Toumba

Amman

MNFA is the mecca of the underground scene in Amman. It’s the place to hit up if you’re out for music, great company and the opportunity to let go and be yourself. Its wonderfully curated lineups constantly introduce new sounds to the community and pushes the boundaries of what is expected from a club night in Amman. It’s situated in a previously unused car park two floors underground where there is no phone signal, forcing you to be fully present in the moment. The setup is both brilliant and minimal, making it very pleasant to be in while not taking the attention away from the music; rather, enhancing the listening experience. It’s not the place to go to if you’re looking for typical, predictable dance music, but if you’re willing to broaden your horizon and experience a top-tier club night. [MNFA is] easily outdoing most of what I’ve experienced in Europe.

Out of all the historical spots in Amman, the Citadel has to be my favourite. It’s not a hidden gem by any means but the nature, the ruins, the history and the unparalleled views make it a must-visit for anyone coming to Amman.

7hills is a skateboarder-run, grassroots, non-profit organisation based in Jordan. The skatepark they built has become a hub for the youth of Amman, especially the skateboarding community. If you’re into skateboarding and just want to be involved in local grassroots workshops, get to know the community or have a great time in the sun, it’s a great spot to visit and meet the people who run it while you’re there.

The Royal Automobile Museum is a must-visit for car enthusiasts as well as history enthusiasts who want a different and interesting way of experiencing a chunk of the country’s past. The museum features over 80 of the late King Hussein’s car and motorcycle collection, some of which date back to 1909. Along with the cars, which are still in pristine condition, you get some information about the historical importance of each vehicle to the king and the country, as well as information about the cars themselves.

The Spilled Milk is an arts space in Jabal Amman, co-founded by Youth’s Dijit. The space acts as a hub for unique art and design work by predominantly local artists, with the aim of injecting a dose of novelty into Amman’s art scene and providing a source of income for independent artists. One of their first collaborations was with Terso, a project selling vintage Egyptian movie posters, some dating back to the 50s and 60s. They also have a selection of records on sale handpicked by Dijit himself. This shop is definitely worth the visit if you want to buy some unique local pieces.

This is the local flea market in Amman. It opens every week from Thursday afternoon to Friday night. It’s everything a flea market should be: busy, loud, messy and full of hidden gems. This one is for vintage, secondhand and novelty fashion enthusiasts who enjoy the process of finding good pieces as much as buying them. You can spend hours here and not finish the whole thing, but you’re guaranteed to leave with a couple of pieces that will make you feel proud of the effort you put in and make you want to hit it up again next week.

Robin is unparalleled when it comes to finding unique jewellery pieces in Amman. This is not the place to visit if you’re looking for ultra-modern, avant-garde pieces, but you’ll find the most amazing antique silver and gold jewellery that could give the best modern designers a run for their money. Some of the older 100 to 200-year-old plus pieces will have a hefty price tag on them, but you’ll be able to find your next statement piece for a reasonable price here too.

Toumba’s Top 7 Things to Do in Amman, Jordan

Hands down the best shawerma in Amman in my opinion. Kept extremely simple with just meat, sumac onions, tomatoes and their signature tahini sauce. It is borderline magical how effectively these sandwiches keep you wanting more and coming back to get it. At 1.25 JD (£1.42) for a regular and 1.75 JD (£2) for a large, between which the difference is the amount of meat rather than the size of the sandwich, you really can’t go wrong.

Open 24 hours a day, this spot on Basman Street in downtown Amman serving up amazing grills is our go-to spot for a late (or extra late post-night out) dinner. It’s a big four floor restaurant but I’d always recommend sitting at the top floor for nice views of the street. Staff are super friendly, the atmosphere is amazing, food is inexpensive and they serve alcohol. We’ve taken countless artists to this spot and it has become a staple in the scene. Big tip is to go for an assortment of their amazing salads before moving onto the meats.

One of the oldest falafel spots in Amman, Abu Mahjoob is the embodiment of a neighbourhood eatery. It’s a staple of Jabal Al Luweibdeh, one of the most vibrant and culturally rich areas in Amman, making it the perfect addition to your schedule while wandering the beautiful streets of the must visit neighbourhood.

Al-Thawaq is a no-frills sandwich shop that serves classic home-style sandwiches. However, the magic lies in the bread, the preparation and the sandwich selection. They prepare the simple home-style sandwiches in a way that completely elevates them without compromising their homely simplicity. The menu consists of everything from everyday staples like halloum, labaneh and zeit w za’atar, to more hardcore classics like spleen, tongue and marrow (which are a must try if you’re slightly adventurous).

Foron Rex is an artisanal bakery that makes some of the best bread in Amman. What I go there for, however, are the sandwiches. They use their outstanding bread to make equally outstanding sandwiches using 100 percent local products and produce. My personal favourites are the double decker (their take on a club sandwich with locally produced mortadella and beef bacon sandwiched in their gorgeous milk and butter toast) and the roast beef baguette or focaccia with horseradish sauce. Rex is also a great spot to buy delicious local products like cured meats from Jolly Man, artisanal jams and marmalades from Namliyeh; Tuneib’s amazing pickles, chilli sauces and tapenades. Half a baguette will set you back around four JD (£4.50) which is a bit pricier than what you’d expect for sandwiches in Amman, but it’s well worth it.

If you visit Amman without trying knafeh you’d be missing out on one of the most amazing desserts in the world (I might be a bit biased). The best place for me to get knafeh in Amman, albeit a mainstream spot, is Habiba downtown near the famous Hashem Restaurant. The place and the atmosphere around it is magnetising. It’s a small shop, barely fitting five to 10 people, so you order your knafeh (125 grams of knafeh khishneh for me) and eat it outside while it’s hot.

Tamreyet Omar is the perfect spot to hit after enjoying a sandwich (or two) from Reem; located just across the street and serving up one of the simplest yet mouthwatering desserts around. As the name suggests, the hole-in-the-wall spot specialises in tamreyat – an extremely light and fluffy fried dough dusted with powdered sugar – but it also serves awwamat and asabea’a zaynab. A single temreyeh will set you back 0.3 JD while the bigger tamreyeh extra will set you back 0.5 JD which makes it one of the cheapest desserts in town too.

What better way to start your morning than with fresh hot manaqeesh, and the best spot to get them in Amman in my opinion is Sabaho. While they do have a big selection of manaqeesh, I personally just go for either the classic akkawi cheese or zeit w za’atar, which isn’t to say that the other menu items aren’t just as good (the basterma is killer).

Floriana is a pizza shop next to my house in Um Uthaina. While their pizzas are good, it’s their sandwiches – particularly the Zinger – that keeps me going back. They use the same pizza dough to make the flatbread for the sandwiches and it’s baked in their pizza over fresh to order, which makes it extremely light, airy and slightly crispy in all the right places. After the bread is baked, the fillings are spread onto it before it’s wrapped and put inside the woodfired oven one more time to warm it up just enough to slightly burn the roof of your mouth on the first bite, but it’s so good that you end up finishing it before it even slightly cools down.

This sweets shop is where you can get the absolute best halawat al jubon in Amman. It’s definitely a must visit if you have a sweet tooth and you want to try one of the most delicious traditional desserts in Amman. It’s also located in downtown so it’s a perfect stop to stop by for a quick, sweet snack while you explore the city.

Shams El Balad has been my go-to for a drink for years. Its stunning architecture, timeless decorations and vibrant, welcoming atmosphere makes it hard not to turn into a regular. While it serves some of the best food in Amman using all locally sourced ingredients, the star of the show, to me, is their Gin O’tra cocktail: a gin-based cocktail with cucumber juice and sweet scented geranium. Depending on when you go during the day, Shams El Balad can serve as the perfect spot for serenity while you have some coffee or a nice cocktail, but also as a great night out with nicely curated music and an unparalleled atmosphere. The place also occasionally hosts some interesting events like the Honest Natural Wine Fair and the Palestine Supper Club. You can also find a selection of products by local designers that you can buy there!

Manara has been a recent favourite of mine when it comes to coffee shops. In addition to their nice coffee, they have an outstanding view of the city on their top floor. Its location in Jabal Luweibdeh makes it a hub for creatives and young people to come and work there, or just catch up over a nice cup of coffee. You can also check out their ever-changing selection of handmade goods by local designers which are often sold to raise funds for charity.

This fresh juice spot is located right next to Al-Thawwaq (big tip on the Al-Thawwaq/Beit El-Rumman combo). They serve what must be at least 20 different combinations of fresh fruit juice smoothies and they give you the option to custom make whatever combo you want. The selection of combos changes throughout the year to accommodate for what’s in season but it’s almost a guarantee that whatever you get from there is gonna be extremely refreshing and hit every spot it needs to hit.