Chapati & Karak (Katara)

Chapati & Karak is a café brand that began at Katara Cultural Village and built its name on one of Doha's simplest and most popular snack pairings: a flaky flatbread and a cup of karak tea. The chain is owned by Aspire Katara Hospitality, and in 2014 it opened a branch on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, but the Katara café remains the original. Its concept draws on a South Asian food ritual that arrived in the Gulf decades ago and became part of everyday life in Qatar.

Karak is black tea brewed with milk, sugar and cardamom, sometimes with saffron or ginger, and Visit Qatar describes the version here as some of the best karak in town, noting the ginger flavour in particular. Chapati, a crisp-edged flatbread related to the Indian paratha, is eaten plain or rolled around sweet or savoury fillings; in Doha the choice usually runs from cheese and minced meat to honey or chocolate spread. Order a couple of different chapatis to share and a karak each, and you have a quick, cheap and very local snack.

The café is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes it useful at any time, from an early breakfast to a late-night stop after an evening in Katara. You can sit for a few minutes or take your order away. Allow 15 to 30 minutes.

It suits travellers on a budget, families with children who want a snack, and anyone who wants to try karak, the drink that fuels much of Doha.

Karak is drunk at all hours in Qatar, often from small paper cups, and many residents stop for one on the way to or from work. If you prefer less sugar, ask when you order, as karak is traditionally served sweet. A chapati with cheese or egg makes a filling snack, while honey or chocolate fillings are popular with children.

The café is inside Katara Cultural Village, between West Bay and The Pearl, so it is easy to combine with a walk past the Katara Mosque, the pigeon towers and the amphitheatre, or with an afternoon on Katara Beach. A taxi or ride-hailing app is the simplest way to reach Katara from central Doha.