Amman Food Tour: Where to Eat in Downtown Amman

The best way to understand Amman is to eat your way through its old downtown, Al-Balad. In a few streets around the Roman Theater and the Al-Husseini Mosque you’ll find falafel shops that never seem to close, sweet shops famous for kunafa, spice stalls, a huge fruit and vegetable market and coffee poured with cardamom. Here’s a self-guided route through downtown Amman’s food, what to order, and how a local-guided food walk works.

Planning a trip? Start with our complete Jordan travel guide and our guide to things to do in Amman.

What to eat in downtown Amman

• Falafel: crisp chickpea fritters, eaten hot in bread with tahini, tomato and pickles.
• Hummus and fuul: creamy chickpeas and slow-cooked fava beans with olive oil, eaten with bread for breakfast or lunch.
• Kunafa (knafeh): warm, soft white cheese under a layer of semolina or shredded pastry, soaked in sugar syrup. Jordan’s favorite dessert.
• Baklava and Arabic sweets: layers of thin pastry with pistachios, walnuts and syrup.
• Arabic coffee: light, bitter coffee spiced with cardamom, served in small cups.
• Fresh juice: orange, pomegranate, lemon and mint, squeezed in front of you.

For the full list of Jordanian dishes, from mansaf to maqluba, read our guide to Jordanian food: 25 dishes to try.

A food walk through downtown, stop by stop

This route covers about 2 km on foot and takes 2–3 hours with stops. Wear comfortable shoes, as downtown is built in a valley between hills, with some steep streets and stairs.

1. The Roman Theater. Start at the 2nd-century Roman Theater, cut into the hillside below the Citadel. Its square, the Hashemite Plaza, is a good meeting point, with views up to the Citadel.
2. Al-Husseini Mosque. Walk west to the heart of downtown. The mosque was built in 1924 by Emir Abdullah I, on the site of a much older mosque, and the streets around it are the busiest in the city.
3. Hashem Restaurant. A few steps away, in an alley off King Faisal Street, Hashem has served falafel, hummus and fuul to people from all walks of life for decades. Sit at the shared tables outside and the food just arrives.
4. The fruit and vegetable market. Just behind the mosque, the covered market is piled with seasonal produce, herbs, olives and pickles. Vendors often offer a taste.
5. The spice and sugar markets. Narrow lanes nearby sell spices, dried herbs like za’atar, nuts, dried fruit and sweets by the kilo.
6. The Nymphaeum. On the way, pass the remains of this Roman public fountain from the 2nd century AD.
7. Habibah Sweets. In an alley off King Hussein Street, the downtown branch of Habibah, trading since the 1950s, sells kunafa straight from huge round trays. Expect a line, and eat it standing in the alley like everyone else.
8. Coffee and the gold market. Finish with a cup of Arabic coffee in one of downtown’s old cafés, then walk through the glittering gold market.

The markets

Downtown Amman is a set of small markets, each with its own trade. Besides the fruit and vegetable market, look for the tailors’ market, where craftsmen sew and repair clothes in tiny workshops; the women’s market with traditional embroidered dresses; the sugar market for sweets and dried fruit; and the gold market, lined with jewelers. Prices are usually fixed for food, but bargaining is normal for clothes and souvenirs. For more on the area, see our Amman walking routes.

Why go with a local guide?

You can walk this route on your own, but downtown is a maze of alleys, and the best stalls aren’t always signposted. A local guide knows which vendors to visit, introduces you to the people behind the counters, orders the right things and explains the customs, from how coffee is served to why you’re offered tea. It’s also an easy, friendly way to start your first day in Jordan. See our Jordanian culture and etiquette guide for more.

Tips for eating in Amman

• Go hungry, eat small: share plates so you can try more.
• Eat where it’s busy: a crowd means fresh food and fast turnover.
• Breakfast is a big deal: hummus, fuul and falafel are traditional morning foods.
• During Ramadan, many places close during the day and open at sunset, when downtown comes alive. See our Ramadan in Jordan guide.
• Vegetarians eat well: falafel, hummus, fuul, salads and sweets are all meat-free.
• Carry small cash: many downtown stalls don’t take cards.

Local-guided experiences

Ibrahim Alodeh grew up in Amman and runs a two-hour walking food tour through the downtown markets: the fruit and vegetable market, the tailors’ and sugar markets, baklava and kunafa tastings, and Arabic coffee at the café where, he says, his father used to take him as a boy. Guests describe it as a friendly walk full of tastings and local stories rather than a history tour.

Find a local guide: meet our local guides in Jordan.

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