Petra Restaurants

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Once you tried arabic food, you will be suprised how tasty they are! For sure you want to know how to cook them. Here's the cooking course for you. You will be provided aprons and a pair of plastc gloves. After greetings and introduction of menu to cook the evening, go to the table you want.
The menu the evening I joined was
- Lentil Soup
- Baba Ganuj ( Mashed aubegine dip )
- Cucumber and Youghrt
- Tabbouleh ( chopped parsley,bulgur and tomato )
- Tahini salad
- Sambousek ( meat and pine nuts pastry )
- Musakhan ( Roast chicken baked rapped in Arabic Bread )
I was at table of preparing for soup and main dish ( Musakhan ). First we worked on chopping onions. Don't worry your dinner won't go wrong as all the table will be supervised by chefs. It's fun to cook in a large kitchen with laugh, sounds of rhythmical sounds of chopping vegetables and herbs, smell of sauteed onions... and we will eat together asking each other how to cook, what's inside.
It was memorable evening in this trip.
Ah, I don't try to cook by my self since then, but recipe is here with me...

Advance booking is highly recommended.

Run by the Crown Plaza Hotel in Wadi Musa, Basin Restaurant is one of two dining option in the Petra archaeological site. Come lunch hour, it is infested with groups of tourists and thus scores zero in terms of atmosphere and no better on service. The redeeming factor is that the buffet and grill it serves are surprisingly decent (normally I avoid buffets, but in Petra there is no choice otherwise). Basin restaurant is located next to the museum at a short distance from the beginning of the uphill trail to the monastery. Most first time visitors will reach this point by lunchtime, so it is a convenient stop before making the hike up the mountain. A warning though, don't eat too much or the hike will be that much more difficult!!!

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Sahtain is the restaurant of the Taybet Zaman Resort Hotel. Like the hotel, Sahtain gets top ratings for charm, as it is located in one of the old stone houses of the village. It serves a large buffet of a variety of Middle Eastern and some international dishes, which are OK, but nothing to write home about. Although the restaurant is open to outside guests, it caters almost entirely to the guests at the hotel. It was certainly convenient for breakfast (included) and dinner while staying at the hotel, but may not be worth the trek from elsewhere, except maybe to also check out the beautiful hotel.

Small and casual, al-Afandi Restaurant serves mainly shawarma and falafels. It only has a couple of tables, so it is perfect for a quick lunch or takeaway. The shawarma is excellent and quite inexpensive. Al-Afandi is adjacent to al-Arabi Restaurant on Shaheed Square in the heart of Wadi Musa.

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Located on Shaheed Square, in the heart of the commercial part of Wadi Musa, al-Arabi restaurant serves good shawarma and other Arabic mezze. It has a recently renovated dining room with plenty of tables and is thus a great option for dinner, tastier and cheaper than what the big hotels offer. No alcohol is served, though.

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We had a lunch break including in our visit and they took us to this place called Doshata, nothing special to tell about, it was chicken, pita, hummus etc and it was OK, and no upset stomach either ;-)
However, they did not serve real beer here but as I often want to try something local where ever I visit, so I ordered something which is called: Malt Beverage :))) Well, obviously, they couldn't call it a beer as it didn't taste like one at all.

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This restaurant in Wadi Musa consists of a large and airy room with long tables just right for big groups, although this atmosphere can make it feel a little bit cafeteria at times. The buffet-style dining serves mostly typical Middle Eastern food, so be prepared for hummus, cucumbers, yogurt, and tomatoes aplenty! The staff is very welcoming and will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

WALK DOWN MANY OF THE HILLS IN PETRA, GOING TOWARD THE GUEST HOUSE. ON TOURIST STREET YOU WILL SEE A GLASS SURROUND OF A RESTAURANT ON THE SECOND FLOOR. UP A FEW STAIRS AND FIND A CLEAN, PLEASANT ROOM, TABLES AND CHAIRS SET UP FOR MANY, AND COUCHES ALONG THE BACK WALLS WITH COLORFUL LOCAL COVERS, READY FOR SHISHA. WE GOT THERE AT SUNSET AND THE VIEW ABOVE THE WHOLE CITY WITH A LOVELY SUNSET PUT US IN THE MOOD FOR A GOOD MEAL. WE STARTED WITH THE MEZA, AND ALTHOUGH THE NAMES WERE FAMILIAR, THE MODE OF PREPARATION WAS VERY DIFFERENT, BUT THE TASTE WAS EXCELLENT. STAFF WERE HELPFUL AND WHEN WE WERE TOO FULL FOR DESSERT, THEY BROUGHT US A SMALL PLATE WITH A SAMPLE OF DESERTS. I PREFER LOCAL RESTAURANTS WHERE YOU MEET LOCAL PEOPLE RATHER THA OTHER TOURISTS IN YOUR HOTEL.

Favorite Dish: WE ORDERED STUFFED LAMB AND A WONDERFUL CHICKEN DISH COOKED WITH CINAMON, CARDIMON AND LOTS OF OTHER SPICES. THIS CAME IN A LARGE PLATE OF DELICIOUS SPICED RICE AND A SIDE BOWL OF VEGTABLES IN TOMATO SAUCE. ENOUGH FOR TWO BUT SO GOOD WE KEPT SAVORING JUST A LITTLE MORE.