Qatar — Food and Dining
Cuisine
Within the capital area, there is a wide range of quality dining options, many but not all of which are to be found in the 5-star hotels. The locally caught fish is a treat whether lowered genteelly to your plate with silver service or brought sizzling to the table on kebab sticks at a more local-style cafe. If the ubiquitous Gulf menu of rice, lamb and mezze (homos, chopped salads and other appetizers) is not to your taste, then there are plenty of Indian, Chinese and Thai options to suit all budgets. The fruit concoctions - such as lemon and mint, or avocado milkshake - are irresistible in summer. Options for dining are limited outside Doha.
Things to know: Alcohol is widely available in most top-end restaurants and hotel bars in Doha although it is officially reserved for hotel guests or ’club members’. Drinking alcohol in public outside these establishments is prohibited.
National specialties:
• Traditional Levantine shawarma (spit-roasted meat shavings, served in pitta bread).
• Egyptian foul and taamiyeh (deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas).
Legal drinking age: 21.
Tipping: A service charge is often added to bills in hotels and most restaurants, otherwise 10% is appropriate. However in smaller establishments, tipping is not the custom, and over-generous tips from tourists often backfire through the subsequent cutting of wages.
Nightlife
Qatar isn’t renowned for its nightlife but, that said, times are changing and as Doha hosts an increasing number of high profile international sports events, inevitably the after-hours options are growing to meet demand. Many of the hotels offer jazz evenings, live bands, food promotions and even cookery classes. There are also many cinemas showing English-language films while the Doha Players perform plays in English. For the best listings, buy a copy of the quarterly Marhaba, Qatar’s Premier Information Guide.
