Eating out and Qatari food

Who this is for

Anyone in Qatar who wants to try local food, eat out with confidence or report an unsafe restaurant. Ordering through delivery apps and buying groceries are covered in a separate guide, and licensing a food business is not covered here.

Before you start

• Some Qatari riyals in cash for small stalls in traditional markets and for tips.
• A rough idea of prayer times and, during Ramadan, of iftar time, since opening hours shift around them.
• Modest clothing for public places, with shoulders and knees covered, as Visit Qatar advises.

Steps

1. Get to know the classic dishes

   Visit Qatar describes machboos as the national dish: rice cooked with spices and meat. Harees is wheat cooked slowly with meat until soft, and thareed is flatbread soaked in a meat or vegetable broth. Luqaimat are small fried dough balls in syrup, flavoured with cardamom and saffron. You may also meet saloona (a spiced tomato stew), balaleet (sweet vermicelli topped with egg) and margoog (a lamb and vegetable stew with thin dough).

2. Try local food at Souq Waqif

   Souq Waqif in central Doha is one of the easiest places to try Qatari food. Visit Qatar mentions restaurants serving traditional dishes such as machboos, small stalls in the central courtyard selling home-style snacks and sweet dumplings, and cafes serving Arabic coffee, karak tea and fresh juice.

3. Explore Katara and Msheireb

   Katara Cultural Village, between West Bay and The Pearl, has sit-down restaurants with food from around the region and casual spots for tea and flatbread. Msheireb Downtown Doha, next to Souq Waqif and served by Msheireb Metro Station, has many outdoor cafes and restaurants around its open squares, including Barahat Msheireb.

4. Look out for food festivals

   Qatar hosts food events through the year. The Qatar International Food Festival brings together food stalls, chefs and family activities; its 2026 edition opened in January at the 974 Stadium area. A Local Dates Festival is held at Souq Waqif around the end of July. Dates and venues change, so check the Visit Qatar events calendar.

5. Enjoy coffee and dates the local way

   In Qatari hospitality, guests are often offered dates with Arabic coffee (gahwa), poured from a dallah into small cups without handles. Take and pass the cup with your right hand. When you have had enough, gently shake the cup from side to side and the host will stop refilling it.

6. Plan around Fridays and Ramadan

   Business pauses for Friday prayers, roughly 10am to 12pm. During Ramadan, Visit Qatar notes that restaurants usually stay closed during fasting hours and open after iftar at sunset, and many shops open later and close earlier, so check timings first. Visitors are asked not to eat, drink or smoke in public in daylight hours during Ramadan. Iftar tables often include harees, thareed and luqaimat.

7. Report a food safety problem

   The Ministry of Public Health's Food Safety Department inspects restaurants, hotels, food markets, caterers and cafeterias. If you suspect food poisoning or see poor hygiene, you can send a complaint, with photos if you have them, through the ministry's online Governmental Health Communication Center. For general municipal issues, the Ministry of Municipality call centre is 184. If someone is seriously unwell, call 999.

Useful numbers and apps

• Ministry of Public Health: Governmental Health Communication Center (online complaints form) Governmental Health Communication Center Source
• Ministry of Public Health main phone (working hours) +974 4407 0000 Source
• Ministry of Municipality call centre 184 Source
• Emergency (police, fire, ambulance) 999 Source

Good to know

• Visit Qatar says a tip of 10 to 15% is appreciated as a sign of good service, even though a service charge is usually included. Carry some cash for it.
• Street food in Qatar often comes from refurbished shipping containers and small kiosks rather than roadside carts. Karak tea with chapati or poori, ragag crepes and samboosa are common snacks.
• Dates are Qatar's national fruit and appear on the national emblem. They are a common sign of welcome when you visit someone.
• On the 14th night of Ramadan, children celebrate Garangao, going from house to house and receiving nuts and sweets.
• Places and restaurants mentioned on official pages are examples only. Know Qatar does not rate or recommend any restaurant.