Cultural Centre
The various foreign cultural centres regularly organise lectures, exhibitions and musical recitals. The large, modern Royal Cultural Centre occasionally hosts concerts and plays, usually in Arabic, as does the King Hussein Cultural Centre. Events are sometimes advertised in the local English-language newspapers.
reviewed
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L
Royal Cultural Centre
The various foreign cultural centres regularly organise lectures, exhibitions and musical recitals. The large, modern Royal Cultural Centre occasionally hosts concerts and plays, usually in Arabic, as does the King Hussein Cultural Centre. Events are sometimes advertised in the local English-language newspapers.
reviewed
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M
Orient Bar & Restaurant
Also known as Al-Sharq, this spit-and-sawdust bar serves a range of beers, spirits and the local arak (if you dare) – if you’ve had a bit to drink, mind your head on the stairs on the way down. Cheap meals are also available with the slowest service in central Amman thrown in at no extra cost.
reviewed
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N
Peace Café
This place is reached via a filthy staircase and is fairly basic, but if you can get one of the two balcony tables overlooking the street, you’ll have one of the prime vantage points in downtown. This is great place to take puffs from the nargileh (JD2) and just watch the world go by.
reviewed
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O
Kanabayé
A quieter, cool place for a drink, the couches ( kanabayé in Arabic) and seductive lighting lend this lounge bar a sleek and sexy feel. In a bid to attract a savvy and international following, Kanabayé mixes it up nightly with everything from Arabic pop to salsa ballads.
reviewed
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P
Harir Lounge
You’ll find less style and more glitz at this ostentatious upper-floor lounge and restaurant, which is a popular spot for Amman’s upper crust. This is one spot where you’re going to want to wear your best threads, especially if you want to mingle with the scenesters.
reviewed
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Q
Jj’s
The Grand Hyatt’s disco is where you’ll pay for the privilege of rubbing shoulders with Amman’s rich and glamorous. The music varies greatly depending on the whims of the DJ, though it’s always fresh, innovative and almost as beautiful as the clientele.
reviewed
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R
Big Fellow Irish Pub
It looks like an Irish pub, it even smells like an Irish pub, but with Arabic music sliding out of the stereo, it doesn’t really sound like an Irish pub. If in doubt, tucking into a Guinness pie and a bread-and-butter pudding should put you in the right frame of mind.
reviewed
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S
Shaher’s Penthouse Cafeteria
This cutesy cafe has a traditionally decorated indoor dining area as well as an outdoor terrace overlooking the street far below. Hussein, the resident musician, will happily play the oud (lute) or violin to provide a cultured counterpoint to the street noise below.
reviewed
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T
Baranda Lounge
Yes, this is a 'bar and a lounge' and the coolest one in town at that. It's a relaxed and friendly place with sensible prices, a lovely terrace and a patio out back that captures the sea breezes at night. Good food is served until midnight and there's bar snacks.
reviewed
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U
Jordan Experience
Families will like this multimedia experience that starts off through a Disney-style siq and ends with a 40-minute film that simulates a flying-carpet tour of Jordan, complete with moveable seats. There are three shows a day.
reviewed
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V
Raghadan
A few cinemas show kung fu flicks and B-grade movies but these are often dubbed into Arabic and, apart from the violence, are heavily censored. In Downtown, the better ones are Al-Hussein Cinema and the Raghadan.
reviewed
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W
Aqaba Gateway
There’s not too much in the way of entertainment in Aqaba, although Aqaba Gateway has a popular collection of restaurants, fast-food outlets, shops, two bars and a cinema.
reviewed
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X
Century Cinemas
In the Zara Centre behind the Grand Hyatt, with several fast-food outlets. The quality of sound, vision and chairs is high. Programmes are advertised in the English-language newspapers.
reviewed
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Y
Friends
This relaxed and friendly place, with sensible prices, is on a lovely terrace that captures the sea breezes. Try the Dizzy Buddah (JD7); have two, and you may as well sleep over.
reviewed