Bandar Aden

Bandar Aden is a Yemeni restaurant in Souq Waqif, and Visit Qatar includes it among its popular restaurants in Doha. It is on Abdullah Bin Jassim Street, the road that runs between the souq and the Corniche, and it offers traditional rooms where guests sit on the floor around a shared spread. It is a simple, unpretentious place rather than a polished dining room, and that is much of its charm.

The dishes to order are the Yemeni stews. Salta and fahsa are the signature dishes, and Visit Qatar notes that they are slow-cooked in stone pots in clay ovens. Yemeni stews like these are traditionally eaten by scooping them up with flatbread, so order bread for the table. Finish with one of the traditional Yemeni desserts on the menu, such as maasob or arika, which are best shared.

Bandar Aden is open daily from 8am to 11pm, except on Friday when it opens at 12.30pm. Call ahead if you are a larger group, or arrive early in the evening. As a restaurant outside a licensed hotel, it does not serve alcohol. Allow about an hour for a meal. The floor seating is comfortable for most people, but those with mobility issues should ask for a table.

It suits budget travellers, families and groups of friends who want to eat with their hands and share dishes. Come hungry and be ready to order a couple of stews to share. Families with children usually enjoy the floor seating, which feels more like a picnic than a restaurant meal.

Eating with the right hand is the traditional custom at shared Gulf and Yemeni meals, so it is polite to follow it, though you can always ask for cutlery if you prefer. Wash your hands before and after the meal, and pace yourself, as shared stews and bread are filling.

Because it is on the edge of Souq Waqif, Bandar Aden is easy to combine with an evening in the lanes, a look at the Falcon Souq or a walk along the Corniche. A taxi or ride-hailing app will drop you on Abdullah Bin Jassim Street, and Msheireb station on the Doha Metro is a short walk across the souq.