Restaurants The cosmopolitan character of Jeddah goes back centuries and the ethnic mix of residents has brought most national cuisines to the city. There are restaurants that specialize in the traditional dishes of the Arabian Peninsula made with lamb, goat or camel meat, Lebanese, Moroccan, Egyptian and Turkish restaurants, and Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian, Chinese and Korean restaurants. Recently, Japanese cuisine has become popular and there are several of these unique restaurants. Among European cuisines, Italian restaurants are favourites with Saudis and expatriates alike, gourmet French cuisine is represented by several elegant establishments, and the British will be pleased to learn that there are Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurants in Jeddah. Most of the top hotels have three of four different restaurants, each specializing in a particular type of cuisine, and usually one that features specialty nights devoted to a specific national type of food. Almost all of the best known popular restaurant franchises, from McDonalds, Hardees and Popeyes to Chilis, Fridays and Pizza Hut, are represented in Jeddah, but it is interesting to note that the most successful restaurant chain, favourite among Saudi and other Arab nationals, is the entirely Saudi-owned and managed Al Baik, which specializes in chicken and shrimp. Coffee shops include Barnies, Joffreys and Starbucks.
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