One of the best things about studying in Jordan is its strategic position. Located at the crossroads between the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Africa, and positioned within the Levant, there’s a huge variety of food available to try.

 

Amman especially has a great selection of restaurants, ranging from hole-in-the-wall spots to very nice and luxurious dining. There’s a decent selection of international food as well but focusing on local Jordanian and its surrounding regional food is worth giving a try to provide yourself a more culturally immersive experience. 

 

But of course, to get the ultimate Arabian hospitality and taste home-cooked Jordanian cuisine, it is a must to visit a Jordanian household and be prepared to feast your eyes with a literal feast fit for kings. Jordanian families are known to serve too much to the invited guests as a way to express their heartfelt appreciation for coming to their house. But don’t fret, if they serve double the food for a group of 5 people, they will pack it up or tapao the leftovers for you to bring home, haha! What a way to combine Singaporean and Jordanian culture 😊

 

If you have yet to try home-cooked food in Jordan, these are some of the best places to visit in Amman to fill your tummies with scrumptious local delights be it savoury or sweet!

 

1) Hashem Restaurant at King Faisal Street, downtown Amman

Visited by nearly every politician, famous person, and even Jordanian royal family members, Hashem Restaurant sells traditional Levant cuisine such as falafel, ful medames, moutabel and some crazy good hummus. 

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2) Habibeh at Al-Hashemi Street, downtown Amman

Located in downtown Amman as well, Habibah Sweets is an institution for kanafeh, a wildly popular cheese-based dessert. You buy a piece, sit down nearby around the patio and savour the crispy broken phyllo pastry on top while experiencing the flavour explosion of the salty cheese and sweet sugar syrup. 

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3) Tawaheen Al-Hawaa in Amman

This is one of the largest restaurants in Amman, extremely popular with tourists as well as with local Jordanians. They have two specialities, barbecued meat like shish kebabs, and they serve an awesomely delicious mansaf rice – something you don’t want to miss when in Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jordanian/Levant food glossary:

Falafel: Ground chickpeas and spices deep fried in little patties, eaten plain or stuffed into a sandwich.

Moutabel: Creamy roasted eggplant combined with garlic, sesame paste and olive oil.

Shish kebab/tawouk: Minced lamb or beef mixed with salt and parsley grilled over charcoal.

Mansaf: Lamb cooked in dry goat yoghurt and served with rice and more goat yoghurt gravy