OZU /SAUDI ARABIA /JEDDAH /GUIDE
Where to eat in Jeddah
4 h route3 stopsBest: Dinner runs very late. At nine the city is only startingUpdated July 2026
The Hejaz, which is this region, has a cuisine nothing like that of central Arabia. The reason is the one that explains the rest of the city: for centuries pilgrims from Indonesia, India, Yemen, Egypt and East Africa came through, and many stayed. Each left something in the pot.
You taste it in the use of spice, far more generous here than inland, and in dishes that came from elsewhere but have been here for centuries. Worth knowing too that people eat late and that a meal is a long social act.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
Mutabbaq
Dough stretched until transparent, filled with minced meat, egg and spring onion, or banana and cheese in the sweet version, folded into a square parcel and griddled in plenty of fat until crisp.
It arrived with traders from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and today it’s among the most characteristic things in Jeddah.
Buy it at the stalls in Al-Balad, eat it standing and with your hand, and it’s the best possible introduction to the food here.
- 02
Mandi, kabsa and the shared platter
Mandi comes from Yemen and is cooked in a pit oven: the meat hangs above the rice so the fat drips onto it as it cooks.
Kabsa is the Saudi cousin, with the rice cooked alongside the meat and more spice. Both arrive on a large tray to share.
The traditional way to eat it is seated on the floor, on rugs, around the platter, with the right hand. Many restaurants offer both, table or floor. If you’re a guest, the piece of meat pushed towards your side of the tray is a courtesy and you accept it.
- 03
Foul, tamees and breakfast
Breakfast here is foul: fava beans slow-cooked, mashed with oil, cumin, lemon and sometimes tomato and chilli, served in a hot bowl. Eaten by dipping bread, never with cutlery, and it fills you for half the day.
The bread alongside is tamees, a large thin flatbread slapped onto the inner wall of a tandoor-style clay oven and peeled off when done.
Tamees bakeries tend to be tiny stalls with a queue outside first thing, and they are among the cheapest places to eat in the entire city.
Frequently asked
Can you eat in restaurants during Ramadan?
During fasting hours most places are closed and you don’t eat or drink in public, foreigners included. At sundown the city transforms and dinner runs until the small hours. If you travel in Ramadan, plan for that inverted timetable.