Job Discussion Forums

[Kimchidon]

I'm currently waiting for my (oft-delayed) visa and I suddenly realized: I have no idea what Saudi Arabian food is. WHat do you guys eat when you're there?

I'll be in Damman, so I gather there's all the regular stuff in the supermarkets and all the regular chains in the mall, but it's all real expensive. What are the cheap meals? What do they serve in the school canteens? What's the Saudi equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

I'm quite curious to hear what you guys subsist on over there.

[scot47]

A bit like asking "What do people in America eat ?"

Very diverse.

[wailing_imam]

I wouldn't use the word diverse to describe what's on offer in KSA compared to the Uk or Singapore. Whilst there is a fair selection of eateries representing food from around the world, the quality of international foods such as Thai and Chinese is fairly average. The exception to the rule is subcontinent cuisine, which is cheap and of a high standard. There are a few good Indonesian places around. Local food revolves around Lebanese and Egyptian fare and is very good. Felafel, fuul, shwarama and shakshouka make for excellent quick meals. Gulf Arab food is generally a huge plate of fragrant rice with some flesh in the middle, known as kabsa. It's good.

The Saudis are an obese bunch. Fittingly there are junk food outlets absolutely everywhere.

[Kimchidon]

Thanks for an answer, wailingimam.

I was actually hoping to hear Lebanese food is prominent. I love hummus and tabbouleh and the such but I feared that even though I think of it as Middle Eastern food, it's actually very different from what they eat near the Mediterranean. I was also hoping to hear scwarma. I ate them all the time in Europe a few years ago and have been dreaming of them ever since. Is it like doner kebab? Is there one on every corner?

Are imported western brands in the grocery store notably expensive?

[nomad soul]

[gregory999]

[plumpy nut]

[plumpy nut]

Every food creation that they say is theirs comes from Egypt, Lebanon or Syria, even Kabsa. That said, eating in SA can be inexpensive. Restaurants run about half of what you would pay in the USA. Middle Eastern produced items in CarreFoure run about half of what you would pay in the US also. The yogurt produced in SA is very good quality and very very inexpensive.

[bigdurian]

Don't know if you like cheese or not but something I found in Carrefour, was that it was always worth checking out the cheese. As a French chain, Carrefour feels that they have to offer French cheeses such as Brie, Camembert and the like. Normally they would be about 25-40 SAR for a piece, but because no Saudi really buys that stuff, you can often pick them up for 7-10 SAR as they approach the end of their shelf life. Worth checking out.

I found the prices of food in supermarkets comparable to anywhere else in the world. Some things are cheaper, and some things are more expensive, depending on where they are from.

As for the restaurants, a bit hit and miss, but all the food courts in the malls will have a selection from around the world with a fair sized dish for 20-30 SAR.

Kabsa and schawarma you'll find everywhere. One portion of kabsa would do me, my wife and two kids because they give you so much rice. Half a chicken for about 18 SAR from Dejen.

The best schawarma I ever came across came from Deera Market near to Chop-Chop Square. Something about the sauce they use I think, although the fries take a bit of getting used to. I have many happy memories of taking my wife to the market to get wallet-raped, taking to kids to Musmak, getting the car washed for next to nothing, and a big fat schawarma at the end of it.

I'd steer clear of East or Southeast Asian restaurants as I don't think they're very authentic. A lot of that may be to do with the price of certain ingredients or the unavailability of said ingredients. South Asian food is generally good though in my opinion.

[scot47]

Those accustomed to European food prices will find food much cheaper in KSA. Common Agricultural Policy in EU has set prices for consumers at a very high level. Not so in KSA where basics, including meat are still affordable.

[FrenchConnexion]

I'd say it depends where you end up in KSA: Jeddah and Riyadh have a wide range of international food in restaurants, from which Asian, and I found 2 quite authentic Japanese restaurants there. Furusato in Riyadh, on Tahlia St. (although they also serve French food...), and Sakura at the Crown Plaza.
I have no idea about Dammam, but as for other cities, I'd say "meh". I prefer cooking at home now than spending 400 SR (for 5 people) on some okay-ish food that I could definitely prepare in my kitchen.
You get quickly tired of TGI, Nachos and Chillis. Not my cup of tea as a Frenchie, just occasionally when I feel like indulging in a 3000 calories-meal... which is pretty much never, now that I am getting older and the weight is hard to shed in the Kingdom.
In supermarkets you can find what you need and quite similar to the West, but sometimes you'll need to shop at Tamimi Supermarket (for eg. if you are in Riyadh, Danube in Jeddah, etc. Each big city should have a supermarket that sells Western food) to find specific Western stuff. Carrefour is great for the French discounted stuff, as someone mentioned earlier, when it is about to expire. It becomes actually cheaper than in France! Heck even Panda has an "imported section", but it is usually really expensive.
Eating regular stuff (meat, chicken, vegetables, pasta, rice, cheese, bread) is the solution, provided you know how to cook (or are willing to learn). You get tired of Kabsa and Shawarma everyday, and you get fat if you don't!
The dairy section is OK, but over the last 7 years I have been here, no new product (except maybe 1 or 2) has hit the shelves. Same old yogurts and cheese (mozzarella, haloumi, feta, cheddar, processed...). Otherwise, they have plenty of imported cheese at Danube Jeddah, but at 150-200 SR /kg, I just stick to haloumi.

[BajaLaJaula]

Saudi food...is mostly like kabsa (meat and rice). Although delicious, not very friendly to your waistline. The seafood is Jeddah was excellent. I do feel bad for those lovely parrot fish, but boy are they tasty.

I found just about every other type of international cuisine while there. The only kind I would not recommend would be the Mexican food. It was worse than the TexMex you might get in Maine.

Lots of Lebanese, Egyptian, Sudani, Indonesian, Thai, and Korean food. Since eating out is one of the few things available to do in KSA and due to the fact that one has plenty of extra money....we tended to eat out quite a bit.

OMG....I almost forgot about Al Baik. I hear they now have it in Riyadh. Lots of fast food restaurants. I never ate so well in my life as when we lived in Jeddah.

check out destinationjeddah.com
for a list of restaurants....I think they have a other versions for Sharqiya and Riyadh.

[nomad soul]

[CANDLES]

Generally Saudi food is tasteless! Spices are not used at all or if they did then it was well hidden when I ate the rice with meat or chicken. Vegetarian dishes are nil so nothing to write home about.

Thank goodness for Indian, Pakistani, Thai and others of similar ilk, plus the Italians and Turkish otherwise it was boring.

[1chunk]

Get yourself some pots and pans and learn to cook a few dishes. I vary between cooking and eating out. As time passes, I am doing less of the latter!

I have found most of the restaurants in Riyadh to be nothing special. And I always worry about food hygiene and standards here. There isn't much enforcement compared to the west especially if the owner has wasta!

The famous Saudi dish is Kabsa. You'll get half a chicken with a lot of rice for around 15 riyals.

You should find yourself eating less here since your activity levels also decrease.