Best Qatari Food to Try in Doha – Mouth-watering Dishes for the Food Lover

The hearty saloona is a popular Arabian stew that is commonly enjoyed in homes as a dinner for the family. Although generally it is thought that it can be made using whatever is at hand, it is usually based on lamb, beef or fish along with seasonally available vegetables and flavoured using ginger and garlic. Saloona is typically accompanied with plenty of bread to take up the tasty broth. A good restaurant at which to enjoy this dish would be Walima, an attractive contemporary restaurant that serves up a satisfying and rich saloona made with chicken and presented with sliced lime.

Pairing vermicelli with omelette may seem like an unusual combination, but you will be convinced of its appeal when you try balaleet! This popularly enjoyed pasta preparation is flavoured using sugar, rose water and saffron and is combined with an omelette creating a distinctive savoury as well as sweet flavour. Balaleet is frequently prepared for breakfast during the celebrations for Eid-al-Fitr. You will find that Al Jasra is something of a concealed gem, being located amidst Souq Waqif's back streets. This restaurant serves up freshly cooked food using traditional recipes.

The tasty majboos is considered to be the national dish of Qatar, which you should definitely try out during your visit to Doha. Typically, it is made using lamb or alternatively chicken that is slow-cooked to create a deep flavour. Generally, this dish will be presented on a bed of rice that has been seasoned to complement the flavour and accompanied by tomato sauce and salad. The plush Al Manchab restaurant would be a great choice for tasting this dish as it provides fragrantly seasoned and slow-cooked majboos which will delight the discerning diner. The comfortable seating and homely decor of this restaurant give it the air of an elegant Qatari residence.

Take the opportunity to try out madrouba which happens to be a rice porridge with a savoury flavour that may be consumed at any time of the day. It is prepared using butter, milk, chicken and cardamom, sometimes including beans and is allowed to simmer for several hours till it becomes soft. It is often topped with fried onions or cardamom ghee. You may enjoy a great version of this dish at Cafe Easair at Souq Al Wakra. A choice of accommodation to consider where you could enjoy Qatari foods and easily visit restaurants in Wakra like Easair Cafe would be Souq Al Wakra Hotel Qatar by Tivoli.

You will find that kousa mahshi are courgettes found in the Middle East that are stuffed using minced lamb as well as vegetables and flavoured with mint and parsley. For vegetarians, versions prepared with chickpeas will also be available at restaurants in Doha. To enjoy kousa mahshi, a good choice would be Al Shami Home Restaurant which happens to be decorated in the manner of a typical Berber tent, featuring a fountain and fabrics hanging from the ceiling. The kousa mahshi at this restaurant is flavourful and the servings are generous.