Damascus, Syria — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Damascus, Syria
Restaurants
Expensive
Club d'Orient
Club d'Orient is a prestigious and glamorous restaurant in the modern town where expensive but excellent French-Mediterranean cuisine is dished out to Damascus's well-heeled crowd. Book ahead. Alcohol available.
Sharia Mrewed, off Midan Nejmeh, Damascus
Tel: (011) 332 7518.
Moderate
Al-Dar 111
Set in a modern multi-level Oriental courtyard palace, the al-Dar serves delicious Arab and fusion cuisine to a mixed crowd of expats, young Syrians and independent travelers. Food is served alongside a good selection of Lebanese wines and arak, an anise-flavored liquor Syrians drink with their mezze.
6 Sharia Assieh, Bab Touma, Christian Quarter, Damascus
Tel: (011) 542 3232.
Arabesque
Another converted grand old house with a wonderful rooftop terrace filled with plants overlooking the old city and Mount Qassioun. Arabesque makes a change from the normal Syrian restaurants with a menu of pasta dishes, salads and mostly Mediterranean dishes.
Next to the large Greek Orthodox church just off Straight Street, Christian Quarter, Damascus
Tel: (011) 543 3999.
Cheap
Beit Jabri
This richly decorated restaurant is located in one of the quarter's oldest houses. It was built in 1737 around a courtyard with a central fountain and lemon and jasmine trees. It's a great place to eat cheap but well-prepared mezze and salads. The service is very attentive but there is no alcohol because of the Beit Jabri's proximity to the mosque.
Midan as-Sawwaf, signposted in a side alley southeast of the Ummayad Mosque, Old City, Damascus
Tel: (011) 541 6254.
Website: www.jabrihouse.com
Leila's
This cheap Damascus restaurant enjoys a stunning location with a rooftop terrace overlooking the old city and, by night, the flood-lit mosque. It serves excellent Syrian food, but not alcohol.
Alley off the southeast corner of the Ummayad Mosque, Damascus
Tel: (011) 544 5800.
Nightlife
Nightlife in Damascus is fairly quiet. Shopping in Souk al-Hamidiyeh (open until 2100) followed by a café stop to smoke a nargileh (water pipe) and play backgammon, is a popular way to spend the evening. The an-Nofara, just beside the Umayyad Mosque, stays open late at night and has a traditional storyteller. Damascenes often head up Mount Qassioun at night to watch the city lights.
Plush hotels like the Cham Palace, Four Seasons and Sheraton all have bars and nightclubs, but the Christian Quarter, near Bab Touma, is where it's at, with a cluster of lively bars with dance floors and DJ beats.
Bars
Laterna
Laterna, situated behind Cham Palace, is a very trendy bar-restaurant.
Sharia May 29, Damascus
Tel: (011) 232 3185.
MarMar
MarMar, near Bab Touma, is a small but very lively bar with a DJ after 2200 on weekends.
Sharia ad-Dawanna, Damascus
Tel: (011) 544 6425.
XO
If you're after a quiet drink in plush surroundings, head to XO bar in the Four Seasons Hotel, the capital's first cigar lounge. They have a wide selection of quality cigars and spirits.
Four Seasons Hotel, Sharia Shukri al-Quwatli, PO Box 6311 Damascus
Tel: (011) 339 1000.
Website: www.fourseasons.com/damascus
Clubs
Tornado
Tornado, located 10 minutes from downtown on the Damascus-Homs Highway, is the trendiest nightclub in town with a DJ playing good rap, hip hop, techno, or Arabic music.
Damascus
