It is no secret that Medina is my favourite Saudi city. I practically adore everything about this town. I love its people, its peacefulness, its history, its date trees, and I most certainly love Medina’s dining scene. To understand why, let us start with the most unforgettable meal (well, two meals to be precise) I had there!
Shoaib – https://maps.app.goo.gl/8a9dRX6RAvaWRzp59
Yemeni breakfast spots are not a rarity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, Shoaib constitutes a class of its own within this category. The food here is so inexplicably tasty that it is genuinely difficult to explain how good it is with mere words.
Their mutabbaq is the best one of its kind that I had anywhere, being filled to the brim with a filling of your choice (mixed cheese and tuna are the best options in my humble opinion) and served piping hot.
The falafel that we ordered on a whim was a surprise, in the best way possible. Looking like tiny hearts, I initially assumed that they were on the menu mostly for the eyes, alas, I was wrong. They are moist on the inside and quite crispy on the outside, a perfect combination that is complemented with pickles, veggies, fries, and a side of particularly hearty hummus.
As if those were not enough, the fine folks at Shoaib even make a decent bean dish for breakfast, and better yet, they excel at preparing maasoub, a Yemeni dessert that also seems to be eaten as a regular breakfast dish. It is essentially a banana mash that is enriched by a ton of nuts and cornflakes. While I tried it for the first time here, I instantly decided that it should not be the last time. It goes without saying that Shoaib is a must visit breakfast spot in Medina, one that we could not help but enjoy twice during our short time in the Kingdom.
Arwa Taiba Restaurant – https://maps.app.goo.gl/aRAfXQ4NYUjqgSCJ9
In fact, while I normally push myself to try new restaurants with each meal I enjoy whenever I travel, some of Medina’s restaurants really tested my mettle in this regard. Much like Shoaib, I really wanted to enjoy a second meal at Arwa Taiba Restaurant, though that did not work out at the end.
This humble eatery is where I had some of the best Desi style seafood of my life. The fish here was divine, spiced to perfection, cooked by masters of their craft. The shrimp curry had more shrimp than sauce, and said shrimps were as plump and tasty as they come.
Their garlic naans were fantastic, much like the fish biryani, though at first I thought that both of these could have used a bit more butter. However, since we simply used them as vessels to eat our buttery curry and fatty grilled fish, in hindsight, it all worked well together.
This feast for the three of us costed barely above 20 USD, including some water, salad, and sauces on the side, so while the quality of the food was already enough for me to praise this location, I must say that they are really going above and beyond for a restaurant at their price bracket. Yet another must visit spot in Medina!
WokTime – https://maps.app.goo.gl/k7eGAU7tkQbYgHKk6
Unsurprisingly, not all spots we dined in were as memorable as Shoaib or Arwa Taiba, and that is only expected. Most towns do not even have a single memorable spot to dine in at, unlike Medina. WokTime is an example of how a meal can be just alright, which is, once again, totally fine. If you want to enjoy some decent Asian food in a more elevated atmosphere (with similarly elevated prices) you can enjoy a dinner here. They have an airy balcony that lets you enjoy some fresh air as you enjoy your noodles, which alone makes WokTime worthy of a visit, at least if you are in the vicinity, considering how far away this one is from the city center.
Desi Hut Restaurant – https://maps.app.goo.gl/2VGS8JXsFMQuuXJ49
To be clear, you will likely be spending most of your time in Medina in the city center, where the Prophet’s Mosque (and almost all the other points of interest) can be found. That is why most of this list has spots that are somewhat close to the center, and to each other. Desi Hut, for example, is just a few minutes away from Arwa Taiba Restaurant, and it is praised online almost as much as the former. I for one did not really understand the hype, perhaps because whatever I wanted to order was not available at the time and thus I had to settle for a protein-less and somewhat fatty vegetable curry. However, my mother and uncle loved this place so much so that they dined here a second time. I can neither recommend nor not recommend this place. I believe for those who eat meat, it has some decent options, but if you are a pescetarian like me, their few fitting offerings will leave a lot to be desired.
Al Baik – https://www.albaik.com
Yet another issue that leaves a lot to be desired is how service works in some Al Baik branches. Now, I am no logistics wizard, nor can I offer any solutions for the chaos that Al Baik’s managers have to deal with every single day. However, as a fan, I can only hope that one day they will figure out just why sandwiches that already wait on their dedicated trays should be distributed to customers who only want sandwiches as quickly as possible. I seem to belong to a minority group that orders sandwiches rather than full meals when they visit Al Baik, and we often suffer from sandwiches that wait on the counter for far too long, as the veggies, pickles, and the sauce inside cool down the fried shrimps and fish that they accompany rapidly. This is why, if you look at the photographs below, you will realize that these sandwiches have seen better days. If I could just be given my two wraps when I ordered them, as they were right behind the gentleman who received my order, all would have been significantly better, alas, I had to wait almost fifteen minutes for those exact sandwiches to be handed over to me. Nevertheless, I cannot help but love Al Baik, as few other spots offer food as tasty as this, especially in its price range. That is probably why numerous branches of it can now be found find in nearly all Saudi towns. However, if you can, try to visit an Al Baik branch far removed from the hustle and bustle of city centers for the best experience. You will thank me later.
B.Laban – https://blaban.net
Al Baik is not the only Saudi franchise that successfully expanded in recent years. B.Laban seems to be opening up new branches all around the Kingdom as well. These fine folks specialize in milky desserts, often with some local or regional twists. Their Dubai chocolate themed dessert that you can see below is one such contraption, and it is such a tasty concoction that we ended up ordering it multiple times during our travels in the Kingdom. Do be warned though, these sweet creations are not necessarily cheap, and their calories add up faster than you think, but I do think that a visit to B.Laban is quite justified on a weekly basis.
Kunafa & Saudi Coffee – https://maps.app.goo.gl/daWnBVCtRUFecFMr7
There are, of course, some humbler options for desserts for those that are interested in something more traditional as well. Now, before anyone sends me death threats, I do not claim that kunafa is a Saudi dessert. I refuse to nationalize dishes. I could not care less who made the first kunafa, or who makes it the best today. What I know for sure is that the kunafa we had in this establishment was unlike anything I had before, as they substituted cream for cheese in their filling, and went for a less heavy syrup to douse it all with. The result was an almost refreshing and crispier dessert that paired so well with the spiced up Saudi coffee. I am quite sure that even kunafa fanatics from many different countries would enjoy this particular iteration of the dessert here, though that is something you will have to go and check for yourselves in due time.
Kaki Bakeries and Sweets – https://maps.app.goo.gl/UsUQg9Sad2UPLsav6
Last but certainly not least, if you are looking for something even more local, you will find what you are looking for at Kaki Bakeries and Sweets. This spot bakes and sells some fantastic date filled products, names of which I do not know in the slightest. As I often do, I simply pointed at things in the counter, the server weighed them, I paid for them, and I enjoyed them back in the hotel with some tea. If you enjoy freshly baked goods with a local twist, they do not get much better (or cheaper) than the ones you can find in Kaki Bakeries and Sweets.
