Habibah Sweets

Habibah is the name most Ammanis give when asked where to eat kunafa, and the original Downtown branch is the place to try it. The business was founded by the late Haj Mahmoud Habibah, known as Abu Hani, and Habibah kunafa has been served in the same Downtown alley, the lane leading to the Arab Bank, since 1951. The alley was long known popularly as Dakhlet Habibah, and the Greater Amman Municipality has since renamed it Mahmoud Habibah Street in the founder's honour.

The speciality is Nabulsi kunafa, the warm, syrup-soaked cheese pastry that is the city's favourite dessert, and it is best eaten straight away while still hot. Jordan's tourism board notes that there are often queues, and that you can eat in the small courtyard or order trays in advance for events. Habibah also makes baklava and other pastries.

The original shop is a quick, informal stop rather than a café for lingering, and a visit need take only ten or fifteen minutes. It suits everyone with a sweet tooth, it is one of the cheapest treats in the city, and it is a good way to end a meal at Hashem, which is a short walk away.

The founder's eldest son, Haj Hani Mahmoud Habibah, took over and expanded the business, which now includes a branch on King Hussein Street, a large confectionery complex in western Amman and branches in Riyadh. Hani was honoured by King Abdullah II as one of the capital's distinguished figures. Despite the growth, the Downtown original remains the most atmospheric place to try the family's kunafa.

Pair your kunafa with a glass of tea or a Turkish coffee at Jafra, a few minutes away on Al-Amir Mohammad Street. The shop is close to the Grand Husseini Mosque and King Faisal Street, in the centre of Downtown.

If you are short of time, a stop here works well at the end of a morning at the Citadel and the Roman Theatre, as the alley is on the way between the main Downtown sights. The other branches, including King Hussein Street and the confectionery complex on Medina Street in western Amman, are useful if you are staying elsewhere in the city, but for atmosphere and history the original alley is hard to beat, and it is the branch the founder's family still maintains.