While Oman is one of the Middle East's lesser-explored destinations, once in Muscat, you’ll step into a Narnia-esque city packed with restaurants that represent the vast cultures and diversity of its people, from ancient Omani tribes to the expats who have called the country home for generations. Muscat's restaurants might not be as glamorous as those in neighbouring UAE, but they are packed with all the raw, authentic and comforting stand-out dishes you could ask for.
This list brings together spots that are much-loved by the local community, and are off the beaten tourist trail. Some have no seating, some have authentic Omani interiors, and most offer simple picnic-chair seating outdoors. While a place to sit is not guaranteed, food you’ll remember is.
Here are the best street-food restaurants in Muscat.
Ramssa, Qurum
Cuisine: Omani
Ramssa is relatively new to Muscat, but it's already one of the busiest places in Qurum. When the owner, Nasser, opened it a couple of years ago, he strategically chose a location next to a mosque and an iconic tea stop chain known as Tea Corner, which teems with locals from early morning to midnight. This quaint Omani restaurant has a menu that features dishes from across country, which is rare and a hard thing to pull off due to the diversity of Omani cuisine. The interiors have been carefully designed to feature as much warmth as a traditional Omani house.
As you walk in, you’ll be met with an enchanting old tree stump decorated with ceramic water jugs and foliage, with majlis-style floor seating hidden behind it. The rest of the space is filled with details that pay homage to the country's culture, from traditional style doors and date palm woven mats to Bedouin style cushions. Ramssa also has an outdoor area that features an abandoned horse cart Nasser found in Qantab, a fishing village in Muscat.
While the menu has a lot to offer, it's best to opt for the authentic Omani dishes, which can easily get lost in the array of Middle Eastern dishes on offer (which are also delightful). One of my favourite (and usually hard to find) dishes is qeliah, slow-cooked lamb or goat served with classic paper-thin Omani bread and honey. This dish originates from the Al Dakhiliyah region and what makes it special is the floral sidr honey drizzled over the meat and bread. The synergy of warming spices, paired with the delicate sweetness, is simply perfect.
Ali Thani
Cuisine: Omani
Ali Thani has been around for more than 30 years. The owner dropped out of school at a young age and took on multiple jobs to support his family, until he was eventually able to open his own restaurant. He now has two branches in Muscat and one in the Sharqiyah Governorate. The original, situated a short walk away from Muttrah Corniche, is the most nostalgic, conjuring memories for my family and friends who were raised close by. Since Covid, the owner has spent every Ramadan distributing hundreds of meals each day to those in need in the neighbourhood – just one of the many reasons I love to visit this place.
From the outside, the restaurant looks like an Omani home, with an intricate carved wooden door. As you step inside, the idyllic restaurant is reminiscent of scenes from pre-1940s houses and forts. Food is kept on display for guests to see what is available for the day. I love coming to this branch as I know I can always get mutafay, a tuna tamarind curry that is traditionally made by the families that grew up in this part of Muscat, and Ali Thani is one of the only places to offer it in a restaurant setting. Naturally, I recommend ordering the mutafay with white rice, alongside the fried fish of the day and if you have room, some qabooli rice with a side of tomato chili salsa. The paplouh curry, a turmeric lemon kingfish broth, is also a strong contender and pays homage to the Al Lawatiya tribe that still live in front of the corniche. As soon as it hits 1pm, this place is swarming with those who live and work in the area, so make sure to get there early.
Bakery and Rosted, Ruwi
Cuisine: Indian
If there is one thing I love about restaurants in Oman, it's their names. They tend to either be extremely literal or have no correlation to what they actually offer. Bakery & Rosted is the latter; don't expect to find any baked goods but, despite roasted being spelled incorrectly, you'll find the best tandoori chicken and fish in the city.
To find this place, you’ll need to search on Google Maps for its trading name, Rawabi Ibri Chicken Tikka & Seekh Kebab – this is a really common practice in Oman, so don’t be alarmed when you can’t find a restaurant's actual name. Located in one of the busiest parts of the city, Ruwi is home to a huge community of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian expats that have been here for more than 40 years and have transformed the area, so you are guaranteed to find some of the best places to eat here. The only thing is you’ll have to search for them, as they are hidden amongst a sea of restaurants, tailors and electrical shops.
I was first introduced to Bakery and Rosted, known by locals as the “tandoori shop”, a few years ago while working in the area. I was pre-warned that this wasn’t going to be anything fancy and that I should really order to go rather than sit inside, but I’m just about happy to sit anywhere in any setting to enjoy great food, so I dined in and I must say, it’s not for the faint-hearted. The interiors are minimal and you’ll sit on plastic chairs with a clear glass table that has the menu stuck inside it. There are precisely seven things on the menu, all priced at under 1 OMR ($2.70), so there is no excuse not to devour everything. The meat melts in your mouth, while the fish, which is likely to be hammour, is served whole and grilled to perfection, with just the right amount of charring. Make sure to ask for a side of laban (yoghurt, mixed with black pepper and coriander); there is something about how they prepare it that will have you pouring it all over your food (I sometimes ask for an extra one to drink). Don’t expect dessert here, but if you need something sweet, ask for directions to “Softies”, Muscat’s oldest ice cream shop. You'll be transported straight back to the 1970s with your vanilla and rose ice cream cone.
Al-Ahli Restaurant, Matrah
Cuisine: Baluchi–Indian
When I’m in Muscat, Al-Ahli is my breakfast jam. You could easily catch me here every morning happily eating away. While I do love smashed avocado and eggs in the morning, the only egg you will find here is in the masala curry. However, the reason I get here so early is to sit down to the most soul-fulfilling meat broth ever, known as aab gosht. This dish originates from the Baluchi tribes of Oman and is also a dish found in parts of Iran and Kashmir. The version here is a simple lamb bone broth with dried limes, onions and some delicate spicing. Despite being a very simply made dish, the synergy of the sour limes paired with the full-bodied broth is incredibly satisfying and you'll be left with oil-coated lips. Make sure to order it with a side of crisp tanoor bread. This is their stand-out dish, so by noon, it's gone. Having made the mistake of turning up late of mnay occasions, I've had to experiment and try other dishes – the masala eggs, daal takar and butter chicken are all worth arriving after midday for. The tanoor bread is a constant and I would choose it over white rice any day.
Turkish House, Al Khuwair
Cuisine: Turkish
When compared to the other places on this list, Turkish House is relatively modern and probably the best known. I avoided visiting for a long time, because I’m a big fan of championing places that I really have to search for and and are not very mainstream. But recently, I was in search of something central and Turkish House was the most reliable late-night meal to try. I arrived close to 10pm and the place did not look like it was closing anytime soon. We ordered the calamari and grilled king prawns, and were also given fresh Persian barbari bread with a plate of hummus, mutabal, muhammara and yoghurt.
For the mains, we opted for the grilled lamb chops and whole grilled hammour. The calamari, which I expected to be my least favourite dish, ended up being some of the best squid I have ever tried. The prawns reminded me that Muscat sits on a stretch of ocean filled with some of the best seafood in the world; they were grilled just enough to ensure not one ounce of flavour was lost to the charcoal. For the lamb chops, forsake your knife and fork, there's no way you'll want to leave anything behind on the bone, and use bread to wipe up the lamb drippings from the plate. If you’re looking for a reliable spot to feed you well and leave you satisfied, this is the one.
Al Faizaman, Al Ghubrah
Cuisine: Lebanese
This is my go-to post-gym workout spot. It’s probably not the right thing to be eating after a session, but my cousin Khadija introduced me to Al Faizaman one day and now we always divert via here and grab a couple of fatayer to snack on in the car. If the weather is on our side, we occasionally opt to sit outside by the white plastic picnic tables and watch the chef as he meticulously rolls, folds and fills the dough before placing it in the wood-fired oven.
There are many fillings but our go-to is the nabulsi cheese, which we then fill with chips Oman (if you know, you know) bought from the shop down the road, topped with dakoos (chili sauce), and folded in half.
