So to followup my post about having food issues I am going to list the best places in Riyadh to pursue those issues! Not because I am self destructive but because under the abaya just wrote about there not being many restaurants that were open plan. And Nicole at The same rainbows end wrote about one of my favourite places. So I decided to put my two cents in (riyals).
Note: Most of these restaurants are on Tahlia Street (which is insanely crowded anytime after 5 pm) so keep that in mind when heading there.
Other note, if you are interested in Riyadh restaurants then please click below to expand the post. Otherwise for the rest of you who are not here or not restaurant goers I have hidden the rest of the post in order for it not to clutter your view should you wish to scroll down to other lovely posts I have! you’re welcome :)
So in no particular order, here is a list of my favourite places to eat in Riyadh:
All images have been taken from the restaurants instagrame pages or their websites.
TAO Lounge Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz road (al tahliya ) Riyadh , Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 1 4653020
Modern, funky style. International menu. Great seating areas. The downstairs family section has two areas. One with lounge style seating which can be closed of with semi sheer curtains. Each seating area is big enough for you not to fee claustrophobic if you do close them off which can be nice if your going with your husband and kids or large family as you have the freedom to be more relaxed. The only issue is that the tables you eat off are a bit low so it’s not as comfortable as sitting at a proper table.
The second area to the back is open plan, smaller tables which is better when you are 2 or 3 people and want to sit more comfortably while eating. There is also an open plan area for families on the top floor. It used to be for singles but the women and families won over in the end because there are more of us that go to restaurants I suppose. There is also an outside seating area for men.
Best things to order: (Always share starters because there is a lot you need to try)
Goats cheese ravioli, Pizza balls (although I don’t think that’s what they are called!), Cheese burger spring rolls, ruccola salad, Chinese chicken salad, the sushi.
as for the main courses (if you still have room) the pasta is always good. The snow fish is always a huge hit. The menu covers every imaginable taste you may have a craving for so go crazy. But leave room for dessert!
The main attraction in the TAO dessert menu is the oreo mouse. In my opinion it’s way too heavy but I tell you now no one shares my opinion The other popular dessert is the sticky date cake which is heavenly but my all time favourite is the deep dish chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of milk. Oh my God. End it all with your own mini Dallah of Saudi coffee.
TAO also do catering and recently flowers.
Cafe Bateel Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz road (al tahliya ) Riyadh , Saudi Arabia Tel +966 12936240
Fantastic place for lunch. Open plan sitting area on the top floor for families. The salads there are fantastic. I had the bresaola salad which I loved. The Lentil salad is also very good. Make sure to taste their bread and vinegar! Lovely. The best risotto I have had in Riyadh has been at Bateel. It’s menu is Italian with a modern touch.
Bateel is a brilliant place to get gifts as it was originally a shop that sold dates and expanded from there to sell more items such as chocolates and oil and vinegar as well as really pretty boxes to fill with all kinds of date creations.
Appetit Kitchen Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz road (al tahliya ) Riyadh , Saudi Arabia Tel +95514656491
I love this place. The decor is very different to anywhere else here. It’s a fresh place to go to for lunch and a nice intimate place for dinner. We also went there one Eid for a family meal (aunts and cousins and children) and it was great for a big group. We ordered family style for the appetizers and the main courses and it was perfect.
They have 3 menu’s. Breakfast lunch and dinner. As well as options for set menus for business meals or large groups. What I would order is Garden vegetable soup to start with, Pizzette Picante to share. For my main I would have T bone steak with bernease sauce with a side of mashed potatoes… and mac and cheese to share. And for dessert the NY cheese cake, the doughnuts and the nutella spring rolls. I tried to only choose one item per course but I really can’t I’m sorry. I am so SO happy my husband loves the sharing thing to as I know it annoys other people (D). But that is only because she knows she will end up eating more like I do!
Entrecote: Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz road (al tahliya ) Riyadh , Saudi Arabia Tel 01 4615058
If you ever don’t know where to find me look there. I love this place. to the point that I got around once a week and have yet to get bored of it. Even stranger than that there is only one meal served in this restaurant. But what a meal it is! Green salad with walnuts to start with and a fantastic mustardy dressing. The steak and fries for main course. That’s it!
Now this place is a quintessentially french restaurant. There are different branches of Enrecote (Relaise de l”Entrecote, Relaise de Venis, etc) Enrecote restaurants pop up every where and some are amazing others are seriously lacking. You see the amazing thing about this meal that they serve is the secret sauce with the steak. And this branch has the secret cause down.
This is also a great place to take your kids because you can be done with the whole meal in less than an hour. The service is really good and fast and the desserts are amazing! It’s my kids favorite place.
La Cuccina: (first restaurant not on Tahliya!) AlFaisaliya Rosewood Hotel, Riyadh. Tel +966 1 273 2222
This restaurant is great for lunch. They have a fantastic buffet of starters with things like bresaola, freshly sliced in front of you, a great selection of salad and dressing and of course amazing cheese. It’s predominantly full of business people taking their lunch break. Most probably most of them are working in the Faisaliya tower and the majority of them are women!
The service is very good and the food is brilliant. I love their salmon, although salmon isn’t always my favourite dish, but there it is. it’s not fishy and its beautifully cooked. I once took the kids there on a friday for lunch and I wouldn’t really recommend it for children as the service wasn’t fast enough for them and I spent the whole time trying to get them to sit down and be good! A one on one lunch with my daughter J there was perfect though. Having said that they do have a kids menu.
That’s it for now. There’s more but I’m too lazy to keep going! Or better yet check out the Riyadh Guide For Yummy Yummy Restaurants page! It will have all you need!
yamaamaa.com 
Wow amazing post mama B! I loved how you described every little detail in each restaurant.. Loved this post and the best thing is that its related to restaurants in Riyadh! And thats my field as im one of the owners of (The Riyadh Guide for Yummy Yummy) website. Riyadh top online guide for restaurants :)
I love your site!! It’s a life savor!
Yes; Talhia seems to be the “eat street” of Riyadh! I can’t remember the names offhand but my favorite Persian, Indian and Mexican restaurants are on Tahlia too. Riyadh offers so many hidden treasures!
It is! It’s a NIGHTMARE on the weekends but it’s got EVERYTHING.
loved the post, will have to try out a few of these that I have never been to, although Appetit Kitchen left me feeling a bit like – I wish I had crossed the road to Bateel. It is beautiful inside, I agree, the decor is lovely, very clean and peaceful, I love white and grey interiors, but I ordered eggs benedict, and the waiter asked me if I wanted my eggs done well done or medium, I asked what he meant as I was astonished they were using terminology for cooking steak when referring to eggs, I asked to see the manager and he said the same, I was aghast, I asked for runny yolks but fully cooked egg whites (does that seem weird) of course I got runny egg whites along with the yolk. If you don’t know how to cook an egg, you shouldn’t put it on the menu!! sorry if I sound like I am moaning, I just expect a lot I guess.
Bateel is by far our family favourite, its consistently good, and I love that you can get gourmet food that is all based around and inspired by our national treasure – the date!
Bateel is amazing. Apparently Breakfast there is wonderful! Never had a chance to go!
greetings from tasmania…….google figbat oswald and see if you can work it out.
i came up with a theory that involves the book of genesis (fig leaves) buddha (sitting under the bodhi fig tree) jesus (many sayings about figs) ross hornes’ book (new health revolution) and science (figs are the most important source of food for fruit eating rianforest animals). i then experimented on the figs by eating mainly dried figs (same brand0 for over 10 years now and found cycles which i related to the numbers in psgs 11/12 of the book of revelations. this theory has gone everywhere. so far i have had eliminations at days 504, 840, 1176, 1512, 1848, 2184, 2520, 2856, 3192 and 3528. today is day 3728. i have definitely found something. i am not lying. what i have discovered has gone around the world and many songs have been written about it……the foo fighters’ last 4 albums……coldplays’ last 4 albums……”vertigo” by U2 (my first name is phil). an elimination is a day when you experience strong flu-like symptoms and feel terrible. bad stuff is washed out of your body.