Food & Drink
Where to Eat in Amman: A Food Guide to Jordan's Capital
Where to eat in Amman — from downtown falafel stands and Rainbow Street restaurants to Abdali fine dining, with prices, neighbourhoods, and meal timing advice.
Jordanian Cuisine
Food in Jordan: A Complete Guide to Jordanian Cuisine
Jordanian food is deeply rooted in Levantine and Bedouin traditions. Meals are generous, communal, and built around bread — the round, slightly chewy khubz that accompanies almost everything. The national dish, mansaf, is a ceremonial lamb-and-rice preparation eaten at weddings, funerals, and Eid gatherings. Day-to-day eating runs on falafel, hummus, and shawarma.
Amman has developed a serious restaurant scene in recent years — Rainbow Street and the Abdali district have reliable options from street food to contemporary Levantine cooking. Outside the capital, eating is simpler but no less satisfying. In Wadi Rum, zarb-cooked meat prepared in an underground fire pit is the defining food experience.
Food by City
Each city guide includes a dedicated food page covering must-eat dishes, local specialities, and where to eat them.
Dishes to Try in Jordan
Eight dishes that represent the depth of Jordanian and Levantine cooking — from street food to celebration meals.
Mansaf
Jordan's national dish and the centrepiece of celebrations. Slow-cooked lamb served on a bed of rice with jameed (dried fermented goat milk sauce) and topped with toasted almonds and pine nuts. Eaten communally from a large shared platter — traditionally without cutlery, using the right hand. Rich, tangy, and unmissable.
Falafel
Jordan's everyday street food, eaten for breakfast as much as any other meal. Crispy-fried chickpea balls served in flatbread with pickles, tomato, tahini, and fresh herbs. The best versions are found at street stalls in Amman's downtown — look for the queue.
Mezze
A spread of small dishes — hummus, mutabbal (smoky aubergine dip), fattoush salad, labneh, stuffed vine leaves, and tabbouleh — served before the main course. In Jordan, mezze is more than a starter; it's often a full meal in itself. Particularly good at traditional restaurants in Amman.
Maqluba
Literally 'upside down' — a pot of rice, vegetables, and chicken or lamb that is cooked together and then inverted onto a serving platter to reveal a formed mound. One of the great home-cooked dishes of Jordan. Some restaurants in Amman serve it on Fridays.
Knafeh
The most famous Levantine dessert — shredded wheat pastry or thin semolina dough filled with soft white cheese, soaked in sugar syrup, and topped with crushed pistachios. Nablus knafeh is the canonical version, but it is eaten widely across Jordan. Best eaten fresh and hot.
Musakhan
Roasted chicken over flatbread layered with caramelised onions, sumac, and olive oil — a Palestinian dish widely eaten in northern Jordan. The sumac gives it a distinctive sharp, fruity flavour. Often served wrapped in a taboun flatbread.
Zarb
Bedouin-style slow-cooked meat and vegetables prepared in an underground fire pit. Chicken or lamb is seasoned, placed in a metal frame, and buried with the coals for several hours. The result is intensely tender and smoky. Available at Wadi Rum camps — the defining food experience of the desert.
Shawarma
Widely available across Jordan — thin slices of marinated meat (chicken or lamb) carved from a rotating spit, served in flatbread with garlic sauce, pickled vegetables, and fries. JOD 1–2.50 ($1.40–3.50) per wrap. A reliable and excellent fast food option in every Jordanian city.
Best Cities for Food
Amman
Jordan's food capital — Hashem Restaurant in downtown Amman has been serving falafel and hummus since 1952 and is the reference point. Rainbow Street has a cluster of good mid-range options. For mansaf, Al Quds Restaurant near 1st Circle is reliable.
Food guide to Amman →Wadi Rum
Desert camp cooking centred on zarb — lamb or chicken slow-cooked in an underground fire pit. Every camp includes dinner and breakfast. Zarb is the single food experience that most visitors single out from a Jordan trip.
Food guide to Wadi Rum →Petra
Wadi Musa's restaurant scene is basic but serviceable — most hotels include breakfast. The Cave Bar inside a 2,000-year-old Nabataean cave is worth visiting for a drink. For food, Arabian Nights Restaurant is among the better mid-range options.
Food guide to Petra →Food Guides
In-depth guides to Jordanian cuisine, restaurants, and street food.
Explore Jordan's food scene