Middle Eastern

  Middle Eastern

Al Shami Home Restaurant, C-Ring Rd (oppo-site from McDonald’s), ☎ +974 4443 3666. 8AM-12AM daily. A Doha institution, featuring tradi-tional Syrian and Lebanese dishes, as well as shee-sha.

Al Hamra, Al Rayan Rd (opposite from McDon-ald’s), ☎ +974 4443 3297. 6AM-1AM daily. A family restaurant offering Lebanese dishes. Service is a bit slow, good for large groups.

Al Mourjan, Al Corniche (white building behind the giant Orry statue). An upscale place with tasty Lebanese dishes and some of the best views in Doha.

Ankara Pastry Restaurant, Ahmed Bin Ali St (across from Al-Ahli Hospital), ☎ +974 4487 1861. Good pastries and shwarmas, popular with Turkish expats.

Istanbul Sultan, Mesaimeer Rd (near the left cor-ner of the strip mall behind Abu Hamour Petrol Sta-tion). Very small place with great schwarmas.

Layali, Salwa, ☎ +974 4431 0005 /06 /07. One of the more expensive Lebanese restaurants. It is rumored that the former Emir himself has eaten here on occasion.

Shebestan Palace Restaurant, Al-Sadd St (east of C-Ring Rd), ☎ +974 4432 1555. 12PM-12AM daily. Good Persian food.

Turkey Central, Al Mirqhab Al Jadeed St (off of C-Ring Rd, near the Doha Clinic), ☎ +974 4443 2927, +974 4442 3423. 8AM-12:30AM daily. Of-fers good, cheap Middle Eastern fare. The portions are large (try the mixed grill or shish tawooq) and the appetizers are excellent, particularly the chili lab-neh. Delivery and take-out available.

For local street food, nothing beats the home-made good-ness dished out by the Pancake Ladies in Souq Waqif ev-ery evening in the square by the car park. The crepe-like mankouche is particularly tasty, filled with your choice of labneh (cheese), za’atar, or the less-traditional Nutella for QR5. Other local specialties feature meat, chicken, and fish, and there are even a couple of vegetarian options.

There are also many good restaurants in Souq Waqif worth trying. Perhaps the best include Tagine (Moroc-can) and Le Gourmet, particularly good for sheesha and a cup of tea. These are not as inexpensive as the Pancake Ladies but are good for ambiance and people watching.