While shawarma reigns supreme, the city offers much more to savour. Experiencing Makkah fully means exploring local favourites – dishes that reflect the city’s heart and soul and the wider Middle Eastern culinary heritage. This region shares more than language and faith; it’s united by a passion for food, time-honoured recipes, and the art of home-cooked flavours.
Balila is a simple yet flavourful chickpea dish, often served warm with lemon juice, paprika, and chili in to-go cups near the Haram. It’s a comforting snack popular across the Arab world, from the Levant in Lebanon to Morocco and Egypt in North Africa.
Saleeg is another beloved comfort dish, where tender rice is slowly simmered in creamy milk and savoury chicken broth. Rich and hearty, it’s traditionally served during family gatherings and festive occasions. Makkah offers its own distinctive take on saleeg, a creamy rice dish with roots in the Hijaz. Other parts of the Arab world have similar rice and milk-based comfort dishes, like Egypt’s roz moammar, which is slow-baked in a clay bowl with milk and beef morsels.
We’ve saved the sweetest bites for last: Makkah’s delectable desserts.
Masoub is a Yemeni-inspired dish of mashed banana and soft, layered bread, drizzled with golden honey and velvety cream. Its rich texture and naturally sweet flavours make it perfect for a leisurely breakfast or decadent dessert.
Kunafa is a showstopper, a golden, syrup-soaked pastry filled with melted cheese or luscious cream. Believed to have originated in the Levant, perfected over generations in places like Palestine and re-imagined with tasty variations in Egypt, kunafa is cherished across Makkah in many forms. Its delicate crispiness and luxurious sweetness provide the perfect finale to a Makkah street food journey. Each dish reflects Makkah’s identity as a crossroads of cultures and a meeting place for regional palates.
