Doha’s dining scene is a vibrant tapestry woven with flavours from around the world. It is a paradise for food lovers. The city blends traditional Qatari cuisine with international influences. It offers a truly unique culinary journey ranging from bustling souqs serving fragrant spices to fresh seafood. Its modern restaurants boast of world-class chefs. Every meal is an experience to savour.
Here is a list of the top restaurants in Doha for Local and International Food.
Amid the culinary delights, ECO entertainment venues in Doha are redefining sustainable nightlife, blending organic cocktails with live music events that minimize environmental impact through zero-waste practices. Visitors flock to Doha best restaurant lists featuring spots like Nozomi, where fusion Japanese cuisine meets eco-conscious sourcing from local farms. These experiences not only tantalize the palate but also promote green initiatives, making every outing a blend of indulgence and responsibility in Qatar’s dynamic food landscape.
Turkey Central Restaurant
This humungous, bustling establishment is hardly a secret. It opens from early lunchtime until 1am. It is a fast-paced, multi-storey fluorescent dining room heaving with local families, workers, and those who appreciate good value and big flavours. They are known for grilled meats and skewers blanketed with flatbread., But tepsi kebabı, or “tray kebab”, is essentially a succulent 450-gram spiced burger patty of mince cooked in a clay pot and swimming in its own fat. Don’t skip the dips, served with bread baked on the spot.
Bandar Aden Restaurant
You have to be fast if you want a table at this no-frills Yemeni eatery on the edge of Souq Waqif. It is a favourite spot among families and groups for bold, traditional dishes. There are tables inside and floor seating, but the best spots are outside, soaking up the atmospheric souq. The signature dishes here are haneeth (spice-rubbed, slow-roasted goat or lamb served on rice) and mandi, which is similar but cooked in a tannour (tandoor). Tear off pieces of enormous malawach flatbread to scoop up lamb and chicken fahsa (sizzling clay pots of meat braised with fenugreek).
Danat Al Bahar BBQ Fish
There are a few branches of Danat Al Bahar, but it’s difficult to beat the open-air terrace at the Souq Waqif outpost. Book a table online (they’ll call you fairly last minute to confirm) and then take your pick from the display of fresh seafood. Hamour is a local grouper, or you might try safi, which has sweet, subtle meat and is particularly nice fried. Note that if you see kingfish on the menu in Qatar, it is actually Spanish mackerel. Order barbecued prawns if you can, and beyond that, it’s just rice and salad. You’ll smell the smoke wafting over the balcony and into the square before your fish materialises at the table, butterflied with charcoal-blistered flesh.
Kabab Al Tayab
Lodged in the thick of the action of Souq Waqif, Kabab Al Tayab has been serving grilled meats since 1937. Shoppers squeeze between green wooden seating softened by Arabic cushions and tiny tables for two. It is all about charred meats here, from mutton through to chicken livers. There are also plates like chelo kebab; skewered ground meat served with fluffy saffron-spiked rice. Flat bread with blackened bubbles on its surface is baked to order, while hummus and yoghurt come in plastic tubs.
Shay Al Shomous
Owned by Shams Al Qassabi – the first Qatari woman to open a shop in Souq Waqif – this home-style restaurant is filled with locals and framed photos of notable guests. This is the spot to try a typical Qatari breakfast, indeed, the menu boasts: “AlShomous Specialty Dish: one that no one else makes as good as we do”. There are pages dedicated to regag, which are paper-thin flatbreads likened to crepes that come filled or fashioned into a cone; you can try balaleet (sweetened vermicelli noodles topped with egg); and boiled fava beans. Order eggs mixed with tomato and drizzled with oddly addictive thinned cream cheese (simply “cheese” on the menu), and sip traditional coffee or milky karak tea (both spiced with cardamom). Ask staff to point you in the direction of the attached store selling jars of spice mix, teas, and pickles.
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