The best bars and cafés Mascate

For a legendary high tea, it's here: under a 38-meter-high dome worthy of a sultan's palace, amid the scent of incense, the ballet of men in white dishdashas and the notes of the fountain mingling with those of the grand piano. Open to all, the atrium of DU palace d'Oman offers services worthy of its prestige: first-class service, advice from a tea sommelier, fine crockery and the unconditional triple platter of sweet and savoury mignardises, not forgetting scones. A unique setting for a timeless moment!

This bar is a kind of dancing pub, whose style has the girls to change traditional English or Irish bars. Here is the red that dominates, but every evening has its own tone: free drink for girls one night, special "discount" the next day… We must follow! The «happy hour», on the other hand, is every day from 18 am to 20 pm! For the rest, everything depends on the atmosphere….

The Cliff Deck Café offers a breathtaking view of Muscat Bay. Initially, the space was designed to promote the residential project being built just below, hence the huge scale model in the lobby. Nevertheless, the spot is quite exceptional, and one also comes here for a drink with a view. From the terrace, as you quench your thirst with a fresh juice, a beer or a glass of wine accompanied by mezzés, you can contemplate the mountains plunging steeply into the Arabian Sea. Musical evenings at weekends.

Under the oriental style arches and wooden ceilings, in the elegance of a lobby with soft natural tones, Tarini, luxury lounge, opens in panoramic on the bay of Bandar Jissah. If you want to enjoy quick meals or pastries at any time of day, come preferably forAfternoon Tea and its sweet and salty delights (scones, macaroons, chocolate fondue, salmon sandwiches, etc.) to accompany a tea or coffee. A moment of oriental break among the Omani elite who love the place! Terrace.

On the first floor of the Radisson Blu hotel, this is one of the capital's very few cigar bars and smoking rooms. With its coffered ceilings, elegant chandeliers and dark wood panelling, the warm, subdued setting lends itself to hushed conversations between people of good taste. The menu offers a selection of quality tobaccos and a choice of top-of-the-range beverages - whiskies, rums, wines... In a more relaxed style, the O'Malley Irish Pub next door is the perfect place to end or continue the evening in a convivial, convivial Anglo-Saxon atmosphere.

This new café brings a touch of pep to the huge lobby of the Intercontinental hotel. Open to all and located at the entrance, it features all the standards of today's fashion: an industrial-look decor playing on raw materials, real good coffee ground on site by baristas, lounge areas for nibbling while working. Plus a menu of gourmet drinks, delicious sweets and pastries, and a choice of quick savoury dishes focusing on freshness and quality - including a succulent croque-madame. Terrace.

The entrance is through the mall, next to the Costa Café: a few steps, and there the staircase leads to a large shady terrace and a huge long room, well known to the Omanis in the area. Facing the sea, the place is crowded with locals who come to smoke the shisha and play cards. And that's precisely why we go up there: for the atmosphere! To drink a coffee, sip a lemon mint or swallow a kebab among the Omanis, preferably on a match night when it's crowded as sporting events are broadcast on screen.

Tamrah means "date" in Arabic and is synonymous with quality in the eyes of customers of this fine 100% Omani brand. In addition to the boutique, the place offers an elegant setting and a modern take on the classic Omani café concept. At any time of day, you can enjoy a hot drink or fresh fruit juice accompanied by a pastry; a small selection of paninis and savoury croissants is also available. Special mention should be made of the Tamrah Frappucino, an iced coffee topped with whipped cream and accompanied by Omani dates.

While many terraces and cafés line the Mutrah corniche, Café Anna stands out for its modernity, bright spaces and large bay windows opening onto the port and the sultan's luxury yachts. It's a quiet, Western-style setting, with armchairs where you can relax in the cool air-conditioning after strolling through the souk or along the corniche. The menu offers a wide choice of coffees (double Espresso, Mocha frappé, Lebanese coffee...), smoothies, fresh juices, sandwiches and pastries... Young, smiling team, fast service.

The first Bateel café opened its doors in the Emirates in 2007 and since then the concept has grown and spread to Al Mouj. In a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, you can sit there at any time: in the morning to have breakfast with waffles, croissants, eggs Benedict, etc.; during the day, to quench your thirst with a fresh fruit juice, nibble a salad, drink a coffee, enjoy a pastry (large choice); in the evening for dinner. Not to be overlooked, the café has a beautiful terrace with a sea view.

This famous macaroon brand is now present in Al Mouj and the opening of a second Ladurée is already planned in Mall of Oman. Omanis love French pastries and our prestigious national macaroon is no exception. The place is very chic, very Frenchy...and obviously very expensive! You can choose between a pleasant terrace facing the marina or the cozy comfort of an air-conditioned room to chat in the cool while enjoying a sweet treat, a club sandwich or a salad. In the morning, a wide choice of breakfasts.

Instagrammable, Steel is the kind of café that attracts gangs of stylish Omani girlfriends, neighborhood executives, digital nomads for an espresso break or a gourmet moment. With its waxed concrete floor, exposed beams and pipes on the ceiling, and soft tones (white, beige, grey), the style is half-industrial and half-Scandinavian, sober and up to date. Just as trendy, the menu offers a choice of stylish coffees(Pink Frappucino, Salted Caramel Latte...), iced teas (choose the one with red berries) and sweet treats including a delicious Acai.

Coffee, tea, juice, a few skewers, and here you go. Inside, we play dice, smoke shisha, sip a lemon mint. But the real plus is outdoors, on one of the few terraces in the capital opening our eyes to the sand and the open sea. Very popular with Omanis, this café has a dream location, between the pedestrian promenade and the sea, on the good side, when the hotels are below the Croisette. Open day and night, this is its other asset, the place is a traveller's secret already too well known, you'll understand why.

Less impressive than the atrium of the Ritz Al Bustan hotel, but more central and also very oriental, the lobby of the Grand Hyatt hotel is a chic, calm and hushed place where, in the exotic ballet of men in dishdashas, come to have an English high tea with scones and salted delicacies. Mainly frequented by Omanis, the place, all gilded, drapes, stained glass windows and arabesques, has a real power of disorientation and one feels invited in a large Arab residence. Snacking menu also for the small sweet or salty hunger.