Places to Eat
Al Saraya
Style: International
Serving a top-notch international buffet in an elegant banquet hall, this fine-dining restaurant offers a quality of dishes that matches the general opulence of the Mövenpick Hotel in which it is located. It's worth leaving time for a nightcap in the grand, wood-panelled bar afterwards, which sports a roaring fire in the hearth in winter or a rooftop cocktail in summer.
Oriental Restaurant
Style: Jordanian
A well-rated main-street favourite offering tasty grills and Jordanian fare, such as mensaf (Bedouin dish of lamb on a bed of rice). The outdoor terrace, bedecked with Doric columns, makes a sociable hang-out after the long hike back from Petra.
Petra Magic
Style: Barbecue
A sumptuous buffet of lentil soup, eighteen kinds of salad and mezze, eight hot dishes and a pasta station make this dedicated restaurant, on the approach into central Wadi Musa, a good-value lunch venue. The panoramic views lend an added incentive to make the hike out of town.
Al Afandi Restaurant
Style: Middle Eastern
Just off the Shaheed roundabout, this tiny cafe, decorated with potted plants, does a thriving trade in boxed meals of 'shawarma, chips and picks (pickles)'. The two tables on the street-side terrace are a handy perch for watching the world go by.
Sandstone Restaurant
Style: Jordanian
A popular restaurant offering simple fare of tasty mixed grills, salad and mezze. The outdoor terrace is particularly popular at lunchtime. Beer and wine is discreetly served outside or served with greater aplomb for an indoor party over tasty Jordanian dishes.
Al Qantarah
Style: Jordanian
This is Wadi Musa's best restaurant, specialising in Jordanian food and serving up to 500 people in one lunch sitting. There is no menu – lunch and dinner are buffet style with fifteen kinds of salads and mezze, eight meat and soup dishes and eight kinds of dessert. There's a cooking station and live music every day in the delightful, traditional dining rooms.
Red Cave Restaurant
Style: Jordanian
Cavernous and friendly, this restaurant serves local Bedouin specialities, including mensaf (Bedouin dish of lamb on a bed of rice) and makloubeh (chicken, rice, vegetables and spices cooked together and turned 'upside down'). It’s a popular travellers’ meeting point and a cosy place to come on a chilly evening or to catch the breeze on a hot summer’s day.
Zawaya Restaurant
Style: International
With a coffee shop atmosphere, this new restaurant in the heart of Wadi Musa looks set to become a travellers' meeting place with tables outside and a fashionable interior. The chefs are from Jordan and the US, and the theme of the menu is Mediterranean, Jordanian and Italian.
Beit Al Barakah Restaurant
Style: Cafe
A pleasant coffee shop with its floral window boxes, right on the roundabout at the centre of town. It’s a pleasant place to sit with a Turkish coffee and the shawarma sandwiches, one of only a handful of snacks on offer, are generous enough to make a meal of it.
Bin Bukhara Restaurant
Style: Kebab
Selling rotisserie-style barbecued chicken and kebabs, this popular restaurant on the one-way loop round the centre of Wadi Musa is just the place to satisfy an appetite after the long slog up from Petra.
Title Image Credit: Nick Zukin (Image Cropped)