Al-Quds — 'Jerusalem' — is a downtown Amman institution, a bustling, old-school restaurant on King Hussein Street that has been feeding the city since the late 1960s. It is the sort of place Ammanis send you for the real thing: heaped plates of Jordanian and Palestinian home cooking served without ceremony amid a constant, cheerful clatter.
The star turn is mansaf — Jordan's national dish of lamb cooked in fermented dried-yoghurt jameed, served over rice and flatbread — but the daily spread of stews, grills, rice dishes and mezze is all worth exploring, and the sweet counter's knafeh is a fine finish. Portions are generous and prices fair.
Local tip: Go at lunch, when the turnover is fastest and the food freshest, and come hungry — mansaf is a serious plateful. It is busy and briskly run, so do not expect a lingering, fussed-over meal.
Good to know
- Where: King Al Hussein St, Downtown, Amman
- City: Amman