Doha’s dining scene can be fickle and driven by fads, as anyone who has seen a line outside the latest specialty coffee house can attest. A few weeks ago I went for my third visit to The Pearl Social at the Kempinksi Marsa Malaz. For a Friday night, the restaurant was at half capacity. The bar (aka the Diver’s Club) upstairs was busy. But the restaurant was not. Occupying the spot that was once home to the overrated, overpriced and over itself Antica Pesa, the Pearl Social completes the trio of restaurants on the hotel’s mini island. This venue has been hit and miss – the location on the water…
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La Mar, La Vista 55 and Maya – Doha’s 3 Hottest New Restaurants and Bars Reviewed
It seems like they came all at once – a flurry of new restaurants and bars opening in Doha within days of each other after a long period of stagnation in the food scene. Always willing to put myself in the line of fire, I checked out Peruvian restaurant La Mar, Mexican offering Maya and Cuban joint La Vista 55 – all in the name of research – and there’s a lot to be excited about. Here’s my take on each of them, what to expect and what you should order: La Mar: I’m not going to lie, La Mar and its upstairs bar Manko are among the most exciting…