10 Best Restaurants in Oman

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Traditional Omani food is a marriage of rustic Bedouin dishes of rice, meat, and preserved fish, plus the plentiful, sweet dates that grow abundantly in the country, all infused with the diverse flavors of the spice route. The East African island of Zanzibar, as well as port cities in Persia and South Asia were once part of the Sultanate, and local versions of foods like biryani, pulao, and coconut-enriched vegetables have become part of the Omani canon of dishes. Great examples of local cuisine can be sampled at restaurants in Muscat, along with a wide offering of international options, from sushi to American fast food. In the capital and other coastal cities, like Sohar, Sur, and Salalah, fantastic fresh fish, prawns, crab, and giant squid called cuttlefish, are on offer even at humble restaurants. Options in the mountains and deserts of the interior are more limited, though simple sandwich shops, restaurants serving Yemeni-style mandi (a dish of rice and tandoori-cooked meat), tea shops offering Omani bread with various fillings, and casual Indian restaurants can be found almost everywhere.

Al Mandi Al Dhahabi

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Just across the main road from the Nizwa Souq, this restaurant serves wonderful Zanzibari dishes like coconut curried shrimp, fried chili and potato puffs called kachori, and fluffy, cardamom-scented mandazi bread. It also serves a strange combination of "international dishes" like pizza and pasta, which are best avoided.

Cafe at Wadi Bani Khalid

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This simple café is the only dining establishment for miles around, and it serves up good fresh juice and an inexpensive buffet lunch featuring a hodgepodge of dishes and several types of rice.

Karak Shop

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This small shop offers the traditional Omani snack and breakfast foods: creamy sweet karak tea and crisp Omani bread stuffed with egg and cheese.

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Karak Taste

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On the new corniche, across from the Sur Beach Holiday Resort, this small takeaway karak shop makes delicious, paper-thin Omani bread stuffed with savory fillings like egg and cream cheese, or sweet combinations like honey and cheese or Nutella, along with the namesake beverage, a milky tea sweetened with condensed milk and spiced with lemongrass, cardamom, and ginger. Just pull up front and honk; someone will come to your car to take your order.

Karak Time

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This small takeaway tea shop at the base of Jabal Akhdar is a great place to stop for breakfast on your way back to Nizwa after a night camping on the mountain or to grab a snack before making the ascent. You can get karak, a tea sweetened with creamy condensed milk and spiced with cardamom and ginger, as well as crisp Omani bread stuffed with savory combinations like cheese and egg, or sweet combinations like honey and cheese.

Marina Café

$$$ | Shatti Qurm
Cloistered in the ministries district, just behind the U.S. Amassador's villa, Marina Café sits directly on the beach, its glass walls offering unobstructed views of the Gulf of Oman and a small, palm-lined park. The casual menu has a strong Lebanese bent, with shawarma plates and mezze, along with typical café fare, from a fried seafood basket to club sandwiches and burgers. The fresh juices, teas, and sheesha coupled with the views and relaxed atmosphere are draw enough to make this a destination for a leisurely afternoon or evening, but the food is also of good quality, if not a bit expensive for what it is. Free Wi-Fi is available, and during the cooler months there is also an outdoor seaside patio. Due to a change in Omani smoking laws, children under the age of 12 are no longer allowed in the main dining room where sheesha is offered, but there is a smoke-free family dining area, and during the winter months, the patio is open to all.

Memories

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Dar El Ezz, the first fine-dining "restaurant" to open in the Dakhiliyah region, is actually more of a dining complex with multiple restaurants housed in one large building. The best of the bunch is Memories, a 200-seat restaurant with an outdoor terrace built amid waterfalls. The international buffet is expensive and good, if not great, and is one of your best options if you are looking for a higher-end meal in a polished atmosphere. In the same building is the lovely rooftop coffee shop and sheesha lounge called Clouds, where you can enjoy unencumbered views of the surrounding mountains and palm forests along with a post-meal latte.

Nizwa Fort Coffee House

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Directly between the Fort and the Souq, this little coffee shop sits on prime real estate. Although there are only a few bistro tables out front and a few inside, you can always find a place to sit. The shop offers a wide range of hot, caffeinated beverages, including espresso, chai tea, and traditional Omani coffee that is served with local dates. It is a nice place to rest after a long afternoon exploring the surrounding sights.
Café $ Coffee Quick Bite
Oman
No phone
Restaurant Details
Closed Fri. morning

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Old Turkish Restaurant

$ | Al Khuwair
After midnight on the weekends, waiters rush huge platters of grilled meat, kebabs, french fries, and hummus, and glasses of fresh juice to the boisterous groups occupying the outdoor tables and to cars waiting in a long queue for takeaway at this lively 24-hour restaurant. The late-night scene is an experience in and of itself, but the expertly prepared Turkish grill restaurant is well worth a visit anytime.

Sur Beach Restaurant

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This run-down restaurant has no ambience: the dark dining area offers plastic-covered tables while a leaky air conditioner keeps the space reasonably cool. But what it lacks in decor it makes up for in an unusual menu item: cuttlefish biyrani. This spiced, layered rice dish of South Asian origin is wildly popular in Oman, and the giant squid known as cuttlefish is a local specialty. And it's something to savor: well-seasoned rice topped with cashews and raisins, layered with tender cubes of cuttlefish dressed in a luscious, mildly spicy masala. One order is more than enough for two people.