Damascus - Restaurants

Restaurants
Expensive

Club d'Orient
Club d'Orient is a prestigious and glamorous restaurant in the modern town where expensive but excellent French-Mediterranean cuisine is dished out to Damascus's well-heeled crowd. Book ahead. Alcohol available.

Sharia Mrewed, off Midan Nejmeh, Damascus
Tel: (011) 332 7518.

Al-Dar 111
Set in a modern multi-level Oriental courtyard palace, the al-Dar serves delicious Arab and fusion cuisine to a mixed crowd of expats, young Syrians and independent travellers. Food is served alongside a good selection of Lebanese wines and arak, an anise-flavoured liquor Syrians drink with their mezze.

6 Sharia Assieh, Bab Touma, Christian Quarter, Damascus
Tel: (011) 542 3232.

Arabesque
Another converted grand old house with a wonderful rooftop terrace filled with plants overlooking the old city and Mount Qassioun. Arabesque makes a change from the normal Syrian restaurants with a menu of pasta dishes, salads and mostly Mediterranean dishes.

Next to the large Greek Orthodox church just off Straight Street, Christian Quarter, Damascus
Tel: (011) 543 3999.

Beit Jabri
This richly decorated restaurant is located in one of the quarter's oldest houses. It was built in 1737 around a courtyard with a central fountain and lemon and jasmine trees. It's a great place to eat cheap but well-prepared mezze and salads. The service is very attentive but there is no alcohol because of the Beit Jabri's proximity to the mosque.

Midan as-Sawwaf, signposted in a side alley southeast of the Ummayad Mosque, Old City, Damascus
Tel: (011) 541 6254.
Website: www.jabrihouse.com

Leila's
This cheap Damascus restaurant enjoys a stunning location with a rooftop terrace overlooking the old city and, by night, the flood-lit mosque. It serves excellent Syrian food, but not alcohol.

Alley off the southeast corner of the Ummayad Mosque, Damascus
Tel: (011) 544 5800.

Hotels
Cheap

Beit Rumman
Beit Rumman is a recent addition to Damascus's burgeoning boutique hotel scene. Located in Bab Touma, Beit Rumman is a converted, 17th-century house complete with its own cellar and courtyard. It offers six bedrooms, each uniquely decorated.

72 Sharia Qishleh, Bab Touma, Old City, Damascus
Tel: (011) 545 1092.
Website: www.bietrumman.com

Beit Zaman Hotel
This impressive, 300-year-old Ottoman palace is located in the heart of Bab Touma, a vibrant neighbourhood. There are 28 rooms on offer, and while the room rates are marginally cheaper compared to other boutique hotels in Damascus, guests have complained that Beit Zaman can be a little sterile. Nevertheless, the hotel is in the heart of the city, and it boasts a well-maintained inner courtyard.

Bab Touma, Old City, PO Box 10302 Damascus
Tel: (011) 543 5380.
Website: www.beit-zaman.com

Sultan Hotel
For many years now the best budget option in Damascus, the Sultan is popular with travellers for its excellent location near the old city, its friendly and helpful staff and the basic, but clean rooms with an unchanged motel-style1960s dcor. It is advisable to book ahead.

Sharia Mousalam al-Baroudi, Damascus
Tel: (011) 222 5768.

Four Seasons Hotel Damascus
The Four Seasons Hotel is the top hotel in town, and with 23 storeys it has become a landmark on the Damascus skyline. Set in a landscaped park, opposite the National Museum, it is only a short walk from the old city. The rooms are sumptuously decorated and have great views over Damascus and the Barada River.

Sharia Shukri al-Quwatli, PO Box 6311, Damascus
Tel: (011) 339 1000.
Website: www.fourseasons.com/damascus

Beit al-Mamlouka
Damascus's first boutique hotel is in a grand 17th-century city house, built around a central courtyard with fragrant citrus trees and a fountain. The eight luxurious bedrooms are each decorated in a particular style reflecting a period of history and using traditional Syrian furniture and crafts.

Bab Touma, Old City, Damascus
Tel: (011) 543 0445.
Website: www.almamlouka.com

Cham Palace
The Cham Palace, located right in the heart of the city, is one of the oldest luxury hotels in Damascus. The rooms command great views over the city and Mount Qassioun and the lobby is a popular meeting point for Syrian businessmen. The hotel has five good restaurants, including the toile d'Or, the city's only revolving restaurant, on the top floor.

Sharia Maysaloun, PO Box 33555 Damascus
Tel: (011) 223 2300.
Website: www.chamhotels.com

Omayad Hotel Damascus
Centrally located, Omayad Hote Damascus is a popular four-star business hotel in Damascus. The hotel has a grand lobby and spacious soundproofed rooms with air conditioning, satellite TV and a free Wi-Fi internet connection.

4 Sharia Brazil, PO Box 7811 Damascus
Tel: (011) 221 7700.
Website: www.omayad-hotel.com