Kuwait Dining Guide

Kuwait is a place where you can find a restaurant from almost every cuisine. This allowed me to try many different dishes and restaurants during my two years of living in Kuwait. In this post, I will list my favorites among these venues for dining and provide recommendations for food and drink. At the end of the article, you can find a Google Maps map where I’ve pinned all the locations.

1. Babel

Located in Salmiya, this venue is like a fortress right by the sea. It’s impossible not to notice while passing along the shoreline. Babel is a Lebanese restaurant with two sections, one for smoking and one for non-smoking. It is very spacious due to its high ceilings and receives plenty of natural light through its large windows.

As for the food, it’s outstanding. Being someone who loves every dish in Lebanese cuisine, I can say that the meals are of high quality and delicious. You can either order individual dishes from the menu or follow the concept commonly applied in Lebanese restaurants, which is a fixed menu. When you choose the fixed menu, they bring almost every mezze and kebab variety from the menu. The fixed menu includes salads, desserts, tea, coffee, etc., all for a fixed price of 15 KD per person. If you opt-out of the fixed menu, a two-person grill costs 7 KD. My favorites are the liver from the appetizers and the meat skewers from the grill.

2. Em Sherif

Another Lebanese restaurant with exceptional dishes. The meals you have here are unforgettable. Em Sherif is also present in Doha and its original location in Beirut. You can either choose a fixed menu or order individual dishes from the menu. We had the fixed menu, and everything that came to our table was so delicious. I must say, though, the portions are quite large. We had leftovers from the two-person fixed menu, which we took home and enjoyed for another two days. The fixed menu costs 20 KD per person, highly recommended. Live music starts after 9:30 PM.

3. Mais Alghanim Restaurant

A restaurant located right on the waterfront across from Kuwait Towers. The menu is mostly from Lebanese cuisine. Everything, from lentil soup to pomegranate-flavored chicken liver, salads, kebabs, and desserts, is very tasty and delightful. For prices, main courses range from 7-8 KD, and appetizers are around 2-4 KD. Highly recommended.

4. Freej Swaileh

After three Lebanese restaurants, it’s finally time for a local eatery. Unfortunately, Freej Swaileh doesn’t have a sign in the Latin alphabet, but you can use the location in the link. There’s usually a long line in front, indicating it’s a quite local and popular restaurant. 🙂 Here you can try authentic Kuwaiti dishes. The locals’ favorite is called majboos. They cook lamb, chicken, or beef on saffron rice. I particularly recommend the warm lentil soup that comes inside fresh bread and lamb majboos. One of the staff members serves Arabic coffee reciting poetry. They also bring salad and freshly cooked lokma as compliments to your table. Lentil soup is 1 KD, and main courses vary between 6-8 KD.

5. Jamawar

If you love Indian cuisine or haven’t tried it yet but are looking for a nice place, I’m sure you’ll love the food here. While I like most dishes in Indian cuisine, my favorites in this restaurant are Butter Naan, Jamawar Dal, Tandoori Lamb Chops, and Murgh Makhani (the famous Indian dish butter chicken).

6. AlShaya Restaurants

AlShaya is one of the largest groups in the Gulf region, owned by Kuwaitis. The group includes many famous American restaurant chains such as Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse, P.F. Chang’s. Since they belong to the same group, you can often find these restaurants close to each other in many places in the city. I’m linking a location of one along the waterfront. Among these restaurants, my favorite is Cheesecake Factory; both their desserts and main courses are very tasty. I must mention that the portions are quite large. As for prices, cheesecakes are around 3 KD on average, and main courses range from 5-7 KD.

7. Cafe Blanc

Located on the second floor of Marina Crescent, Cafe Blanc is a Lebanese restaurant. Besides Lebanese dishes, you can also find international dishes such as Chicken Escalope or traditional Kuwaiti dishes. The view is beautiful, and the food is delicious. We especially enjoy coming here at sunset. My favorite is hummus and pink chicken pasta. 🙂

8. Prime & Toast

Our favorite breakfast spot. It has three branches, but the one on the beach in Salmiya is undoubtedly the best; you can find its location in the link. Breakfast plate prices range from 3-5 KD. The food is very tasty. Also, since the venue is by the sea, the atmosphere is very refreshing. I recommend having a nice breakfast here and then taking a walk by the beach with your coffee.

9. Proper Sliders

There are dozens of boutique burger joints in Kuwait. Proper Sliders is one of my favorites among them. It’s located in a neighborhood, and there are 1-2 tables in front of the shop. We usually get burgers from here and eat them by the beach. Slider prices range from 1-2 KD.

10. Arirang Restaurant

Arirang is a Korean restaurant located in Downtown. It’s a bit hidden inside a hotel and generally quiet with not many customers. The staff is friendly. If you like Korean cuisine, I highly recommend trying Kalbi Gui here. Main course prices range from 5-7 KD.

11. Morouj

This complex, located a bit inside the city, is right next to the golf club and horse racing track. It houses many restaurants and cafes. If you come here during the day, you can enjoy the sunshine and the green view. 🙂 There are many places inside Morouj where you can have a nice cup of coffee. However, among them, I especially recommend November & Co.

Additionally, there is an annual Coffee Festival here. Boutique coffee shops set up stands, and you can try different coffee beans throughout the weekend. If you happen to be in Kuwait during the last week of January when this coffee festival takes place, I strongly recommend going.

12. Life with Cocoa

This cafe has five branches in Kuwait, offering main dishes, desserts, and, of course, their most famous and popular item, hot chocolates. There are several different types of hot chocolates with different flavors. My personal favorite here is the strawberry hot chocolate. It feels like medicine on cold winter days.