Bab Al Yaman
Ahmed Al Attas Street close to Souk Al Shati
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Tel: 02 6922148
When someone is having overseas visitors it is a daily question what to do and what to show them when in Jeddah. With a big Restaurant scene its obvious that you also want to introduce them to good Arabic food.
A good way to do so is visiting Gate of Yemen. This is a fairly new restaurant near to Saudi German Hospital.
The Restaurant looks l a little bit like a old fort from the outside and has a traditional design inside. It blends very well the traditional elements of Arabic heritage with modern lighting and pictures on its wall. The seating arrangements are comfortable, a little lounge like as all tables have a sofa and big chairs.
The menu is very much Arabic with only the names of each dish translated to English. It is advised to ask the waiter for a explanation if you cant read Arabic. The waiters here have never disappointed me and always gave me very good information on the food.
Same today, when visiting with my family I asked him to recommend some dish as well explain them to us, so we could order what we liked. I remembered that their food is rather spicy, so we requested to have it a little bit milder to suit the taste of my guests.
I shall just briefly described what we have ordered. There was: Shafoot (Appetizer), Cheesy Bread, Rice, Malokhia (Meat), Kebdah (Meat), Salta (Vegetables), Gamberi Mofah (Prawns) and the drinks being Nakeea Red and White plus a pot of Red Tea.
Our order arrived promptly and my guests were fascinated about the presentation. All dishes came in traditional stone plate or steel pots. The hot dishes came out steaming and sizzling, that left a huge impression. All the dishes were so delicious that we finished everything without leaving even a little bit in the bowls or plates. The Liver which we ordered was particular good, so was the Cheesy Bread with the various spicy and mild dips. Check out the pictures in the top box under the pictures tab because “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
We were so satisfied with the dinner that we ordered one portion Bent Al Sahan Cake. It turned out to be a “whole” cake with honey, we took 3/4 home!
The total bill was SR 160.00 incl. 10% Srvc
This place should not be missed, even if my review is rather short because the dishes are difficult to describe. But be assured, you will not be disappointed or regret paying a visit to this fantastic place.
Enjoy a tasty Yemeni dinner in a deluxe setting of a restaurant.
For those who know the Yemeni food and can read Arabic much better than me should maybe leave a proper comment for the other readers by replying to this review.
Happy dining at the Gate of Yemen wishes you… toonsla
This post was submitted by toonsla.
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This restaurant is not the first!! the original one is located at The old Makkah Road (Kilo2) in south Jeddah which a lot of people doesn’t visit these areas. The original one is way way way cheaper and even more delicious. You wont regret it
I am not sure if I liked the place or hated the place.
The place in question here is the Bab Al Yemen restaurant at the Al Zahra area. 3 of us from work decided to beat the afternoon heat by going out for lunch. It took some courage for us to venture out in this heat, but since our friend, Mr H had no issues driving there, we decided to venture go out after a really long time.
20 minutes later we were parked outside the restaurant. Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised at the decor. Now, I have not been to Yemen ever, but the place looked like a very neatly done Yemeni house with some very old artifacts thrown in to give it a complete feel. It was very traditional with a modern and neat look which held us in awe. We were told we would have to wait for 10 mins, which was testimony to the fact that this was indeed a popular joint.
We were then given seats on the first floor of the singles section, which was spacious but fairly empty, unlike the seating on the ground floor which was packed to capacity. We were seated comfortably and were taking in the surrounding.
After this things started gong downhill.
Now, here is the thing about working day lunches. You want it to be quick, simple and not overtly filling so that you could get back to work and actually work!!
The service here was really really bad. Although the servers were pleasant, it was clear that they were totally disorganized and disoriented. We were served some complimentary lamb meat soup, which I had to pass and some dips as shown in the pic below.
Surprisingly, the green dip was not a mint dip as I expected but was of fenugreek instead. It was quite bitter and I did not like it much although the texture had a yoghurty consistency to it.
After 15 mins, we finally managed to place our orders.
I ordered a mixed vegetable whereas my colleagues opted for the Salta ( Meat cooked in a spicy tomato gravy served in the traditional yemeni wok) and chicken mugalgal ( chicken pieces cooked in spicy gravy again). We ordered one traditional yemeni bread, the Mulawa, which was so big that even three of us struggled to finish it. The picture below would show you how big it actually was. The bowl of lemon next to it can give you a reference as to how big the bread actually was. We ordered a portion of rice along with the food.
The food arrived shortly and to be honest it was nothing great to write about. It did not surpass the yemeni food I have been having at the various food stalls across the different malls in the city.
We though maybe a portion of the traditional yemeni desert of Bint Saham may soothe our cringing souls, but alas that failed to do impress as well.
So now I am torn between the decor Vs the service and food. While the decor was marvelous, i don’t think the service and the food would make me go to this place again.
The food is good, except for the mixed vegs which is not to my tast. The rice is great. Thew molokhiah is lovely, and the edam (meat potato) is tasty. This is what i have tried out.
The prices r fair.
I didn’t think I ever try a Yamani food but I tried it and it was very delicious !!
I was first attracted to the restaurant due to its ethnic architecture , frankly a yemeni cuisine was not my first choice ….. untill I decided to give it a try and it was really yummy .
I do recommend it to those who love food, especially the delicious “Bint El Sahan” ( Yemeni Cake topped with pure honey ).
loooool i can remember my first time thier when my husband asked me to try it .. i was like,,what da.. why should i try this , but when i tried it (yammy yammy)
they do have great food
i went there tooooo many times , you should try it and i’m sure you will never be regret
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The outside of “Gate of Yemen” restaurant reminded me of many of the Mexican establishments I have visited in the past. Clay colored walls with red, blue, yellow, and green diamonds across. Enough to show that they have personality, but not so much as to overwhelm you with bright colors. A nice touch was that, to the side, they had a window into the kitchen. Not really something you would brag about, but by looking in you can tell that they try hard to keep their kitchen clean, not a cockroach in sight; Always a good sign.
As I entered, I was impressed by the décor of “The Gate of Yemen”. It was clean and elegant, without being pretentious, and had nice Yemeni touches that added character and made it memorable. The chairs consisted of nice cushions, similar to the sort of traditional Arab culture that would normally be set upon the floor. These, however, were placed on pleasant wooden chair frames, making for a functional combination of the old with the new. Wooden tables abound, surrounded by neat off-white walls. Two parallel lines of Arab-style Lanterns cross the ceiling and provide for a very well lit establishment. The walls are decorated with varied artifacts and paintings of Yemeni descent, adding a gallery sort of appeal to the establishment.
I did think, however, that the addition of flat-screen televisions on both ends detracted from the style of ambience that they should be pursuing. Such may be the current fashion, but sometimes it is worth it to separate from the herd. Plus, the visibility of the television wires just seemed sloppy. It would have been more appropriate to have some Yemeni or Arab style music in the background. A live performer with an Arabic guitar would have been the perfect finishing touch. Instead, we had football playing in the background. This might satisfy fans more so than myself, but I really don’t think this is the sort of place people will go to watch a game. It did, however, seem to serve staff morale quite well. In addition, as nice as the lanterns were, there was one on each side that was not working, which gives off a lazy impression.
Our meal began with complimentary chicken soup. It’s an original move on their part in terms complimentary starters, but in the end, it was just chicken soup. The main courses came very quickly after, and it became clear that the smart move was to ignore whatever soup remained and dive into the real food. We ordered the Fahsah, the Chicken Auqda, and the Liver, which were all served in iron pots atop wooden holders that made for a very nice Yemeni touch. In addition, we had the Shrimp Maghash, and side orders of the Rice, Okra, and Cheesey Bread.
The meat Fahsah and Chicken Auqda were both delightful. The meat in both cases was very nicely shredded and of good quality. Personally, I am a big fan of shredded meats because they show that the cook took the extra time and care to prepare the dish. Too many times in the past, I would order an entree where the meat was supposedly shredded, only to find it served in small rectangular pieces, which is not really shredded at all. Both dishes were made with a nice array of spices along with a perfect amount of peppers, tomatoes, and onions. The chef did an excellent job of making sure these truly enhanced the flavor of the meat rather than taking it over. In addition, the juices of both dishes were amazing for dipping with bread. I couldn’t help but think that, if I were to take some of the leftovers home, they would make for excellent sandwiches.
The liver was very well made and added nicely to the authentic Yemeni feel of the meal, as liver really is not something I’m used to ordering at restaurants. The shrimp was grilled and made with some sort of garlic sauce, and while it was good, it did not really seem to significantly contribute to the consistent character of the other dishes. The Okra was served with a tomato-based sauce and was delicious; it was great with both rice and bread. The rice was served with crispy onions and the occasional raisin, adding some flare to a generally mundane side. The cheesy bread, although apparently lacking in cheese, was very similar to the Indian naan and was truly fresh and delicious, perfect for use with all the main dishes and the Okra. We were given a dip seemingly made from a blend of yogurt and vegetables that was a bit on the bitter side, as well as a salsa that was both amazing in taste and extremely spicy.
The service was excellent and beyond reproach. We had two waiters who were both Egyptian and extremely friendly and understanding in helping us with what to order. The chef apparently is from Yemen, but we did not get to meet the man with the magic hands. In the end, it was a new experience that I’m very glad we took a chance on, and the “Gate of Yemen” had the perfect amount of character to make it memorable and worthy of a second visit. If your exposure to Yemeni cuisine is limited, then “The Gate of Yemen” will be the perfect introduction.
كان لي عشاء عدة مرات مع السفير اليمني السيد محمد Ahoul. انها نفضي جدا ، وسأحاول أن شاء الله.
I had dinner many times with the yamani ambassador Mr. Mohammed Al Ahoul. it’s very deciduous, i’ll try it inshallah.