Yay! Everyone’s favorite subject. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that here there are many choices both in type of food and restaurants. KSA is a modern country and enjoys restaurants of all types, especially cafes. You cannot help but notice the amount of coffee houses and cafes located doors down from one another. Starbucks is only one choice. Saudi’s love cafe culture!
Restaurants around Al Khobar
McDonald’s, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Haagen Dazs, PF Chang’s, Cheesecake Factory, Chilis, Pizza Hut, Buffalo Wild Wings, Piatto (Italian), Bistro, Temperature, just to name a few. Lots of ethnic places also. Ask a coworker or neighbor where to go for good Indian, Chinese, Italian, Yemeni, Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian and more!
Karak Tea A delicious black tea brewed usually with cardamom. Add milk and sugar for a warming, satisfying drink. The Saudi people have adapted it from the original Masala Chai from India. My husband makes his own brew out of ground ginger, whole cardamom, whole cloves and stick cinnamon and anise seeds!
Dates A product of the date palm, Saudi Arabia can boast about producing the world’s best dates. There are many varieties, fresh or dried. I can tell you as a person who’s never liked a date, coming here has changed my mind! My favorite date is the Sagai. It’s an amber colored date that is medium soft and easy to eat.
To highlight the importance of dates in this culture, you can actually go to a “date store”. All they sell are dates, date paste and perhaps traditional cookies and chocolates. You can find these stores in malls or standing by themselves.
Kapsa Delicious traditional Saudi dish of chicken and rice cooked together with many spices. You can order this in some restaurants. Here is a link to a youtube video I found on making Kapsa. Give it a try yourself!
Date Palms & Camels 