Ever wonder what food people eat in Jordan? Let’s have a look!
Jordanian Mansaf (and Falafel and hummus)
When it comes to Jordanian food, the national pride has to be mansaf. (the top left). However I don’t eat lamb…. and the chicken version was just okay. (My mom didn’t like it). It’s usually served with rice. Jordanians love it! There’s also this dish wrapped in grape leaves… I remember it was very sour (not so good). I tasted something similar in Egypt. I don’t remember the price.
Jordanian food (except for mansaf) is similar to other Middle Eastern food (well, it IS the Middle East). So, falafel and hummus can be found easily, while Hashem is the most popular one in downtown because the royal family had been there (or still eat there occasionally). It’s almost always open. I ate there twice and once at 1am (as Ifthari during Ramadan!) The price is close to 2 JD ($2.8). I don’t think food in Amman is cheap… And then babaganouj (down right) which is more of less an Arabic cuisine of egg plant. Hmm… it’s alright, haha!
The Sweet Jordan
By default, after having food in Hashem you’ll come to Habeebah (or Jerusalem) for dessert. It’s not cheap… but you can get a minimum and share it with your friends as it’s very sweet. Try baklava (top right) as you won’t find it close to perfect elsewhere. Seriously!
Oh, and try knafeh too, they come in different forms (different recipe!) but it’s basically flour and sugar in its beautiful form. I kind of liked it but I needed to share as it’s too sweet. The bottom right is Qadaif, and it’s only served during Ramadan (the month Muslim fast till sunset).
Drinks
And then the drinks! It depends on where you go. Sometimes it can be completely free (right), I got this mint tea in Umm Qais from an old man who didn’t speak English in a hot summer day. And in the middle it’s Mint Lemon from Books@Cafe. It cost 3JD ($4.2). And shay karkadeh from a cafe that’s not Jafra. It cost around 2JD. Most drinks in cafe cost around 2-3 JD. If you get coffee from brands like Gloria Jeans and Caribou … I had paid 4.5JD for Mint Mocha ($6.3). 
Western Food
On Rainbow Street, you’d find many exotic restaurants selling all kinds of food. It ranges from Lebanon, French, Italian, Spanish… and what not. There are other neighborhoods where you’d find expensive western restaurants (filled with Jordanians who probably have dual citizenships). But you’d pay for 7-10JD for a basic meal (without a drink). ($10-$14). It’s not cheap.. well I knew that well long ago. Amman is fine for tourists for a few days, but if you are living there, yeah it’s expensive. Cook your own food!
Lebanese Food
You’ll find Lebanese roll (the right down of picture above, and the picture below) and interesting Lebanese rice. It’s fried rice with tomato, nuts and interesting seasoning.
I even got these rolls for free (not sure why).
Yemenite Food
It’s the closest you’d get to Yemen. The Yemenite Gate restaurant close to University of Jordan has the cheapest and yummiest Yemenite food. The red chicken rice thingie is called Mandi. I took my couchsurfing friends there and they loved it!
Turkish Food
And finally, there’s plenty of Turkish restaurants. This one is called Istanbul (also near University of Jordan). I think in average 7-10JD per person is enough.Although it’d be more fun if you can order more and share between friends.
You’d see many shawarma places in Amman too. It’d cost you around 2JD. I don’t think Jordan is cheap. Don’t think Amman is cheap because it’s not in Europe. Even a glass of sugarcane juice on the road in the Downtown would cost you 0.5JD ($0.7). There are many rich Jordanians (royal blood!) and people from the Gulf…
These are the restaurants you can check out
Hashem, Books@Cafe, Turtle Green, Jafra.
Traveling Mega
