Restaurants

From Alhannah

You have to specifically ask for your check when eating at a restaurant…they will not bring it to you, or in any way indicate that you should leave. A few CMU-Q favorites:

1 Lebanese/Arabic food
2 International
3 (Unsorted)
4 External Links

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Lebanese/Arabic food

Pizza Hat/Corner Bakery - Close to campus, near the "Windmill Bakery," this no-frills restaurant has little-to-no seating, but has great food for ridiculously low prices. It's actually called Corner Bakery, but you'll find people in Education City refer to it as Pizza Hat because of the store front window: it says "pizza" and there's a picture of a hat. Cheese pizzas are QR6 and delicious; you can also get fatayer, beedah, and something scrumptous called "spinach and cheese" - they don't speak much English - which are all delicious and QR6 or cheaper. One of the best Juice Bars in town is right next door.
Hawa Beruit - Great Lebanese food on Salwa Road, near Mint.
Layalis’s - on Salwah Rd. Great Lebanese food.
Lebanon Mountain Fruit Cocktail – GREAT fruit salad, juice and ice cream in a glass. Also on Al Merqab street. Don’t expect to find Chicken Shawarma at lunchtime, though. Map
Turkey Central – Great Middle Eastern food for about QR15 per person. Located on Al Merqab Street between C and D rings. Go up the stairs to the family section. For large groups you can order mixed platters by the kilo. The fruit cocktails are also good, as are the various appetizers and fatayers. Plan on spending QR15-30 per person Map
Tajine – a Moroccan restaurant at Souq Waqif. To get to it, park on the south side of the building near mosque. The restaurant is located on the first floor with access from an inside courtyard. The decor is stunning. The food has garnered mixed reviews; some have found it mediocre, others fantastic. For a true experience, try the baby camel.
Le Gourmet - Just down from Tajine in Souq Waqif with indoor and out door tables. We tried the hammour and beef dishes and found them to be very good.
Nando's - Great Portuguese-influenced African food for about QR15 per person. Located at Carrefour Mall near the Sheraton (and also on Al Salwa street). Nando's is known for its "peri peri" sauce (spicy chile pepper sauce) and garlic marinated chicken. In the West we call most of their meals "kabobs", but whatever you call it, the food is delicious. Try the mint with lemon juice, which is similar to a non-alcoholic mojito in the West.

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International

Bukhara - Uzbekistani cuisine, which, for those of you not in the know, is related to northern Indian cooking. Located across from Amigo's, near the Al Dana Club, Fuddruckers and Bennigans. Meals run around QR20 - QR50, depending on how hungry you are! The items on the menu may not be recognizable, but you can order by describing your favorite dishes, i.e. "butter chicken," "brown lentils," "garlic naan," etc. Hide valuables from sight and lock your car, there has been at least one incident of luggage stolen out of a car there.
Beto's - Argentinean Restaurant located by carbohydrate/Ramada junction. Reasonable pricing, great food and service.
Ciao's - An Italian restaurant on Salwah Road in the strip mall before decoration roundabout. Great foccaccia bread, pizzas, and pastas, and even better steak and veal dishes. Dinner will run you QR30 (pastas and pizzas) - QR60 (veal and steak dishes). There is a family section upstairs. Like a lot of restaurants in Doha, it lacks a non-smoking section.
Shebestan - Persian food. On Al Sadd.
Za Moda - Italian restaurant at the Intercontinental. If you go in the front doors, turn right, go past a desk, then you'll find a bank of elevators on your right. Take one to the Mezannine level. There are signs to the restuarant from there. Live music most nights, of the "guy with a guitar playing with computer orchestra" type. Food is yummy, but not spectacular, encompassing a wide variety of pastas, meats, and seafoods; the desserts are particularly good. Reasonably large wine selection. Depending on whether you get wine/dessert/appetizers, expect to pay between QR75 to QR150 per person. Reservations recommended.
La Paloma - Mexican restaurant at the Intercontinental. If you go in the main door, turn right; the restaurant is tucked away in the rear-right of the main concourse. Serving reasonable Tex-Mex fare, the restaurant also houses a popular bar; the atmosphere is loud but fun. Ventilation is poor; if you mind cigarette smoke, you probably want to look elsewhere. Expect to pay QR50 to QR100 per person.
Porcini, Ritz Carlton - Excellent Italian food; Special non-menu dishes by request. A bit pricey but well worth every penny.
Korean Garden - Korean and Japanese food, near the Ramada Signal and Jarir's. Real Korean food in a real Korean atmosphere. Entrees about QR40 - QR50 per person and up.
Orient Express - Fast Filipino Food from Hyatt Plaza.
Taj Rasoi - Indian restaurant at the Marriott. Cozy, intimate atmosphere with excellent service and absolutely excellent food. Being in the Marriott, the restaurant does have a reasonable selection of alcoholic beverages available, in addition to the lassis and fruit juices which are common in Indian establishments. Expensive, especially given that there is a 17% "tax and service charge" which, the menu informs you, is not really the same as the gratuity. Entrees are in the QR45 - QR80 range, but adding drinks, appetizers, bread, dessert and service and your bill will probably end up around QR160 per person. The menu is available online. To get to the restaurant, go in the front door of the Marriott, head straight through to the back of the building where you'll find the "Restaurant Galley". Turn right, head past the Mexican place and you're there.
Moon Palace - Korean and Japanese food, on the same street as Doha clinic just past and opposite Family Food Centre. First time we ate there, we found the food bland for real Korean fare--perhaps adjusted to local tastes. Second time, no complaints; the real thing. Entrees from 20 to 50 riyals per person.
Il Rustico - Italian restaurant on the ground level of Rydges Hotel. They have a decent size menu of appetizers, pasta, pizza plus specials for the day. They also have an extensive wine list at reasonable prices especially by the bottle (as low as QR105 for house wine or QR120 for the wine of the month bottle). Entrees range from about QR35-50. The warm bread and roasted garlic is delicious.
Italian Job - Fun restaurant in the back of the Ramada (outside around the pool). Very tasty pastas and pizzas with a reasonable wine list. To top off the good food, there is a singing waiter to keep you entertained. The restaurant is pretty small which makes for a nice cozy meal. Parking can be a hassle unless you can find the parking lot in the back of the Ramada. Entrees around QR35-60.

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(Unsorted)

The Dhow Restaurants – located at the end of the fishing wharf near Grand Hamad street. Good outdoor sheesha place but terrible service.
Moon Palace – also on Al Merqab. Good Chinese and Japanese food.
Papa John's Pizza- off C-Ring Road right before Ras Abu Aboud flyover. Carry-out or deliveries (only after 4pm) - 435-0457
Pizza Hut - they deliver! Call 487-1166 (Riviera area) or 481-6706 (for deliveries to campus).
Ric’s Kountry Kitchen – located on Ras Abu Aboud Street just before the flyover to the Marriott Hotel. The menu is somewhat similar to what you'd find at a standard roadside diner, particularly in the South of the US. Fare is greasy, and extraordinarily tasty. Entrées run around QR25-50.
Subway - they deliver! Call 436-9272.
The One Café - eclectic, but fun, menu. Located inside The One department store in Landmark Mall. Popular for lunch; on any given day you're likely to find a few CMU-Q employees there. It can be a bit hard to find for the first timer--you can see the cafe on the 2nd floor balcony from the entrance of the store if you look for it, but to get there you need to go all the way to the back, up to the 2nd floor, and then back towards the entrance. Entrees run about QR40.
Thai Noodle- in the middle of the souk area. Small but clean and pleasantly decorated. Reasonably-priced Thai food. Large menu, indifferent service. At one point I asked for a second coconut juice, and the waitress simply replied "no" and walked away.