Where Makkah actually eats
What to know about eating in Makkah, and every restaurant, kitchen and caterer listed here by the business itself.
Halal is not a question in Saudi Arabia. Everything sold as food is halal by law and there is no certificate to hunt for. What actually catches pilgrims out is the opening hours, the portion sizes, and what it costs to eat within sight of the Haram.
Before you go out to eat
It is all halal, so stop checking
Saudi law permits no pork and no alcohol anywhere in the country, and Makkah is closed to non-Muslims entirely. You can eat wherever you like. The useful question is a different one: allergens, and whether a kitchen will cook without chilli for children.
Kitchens close for every prayer
Shops and restaurants shut for roughly twenty to thirty minutes at each of the five prayers, and for longer on Friday. Plan meals for after Fajr, between Dhuhr and Asr, or after Isha — otherwise you will be standing at a closed shutter with a hungry family.
Two prices, a hundred metres apart
A meal in the towers facing the Haram costs several times the same meal a short walk out into Misfalah or Ajyad, where the people who work in Makkah eat. Both are fine. Knowing the difference is how a two-week trip stays inside its budget.
Food listed here
Added by the business itself. You pay them at the venue — no booking fee, no commission.
