By Bassma Al Toaimi
There are a lot of things we all love about the holy month of Ramadan. Among other things, we all look forward to sunset, when we rush back home from our outings, and pick up our favorite mouth-watering traditional street foods on the way!
Usually our iftar table would consist of very popular foods in Ramadan, such as tamees, foul, and samboosa. If you keep reading, you will find out where to get the best of our favorite foods right here in Riyadh. You never know, the best tamees in town could be sold right around your corner!
Foul
Refried beans, seasoned to perfection with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and spices. Foul is extremely popular all over the Arab world, and is a mandatory dish on every iftar table! Here are some of the top places around Jeddah:
Al Garmoshi, Al Ghamdi, Foul Al Wazeer, Ba Ne’ma, Al Gadri, and Mwafag. If you’re going to Al Ghamdi, try their Foul Golaba, which is a combination of foul with tomato sauce.
Ta’ameeya (Falafel)
This treat is so tasty, people all around the world know it and love it, especially during Ramadan! Ta’ameeya is a popular treat for people of all ages.
Falafel King– Located in Khaldeeya, Falafel King is one of the local’s hidden treasures. Even if you don’t like Ta’ameya, this place will change your mind!
Refa’at Mini-Market (Saqr Quraish)- A little secret.. this minimarket has very tasty Ta’ameya. Trust us!
Al Bahir– An all-time favorite, you can’t go wrong with their Ta’ameya.
Ghazi Al Husseini– This place does not only have amazing Falafel, but it is available in many locations around the city, which makes it very convenient as well. While you’re there, why not also pick up a plate of their delightful Koshari? (A popular Egyptian dish which consists of rice, pasta, lentil, and topped with a light tomato sauce).
Tameez
Baked to golden-brown perfection, this Afghani flat-bread can be soft, crunchy, or chewy, depending on how you like it.
Our selection of favorite tameez places are Al Ghamdi, Mwafag, Ayam Zaman, Al Garmoshi, and Al Wazir.
Samboosa
Samboosa is most likely found on every single Ramadan table! They are warm, delicious pasties filled with either meat, vegetables, or cheese.
Bait Al Bouf– Are you looking for the best Bouf we know of? This is it. Also at Bait Al Bouf is delicious fermooza you won’t regret trying!
Al Samadi– Both their meat samboosa and cheese samboosa are heavenly. They also have the best spinach fatayer in town, which you absolutely cannot miss!
Qorban- located in Hera’a, Qorban has tasty and crunchy samboosa.
Olfat– For a very good dough, Olfat is highly recommended!
Desserts
A meal is never complete without dessert. Certain types of desserts are very popular during Ramadan, and some are only made during this holy month. We gathered the best of the best for you, so read on!
Mahawi– Halawat Aljebn, and Baglawa. Another reason we love Mahawi is because they have sweets for diabetics, which are just as tasty as the rest of their goodies.
Sa’ad Aldeen– Basboosa with cream, and the famous Um Ali.
Halawani– Gatayyef Asafeer and Halawat Aljebn
Al Samady– Banana Konafa,
Konafa House– Generally the juciest konafas in town!
Selora– (Located on Siteen Street, next to Bakhsh Hospital) Just as the name suggests, it has the best selora (otherwise known as Halawat Aljebn).
Juices
There is nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold glass of fresh juice that bursts with flavor to quench your thirst after a long and tiring day of fasting in the heat. Below are our favorite flavors!
Juice World– Orange with Pineapple juice, and Mango juice.
Goodies– Pomegranate Juice
Fakehat Lebnan– Jalab (juice made from dates, raisins, and rosewater, with pine nuts- super sweet and refreshing), and Cocktail
Halawani– Jalab and Tamarind
Al Saeedy Juices– Sugarcane (Gasab Al Sukkar)
Soobya
This refreshing drink made of barley and bread is a special Ramadan drink. If you see vendors on the streets holding juice in plastic bags, you know it’s Soobya! The best carts are found on Sari Street, Hera’a Street, and Quraish Street, to be exact. Names you should look out for throughout the month are Soobya Al Khuddari and Soobya Makkah.
