If you’re are looking for great Lebanese food and shisha at Souq Waqif, check out Al Shurfa Arabic Lounge at Al Jomrok Boutique Hotel. A combination of awesome views, a warm and welcoming ambience, great food, and top notch service have put this straight to the top of my list of favourite restaurants in Doha.
Located on the second floor of the hotel, there are floor to ceiling windows so you can enjoy stunning views of the Corniche, the Museum of Islamic Art and Fanar, even if you sit inside. As the weather gets better, there is also a beautiful terrace where you can sit outside.
This time around, my friend and I shared the cold mezzeh, while he had the lamb chops and I went for the shish taouk. The food was superb and everything from the flavour to the presentation shows an impressive level of attention to detail. The cold mezzeh is perfect for sharing, and everything was fresh and flavoursome. The shish taouk is hard to get wrong, but this one was really delicious; the portion was generous without overdoing it, the chicken was juicy and tender, and I particularly love the thick cut french fries they serve as sides.
I’ve visited three times now, and each time I’ve been impressed with the service. The shisha takes a few minutes, but it tastes great when it comes, and unlike a lot of places you don’t have to spend 15 minutes trying to wave to coal guy down. The waiters are friendly and efficient, and they have been very patient and good humoured with my attempts to speak broken Arabic to them.
The restaurant seems to be popular with Qataris and Arabs, but I’ve always thought it would be a great place to bring someone who’s here on holiday. It’s a great introduction to Doha because you can see so many of the sights from the terrace, and it’s one of the more sophisticated places at the Souq.
I’m definitely going back in a few weeks when I can sit outside, but in the meantime, it’s great to have an air-conditioned place at the Souq to have food and hang out.
You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for more reviews – I’ve also recently written about steak night at The Anvil Room, Mediterranean lunch at The Village and vegan curry at Dean and David.
What are your favourite restaurants in Doha? And which restaurants will you definitely NOT be going back to for seconds?
https://www.zomato.com/doha/al-zarka-al-salata
Hey Abdullah – thanks for your comment. Is this a favourite restaurant of yours? What in particular do you like about it?
Hello Cailín,
Just noticed your comment by coincidence. You seem to have started a new comment thread rather than replying to mine. This resulted in no notification sent to alert me.
This restaurant would give you a more accurate clue about the prevailing (Subcontinent) cuisine in Qatar.
On a related note, are you aware of any stake-on-stone restaurants n Qatar?
Thank you,
Abdulla
Hello Cailín,
Just noticed your comment by coincidence. You seem to have started a new comment thread rather than replying to mine. This resulted in no notification sent to alert me.
This restaurant is a favourite of mine. I particularly like Keema https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keema and Chapati https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapati there. Should you wish to try it, go with a male friend. It would give you a more accurate clue about the prevailing (Subcontinent) cuisine in Qatar.
On a related note, are you aware of any stake-on-stone restaurants in Qatar? Something similar to http://www.thelottscafebar.com/menu-steak-on-the-stone.htm.
Thank you,
Abdulla
I’m afraid not Abdulla – I’ve heard Longhorn’s on the Pearl does good, reasonably priced steak though.
You find me one and your trial of it is on me 🙂
It’s a deal!