Shams El Balad

Shams El Balad began as a small flower shop with a focus on design and sustainability, grew into a breakfast café serving dishes rarely found outside Jordanian home kitchens, and is now one of the most admired restaurants in Amman. It was founded by the married couple Maha and Hazem Malhas, and their son, chef Qais Malhas, runs the kitchen. It occupies a converted old villa with a leafy courtyard, and it doubles as a cultural meeting place and concept store.

The food is hearty and uncomplicated, with refined takes on Middle Eastern comfort cooking and a strong emphasis on the seasons and sustainability. Bread is baked in-house using locally sourced heirloom flour. Dishes that show the style include green whipped soft labneh with seasonal pressed leaves, and parsley ijjeh, a herby frittata with onion, labneh and sumac, served with the house chai. Recipes published by the restaurant, such as pumpkin shanklish and carrot maftoul, give a sense of how the kitchen reworks traditional ingredients. Shams El Balad placed 8th in the Middle East and North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025 and 26th in 2026.

Beyond the restaurant, the business includes a design shop selling homeware and lifestyle products made by its own designers and local creatives, a grocery with local food products, and Bar Shams, which pours natural wines and speciality spirits with music in the evenings. It suits food lovers, couples and anyone looking for a relaxed long breakfast or lunch in a beautiful setting.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, with average spending of around 38 US dollars a person. Breakfast is the meal it built its reputation on and a good time to visit, while dinner is busier and worth booking. In good weather, ask for a table in the courtyard when you reserve.

Shams El Balad is on Mu'ath Bin Jabal Street, and describes itself as being in the heart of downtown Amman. Leave time to browse the shop after your meal, as it is a good place to buy well-designed, locally made gifts. The website also has a journal and a recipes section, a useful way to recreate some of the dishes at home, and an online shop for its products.