Sharjah Restaurants

  1. Al Gahwa al-Shaabiya

    This traditional barasti coffeehouse, overlooking the lagoon, serves mint tea, local coffee, ginger milk and Arabic snacks. Extremely popular with Emiratis, it's a wonderful place to sit in the evenings, play backgammon and watch the city lights reflected in the water of the lagoon.

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  2. Automatic Restaurant

    A branch of the famed Lebanese chain, Automatic serves up fresh, reliable Lebanese staples in a bright, clean, cafeteria. The place gets packed with Arab expats late at night.

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  3. Caffe Undici

    Sharjah's most sophisticated café has indoor and outdoor seating, continental breakfasts, generous-sized sandwiches and real espresso coffee.

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  4. Sadaf

    Popular with local Emirati families who dine in private booths, this excellent Iranian restaurant chain serves up authentic Persian cuisine - the spicy moist kebabs are particularly good and the 'Zereshk Polo Meat: Iranian rice with Iranian red barberries and meat' is scrumptious.

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  5. Thriveni Restaurant

    This dirt-cheap Indian eatery is usually packed with guest workers from the subcontinent eating thalis, biryanis and curries. As is usually the case in worker's cafeterias, women are required to sit in the family area, which in this case is rather shabby but is worth tolerating unless you enjoy being ogled.

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