One can find some excellent examples of all sorts of Arab cuisines in Riyadh, thanks to the diasporas of Lebanese, Egyptians, Yemenis and many others that calls this city their home. This is why, rather than focusing on Saudi food specifically, I decided to dedicate an entire article on showing the wide variety of Arab cuisines one can enjoy when visiting Riyadh. Do read on, this will be a particularly spicy journey.
Dandouh Restaurant – https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vmd6r1mFgDECrDaD8
If I am not gravely mistaken, Dandouh Restaurant is a Syrian one. Some of the menu items were decidedly Syrian, and a few others were named after the Syrian capital, leading me to believe that this is in fact a Syrian establishment. The language barrier made it difficult for me to verify this information, though thankfully it did not lead to much of an issue when I ordered my food. For a particularly hearty breakfast, I went for the Syrian style ful, which is a plate of legumes doused in a creamy sauce made with laban, a fermented yoghurt drink. I was told that this would come with freshly baked bread, alas, I was too hungry to think straight, and thus I ended up ordering what they referred to as a Dandouh sandwich as well. While this was a lot of food to start the day, it was a happy mistake on my part. The ful was tasty, lighter than many others that I had, likely thanks to its laban based sauce. It paired well with the freshly baked bread. However, the deceivingly simple looking sandwich, surprisingly, turned out to be the true highlight of this meal. It was by far the best falafel sandwich I had, full of that beany goodness, eggs, sauce, and even some cheese. All of this was then baked inside a thin layer of dough, creating a stromboli like dish that turned out tastier than the sum of its parts. It paired extremely well with the milk tea I ordered on the side, and I truly wished that I just ordered two of these rather than the ful by the end. I most definitely recommend a visit to Dandouh Restaurant on your way to visit Diriyah. It is a legendary eatery that was full of local patrons when I dined there, and with prices that are a fraction of the ones you can find in restaurants within the Diriyah heritage site, it just makes sense to enjoy a tasty meal here before a long day of exploration.
Koshary El Tahrir – https://maps.app.goo.gl/bh6PCAA8VTXaUj8X6
Egyptian koshary is an enigma to me. How can something that looks so simple can taste so damn complex and tasty? While there are some dishes that look deceptively simple, with all due respect to koshary masters, this one really is simple. I can and do cook it with ease at home, and it does not even turn out to be a poor copycat. Nevertheless, I do enjoy eating this Egyptian specialty in dedicated eateries, where you will be treated with an especially good iteration of this mix of grains, pulses, legumes, and pasta, likely due to the simple fact that the tangy tomato sauce that brings it all together is mastered in such establishments after years of trial and error. While the koshary I had at Koshary El Tahrir was not the best one I had thus far, it was far from being the worst one as well. The tomato sauce, though at first looked a bit lacking, was potent and flavourful, and the spicy sauce that they brought on the side was indeed, purely and properly spicy. Honestly, I would prefer a tastier spicy sauce that is not only spicy, but that could just be me. Regardless, if you are looking for a cheap and tasty meal that can keep you full for a day, you should visit Koshary El Tahrir.
Mood Pizza – https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Gvwjn9HrExFRSN59
Manakish are Levantine pastries that are perfected by Arabs that live in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine today. These are by far my favourite Arab pastry, and I try my best to eat as many of them as possible during my trips to the Arab world. They are basically flatbreads with toppings of your choice that look like tiny pizzas once they are fully baked. It is really their unique toppings that separate them from many other similar goodies across the world, most notably za’atar and muhammara. Za’atar is an aggressive herbal spice mix that you may love or hate. I did see some people say that it was a bit too “much” for them, and I respect that. It always hits the spot for me. On the other hand, muhammara tastes lighter, since rather than being just a mix of herbs, spices, and oil, it is an amalgamation of peppers and veggies, still mixed in with some spices. The recipes of these toppings change from one eatery to another so some are better than others. The mankosha with muhammara and cheese I had at Mood Pizza was one of the tastiest I had anywhere, while the same cannot be said for the one with a mix of za’atar and cream cheese. I think their za’atar was a bit too oily for my taste, alas, the whole dish still tasted pretty good. Finally, and quite naturally, this part of the world also has its own variety of soft drinks, such as this grape soda I had here, so be on the lookout for those if you are interested in trying new local flavours.
Saba Restaurant – https://maps.app.goo.gl/7RF97NGymCEhQGzt8
During my short trip to Riyadh, I came across many Yemenis that migrated to the Saudi capital. While many of them were working in the hospitality sector, some ended up popularizing their cuisine across the Kingdom instead. This is why, one can find Yemeni eateries in Riyadh with ease, especially inside the city’s numerous malls. On a whim, I tried some Yemeni dishes for the first time in my life at Saba Restaurant, and while I was not necessarily moved by the quality of the food there, I could see how tasty these dishes could be potentially. Spoiler alert, they could indeed be prepared much better, something that I found out after eating at Shoaib Restaurant in Medina two months later. This is not to say that I did not enjoy my meal at Saba Restaurant. It was more or less what you should expect from a fast-food style eatery found in the food court of a mall. The food was relatively cheap and filling, and it did not taste off.
Mama Noura – https://linktr.ee/mamanoura
Mama Noura is a local chain that is extremely popular in Riyadh and Dammam. They have excellent juices, and reportedly even better shawarmas. However, as a pescetarian, my options here were, unfortunately, pretty limited. That is why I ended up ordering two manakish, both of which were fine, but they were nothing special. I believe I made a mistake by not choosing falafels over them, as most patrons seemed to be enjoying their falafel platters instead. My recommendation would be to definitely give this place a go if you eat meat, however if you are vegetarian or even a pescetarian like me, there are other eateries out there with richer menus that cater better to different diets. Still, I did enjoy Mama Noura’s juices, and they do have an extensive selection of those, so it is not a bad idea to visit them at the very least for these alone, as well as to see an actual Saudi eatery in action.
Ashi Zaki – https://linktr.ee/ashizaki
Speaking of falafel, you can find it all around Riyadh, and often for cheap. So cheap in fact that the smallest portion of falafels that I could buy at Ashi Zaki barely costed a bit more than 4 USD. This is nuts given just how tasty these falafels were, and how huge the portion size was with all the sides that came alongside them. These beany goodies were buried under a small mountain of fries and fried eggplants, and this pile of food was surrounded by an extremely tasty hummus doused in olive oil, as well as a mix of veggies and sauces, and even an odd egg. This was an extremely well-rounded meal that tasted amazing and costed peanuts. Alongside with Dandouh Restaurant, Ashi Zaki offered me the most unforgettable dining experience I had in Riyadh, well at least among the eateries that focus on Arab food that is!
Al Baik – https://www.albaik.com
I cannot conclude this article without mentioning Al Baik. This Saudi fried chicken chain is now a global phenomenon that sees people flying thousands of kilometres to the few countries that are lucky enough to have Al Baik branches just so they can taste their food once again. Over the last few decades, their menu became quite extensive, and now they offer excellent fried fish and shrimp options as well. While I already enjoyed Al Baik (numerous times) in the UAE about a year before my trip to Riyadh, I could not help but eat here multiple times during my short visit to the Saudi capital as well. This time, I found out that Al Baik’s sandwiches and wraps are even superior to getting full portions of fried fish or shrimps, as is the norm for most. The thing is, these sandwiches are filled with not only these fried goodies, but also some tasty pickles and an even tastier sauce, resulting in a better balanced and more satisfying burst of flavours with each bite. Of course at the end of the day, each to their own. I know that many people prefer portions of fried meat instead, but I will be sticking to my sandwiches from now on!
