The best restaurants Nizwa And The Western Hajar

It's a small, unpretentious coffee-shop, like so many in the Sultanate, offering fresh fruit juices, milkshakes and a few ice creams. The place is simple but very well located on the main street leading to the fort. The concept is more that of a takeaway, but you can also decide to stop for a moment around the 2 or 3 tables that are set out on the little stretch of sidewalk if you don't mind the heat of the street. It's a simple thing to do, but sometimes you're glad to find a cool drink before or after your visit to the fort!

In the narrow streets of old Nizwa, this is the prettiest restaurant in town: a typical table occupying several levels of a beautifully renovated old house. You can eat in the Omani style, sitting on the floor on cushions, or at the table - on the terrace or in the air-conditioning. Family atmosphere, fast service and hearty dishes. Shawarma, kebab, grilled meats, each dish is always served with hummus, Arabic bread and a smile. Touristy, yes, but still authentic.

This very popular restaurant chain is well established throughout the Sultanate. We eat there in the traditional way, in the Arabic way, in small boxes, sitting on the floor on carpets. Women and men are generally separated except for family meals. Tourists do what they want. The cuisine, of Arab and Indian influence, is varied, copious and of high quality, at really low prices which doesn't spoil anything. Disregard the massive exterior façade and the raw lighting and come here to share a piece of the local culture.

Ideally located near the Fort, Tamrah Café has an elegant front. And with good reason: Tamrah, a 100% Omani brand, was originally a luxury brand specializing in the sale of high-quality dates packed in superb boxes. More recently, it has been developing cafés in elegant surroundings, like this new Nizwa brand - one of the few alternatives in the Old City to the more traditional Al Aqr Restaurant. The menu offers a wide choice of breakfasts and some savoury dishes (risottos, pastas, salads, club sandwiches). Nice rooftop!

Inspired by the architecture of a tower on the Musandam Peninsula, Al Qalaa is THE signature restaurant of the Palace of the Mountains. Here, there is a soft oriental refinement: a warm atmosphere worthy of the Thousand and One Nights, red armchairs, moucharabiehs to partition the space, oriental lanterns in cascades, dimmed lights.... The menu, inspired by Arabic, places particular emphasis on traditional Omani recipes, revisited with local products from the surrounding farms and the Arabian Sea. Exceptional wine list

A pleasant, sober, classic and recent room for this well-kept restaurant on the site of the Al Hoota cave. At the map, Lebanese mezzés, day soups and salad salads and a choice of Lebanese, Turkish, Omani and Indian dishes in resistance dishes (chicken or beef Shawarma, historical, curries, etc.). Burgers-fries for the récalcitrants of exotic cuisine, fresh juice and ice. Also a large terrace for days of softness.

We've always had a soft spot in our hearts for the location of this little coffee-shop: right here, facing the imposing fort at the end of the street, on this pretty little square shaded by a ficus tree and surrounded by a few stalls. You can order directly from the counter, and everything is fresh, inexpensive and quite good, making it one of the best value-for-money places in town. Every Friday morning, don't miss the antique weapons market just outside.