Restaurants in Jordan
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A
Bakery
The best Bakery is unsigned in English.
reviewed
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B
Ata Ali
Does excellent sweets and ice creams.
reviewed
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C
Kir Heres Restaurant
A cut above the rest, this award-winning restaurant is a surprise find in Karak. The chef (and owner), Saddam, is from Karak and he has a passion for food, reflected in the inventive menu. There are ostrich steaks (JD7) and chicken dishes prepared with local herbs (JD5.550). Vegetarians can choose from dishes including fried haloumi (salty cheese; JD2.250), and mushrooms with garlic and thyme (JD2.250). The owner laments that people take fright at the smart tablecloths, serviettes and tasteful interior of draped kilims and imagine the prices will be prohibitive. The secret is out, however, among the discerning palates of Karak, and a reservation is necessary at weekends.…
reviewed
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D
Tawaheen al-Hawa
Reem al-Bawadi and Tawaheen al-Hawa are two huge restaurant complexes popular with tour groups and Jordanian families. They're a bit far from the centre but are a good option if you want to try some upper-end Jordanian and Lebanese food. Both menus include a wide range of mezze and grills, giving you a chance to explore beyond the normal felafel and hummus dishes. You can eat on brass tables in the cavernous main halls or in Bedouin tents, either way the live music gets things going.
The Reem has a traditional bread oven and is perhaps better for couples. If you're headed to Tawaheen al-Hawa, look for the windmill symbol on the wall as there's no English sign.
reviewed
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E
Romero Restaurant
Without doubt the best Italian restaurant in town: upmarket, formal and a stone’s throw from the InterContinental Hotel. The salads are imaginative (chicken, mushroom, orange and pine nuts in a honey balsamic dressing), as are the steaks, seafood (red snapper and mussels) and a wide range of pasta and risotto. Desserts are predictably wonderful – crêpes with crème de banana, Grand Marnier and Cointreau, or homemade hazelnut and vanilla ice cream. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed
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Lebanese House
A five- to 10-minute walk from Jerash’s centre, this is a much-loved favourite for local families, with outdoor seating and a kids’ play area. The menu here (as its name implies) is decidedly Lebanese, and offers a broad range of mezzes including everything from frogs legs to shinklish (tangy white cheese). Culinary daredevils can try a pair of hot and buttery cow testicles, washed down by a glass of local Machereus white wine. Maybe just stick to the basics…
reviewed
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Mina House Floating Restaurant
This is an old favourite but recent travellers' reports suggest that it's now become more of a local male hang-out, so lone women might want to get a second opinion before heading out here. The restaurant is on a boat moored (or rather cemented) to the shore south of Aqaba castle. The fish is good considering it is always freshly caught, and not frozen as in some other Aqaba restaurants. The setting is very pleasant, with good views over the gulf to Eilat and Taba.
reviewed
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F
News Café
Downstairs from the Al-Joude Hotel, this is one of the most popular gathering places for Irbid’s cool set. Styled along the lines of a Western-style coffee shop, the News Café is warm and inviting, offering coffee, milkshakes, pizza and other snacks. True to its Middle Eastern roots, however, you can also indulge in the obligatory hookah here, which is a great way to lose an afternoon or evening to smoke-induced bliss.
reviewed
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G
Silk Road Restaurant
One of Aqaba's finest restaurants, this is a great place to blow the budget or celebrate a special occasion. It would be a false economy not to try the delicious seafood salads, chowders or main courses. There are three attractive dining areas, with traditional low seating, and nightly (Russian!) belly-dancers in summer which you can easily enjoy or escape. There's also an extensive, reasonably priced wine and alcohol list.
reviewed
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H
El Cardo Restaurant
Come to the upper gallery of this typical old-house restaurant at lunchtime in season, and you can expect a good buffet of baked chicken or lamb, fresh hummus and local salads. The measure of the chef to our mind, however, was the ability to rustle up something expert on a dark night in winter and the willingness of the aging patrons to give us an out-of-hours welcome. The restaurant is opposite the Archaeological Park.
reviewed
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Bethany Touristic Restaurant
Attached to a thriving fish farm, this place specialises in excellent tilapia ( talloubi in Arabic), locally known as Baptism fish. The fish is fried, or baked with sweet peppers and fresh coriander. It’s a popular spot at weekends, particularly at dusk when the sun sets over distant Jerusalem. Look for signs along the road halfway between the baptism site and the main Amman–Dead Sea road.
reviewed
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I
Ayola Coffee Shop & Bar
If you want a toasted sandwich (JD2), Turkish coffee (JD1), glass of arak with locals, or simply a cosy perch on which to while away some time with fellow travellers, then this is the place to come. With festoons of hand-loomed kilims draped from the ceiling, creeping vines and the aroma of sheesha (water pipe) it captures the very essence of Jordan. There’s free internet access if you have a laptop.
reviewed
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J
La Terrasse
This Shmeisani standard offers high-end European cuisine in pleasant surroundings emphasising low-key luxury. The wine list is extensive, with labels representing Jordan and much of the Mediterranean rim (JD20 to JD25 a bottle). Most nights after 10pm the tiny stage is given over to live Arab singers and musicians, making it a popular venue for well-to-do local families.
reviewed
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King’s Restaurant
Opposite an open area called Castle Plaza, this boulevard restaurant with tables on the pavement attracts travellers at all times of the day and night. It offers grills, pizzas and sandwiches, and local, home-cooked Jordanian dishes like maqlubbeh. The freshly squeezed orange juice is welcome after hot climbs up and down Al-Qala’a Street.
reviewed
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K
Diwan al-Sultan Ibrahim Restaurant
The Diwan comes highly recommended by wealthy locals and expats for its high-quality Lebanese food. Among the meals are frogs legs with garlic and coriander, and deep-fried brains (the last being something of an acquired taste). The fresh-fish selection is good, the batrkh (roe) is popular, and there are good salads and some Western dishes.
reviewed
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L
Ristorante Casereccio
An unpretentious and casual pizza and pasta place just off the trendy Abdoun Circle attracts a mixed crowd, though everyone is here for the same reason, namely savoury pizza. Of course, if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, be sure to save space for the Nutella-stuffed pizza with strawberries – it’s as delectable as its sounds!
reviewed
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M
Blue Bay
The seafood menu here is a cut above the rest with large portions of beautifully prepared catch-of-the-day, presented with finesse. The sleek glass tables and open-plan upper seating area attract Jordan’s in-crowd and groups of ‘in-the-know’ expats. Imaginative salads make this a good choice for vegetarians.
reviewed
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N
Jerash Rest House
Make no mistake about it – this restaurant located near Hadrian’s Gate is an absolute tourist circus, though that doesn’t mean you should steer clear. On the contrary, the all-you-can eat lunch buffet is a very good deal at JD5, and its convenient location will ensure that you have plenty of time to explore the adjacent ruins.
reviewed
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Panorama Restaurant
With its splendid location, at the Dead Sea Panorama, and excellent cuisine, this place is a popular venue for weekend lunch and dinner. Try the mashed- walnut dip (JD2.500) or shanklish (local blue cheese mixed with tomatoes, onion and parsley, JD2), and follow it up with marinated, locally reared lamb chops (JD10).
reviewed
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O
Stop & Go
The doughnuts may not always be today’s, but the frank and thoroughly likeable owner is the first to tell you as much – while he fills you in on the gossip of Madaba. A cup of coffee in the upper gallery of this tiny cafe is like the pause for tea in a carpet shop: an essential experience of being in town.
reviewed
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P
Bowabit Restaurant
With two tables overhanging the road opposite St George’s Church, photographs of old Madaba on the wall and excellent Italian-style coffee (cappuccino JD2.500), this is a number-one place to relax after strolling round town. Alternatively, make a night of it over a dish of Madaba chicken (JD7) and a beer (JD3).
reviewed
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Q
Whispers
A short walk from the Sheraton, Whispers is a good choice for quality Western food. The contemporary décor is fun (baby sharks circle the huge fish tanks eyeing up all the customers' steaks), it has a good bar and there's one of the best salad bars in town. Vegetarians will like the tofu scramble.
reviewed
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Azraq Palace Restaurant
This is the best place to eat in town, which is why you’re likely to share the restaurant with busloads of tourists taking a break from their desert-castle excursion. The lunch buffet will fill your stomach to the brim, and the cold beer on offer will make your parched throat a distant memory.
reviewed
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R
Jabri Restaurant
Jabri is famed as a pastry place, and you certainly shouldn’t miss the chance to stock up on a kilo or so of baklava and/or other local delicacies. However, the restaurant is also pretty good value for money, with attentive service and decent food that will only set you back a few dinars.
reviewed
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Rooftop Restaurant
Meals are available in the tented rooftop restaurant if you give some notice, though you can always cook for yourself on the public barbecue grills. From the rooftop, check out the great views of snowcapped Jebel ash-Sheikh (Mt Hermon; 2814m) on the Syria–Lebanon border.
reviewed