Shay Al Shoomoos

Shay Al Shoomoos is a small, rustic corner café in Souq Waqif and one of the most loved places in Doha for a traditional Qatari breakfast. It is owned and run by Shams Al Qassabi, known to everyone as Shomous, a Qatari entrepreneur who first came to public attention at an exhibition in 2001, later ran a spice shop in the souq, and moved into her current space in 2014. The café has become a fixture of souq mornings, with a long list of regulars that has included the Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad.

The menu is all about breakfast. The speciality is regag, the paper-thin Qatari bread, which comes in several versions, from za'atar regag to sugar-filled rolls, regag with saffron-sweetened egg and a folded triangle known as the shoomilah. Other classics include balaleet, sweet toasted vermicelli topped with savoury scrambled egg, and beid tamat, tomato scrambled eggs finished with cheese. You will also find fava beans, chickpeas and fried eggs with spicy baked beans. To drink, order shay b-haleeb, milky tea flavoured with saffron or cardamom, or karak; Visit Qatar describes Shay Al Shoomoos as serving some of the best karak and regag in town.

Because the menu is built around breakfast, plan to come in the morning. Opening hours are not published online, so call ahead before you make a special trip. It is a casual, simple place, so allow 30 to 45 minutes. The café is also known for filling large orders of regag rolls, some for customers as far away as Kuwait, so ask about taking some away for later.

Shay Al Shoomoos suits anyone interested in Qatari food, from solo travellers to families. Visit Qatar describes it as home-style Qatari cooking from a Qatari-owned business, so it is worth planning an early start around it. Vegetarians will find several egg, bean and bread options.

The café is on Al Jasra Street in Souq Waqif, near the Qatar Airways office. Combine breakfast here with a morning walk through the souq before it gets hot, a visit to the Falcon Souq when it opens at 9am, and then the Museum of Islamic Art or Msheireb Museums later in the morning.