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Eat Amman

Falafel, mansaf, knafeh and new Jordanian cooking

Downtown classics

Al-Balad
Hashem
Open-air tables in a downtown alley for falafel, hummus, foul and fresh bread. Fast, cheap and a rite of passage.
Al-Balad
Habibah Sweets
The famous downtown knafeh counter: hot, cheese-filled and sticky with syrup. Eat it standing on the street.
Al-Balad
Al Quds
A long-running downtown restaurant for mansaf and Jordanian home cooking, near the souqs. Large portions, simple room.
Jabal Amman
Reem
A tiny shawarma stand at Second Circle with a queue at every hour of the night.
Al-Balad
Downtown fruit and vegetable souq
The covered market for produce, olives, herbs and spices. Go in the morning for the bustle.

Jordanian & Levantine tables

Jabal Amman
Sufra
Jordanian classics such as mansaf, maqluba and fattet hummus in an old villa on Rainbow Street, with a terrace.
Jabal Amman
Fakhreldin
Elegant Levantine and Lebanese dining in a 1950s house with a garden, long a favourite for occasion meals.
Jabal Amman
Jasmine House
Creative Mediterranean cooking in a 1950s villa with jasmine trees and art on the walls. No wine is served.
Umm Uthaina
Diwan Al Sultan Ibrahim
Lebanese mezze and fresh fish chosen by weight, a long-time family choice in west Amman.
Jabal Amman
Zajal
A relaxed terrace above downtown with Jordanian plates and views across to the Citadel.

Bakeries, cafés & sweets

Jabal Amman
Shams El Balad
A café, restaurant and concept store in an old villa with a leafy courtyard. Heirloom-flour bread and Jordanian home dishes; No. 26 on MENA’s 50 Best 2026.
Across the city
Zalatimo
A historic sweets house for baklava, ma’amoul and boxed gifts to carry home.
Across the city
Abu Jbara
A local chain for falafel, hummus and foul; dependable for a quick breakfast.
Jabal Al-Weibdeh
Rumi Café
A small Weibdeh café with good coffee and a neighbourhood crowd.

Highly recommended

Jabal Amman
Alee
Chef Ali Ghzawi’s inventive Jordanian cooking near First Circle, with views over the old city; No. 28 on MENA’s 50 Best 2026. Book ahead.
Jabal Al-Weibdeh
Beit Sitti
Three sisters run cooking classes in their grandmother’s house: cook maqluba or musakhan, then eat together on the terrace.

Eat more

Mansaf
Maqluba
Musakhan
Falafel + hummus
Knafeh nabulsieh
Shawarma
Za’atar manakish
Galayet bandora
Cardamom coffee
Sage tea

The November plate

Musakhan with new olive oil
November is olive-harvest season. Taban bread soaked in fresh oil, piled with sumac onions and roast chicken, is the dish of the moment.
Muslim traveller note: meat in Jordanian restaurants is halal. Upscale and hotel restaurants may serve alcohol or cook with wine, so ask if this matters to you.
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