It’s official – Doha is one of the world’s hottest destinations right now and this has been confirmed by both the Forbes Travel Guide and the New York Times. And with the 2019 Asian Football Cup under its belt, the 2022 World Cup coming in hot and a string of exciting new openings and events in between, there is no better time to visit Doha. In addition, Qatar has been named one of the safest countries in the world and thanks to the nation’s flagship carrier, you can easily access Doha from one of its 160 plus destinations around the globe. Here are my top reasons by you should visit Doha…
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Sticker Shock – Seven Places to Enjoy Happy Hour Post Qatar Alcohol Tax Increase
It came like a bolt in the dark in the dying days of 2018 – the new “sin tax” due to take effect on 1 January 2019 would in fact include alcohol. Some labelled it the end of days. Unprecedented apocalypse-looming style lines formed at the QDC. Wailing was heard. Now, the dust has settled, QDC has lowered some of its prices ever so slightly, hotels have taken stock and we can see start to see what this actually means to the average diner and drinker. As a keen observer of the food and beverage trends in this city, and having spoken to drinkers, hoteliers and others in the industry:…
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Your September Dining Hit List – Where you Should Be Eating and Drinking in Doha This Month
Ahhh…September. I can almost see the end of the year from here and it looks…cooler. Now we are at the business end of 2018- school is back, vacations over, life resumed – it’s time to check out all of the new goodies being offered by restaurants and bars in Qatar. There is a LOT going on – some revamped menus, openings and new mojos for some old favorites. So buckle up, grab a snack and here is my essential guide to where to eat and drink in Doha this month: Mama Rozie It’s not in a five star hotel or in a “glam” part of town, but I can assure…
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Three New Doha Happy Hours You Need to Try
Let’s face it, sometimes you need to blow off steam and unwind after a tough week at (or day!) at the coalface. Lucky for us, hotels and bars in Doha are keen to attract our custom with some new and interesting happy hours designed to please even the the most discerning drinker. Here are three new Doha happy hours that have managed to drag me off the sofa in recent weeks and ones you should be giving a red hot go: Gin and Vodka flight at Elements at Four Seasons Doha They say everything comes in threes, and in this case, three is a lucky number. Element’s discrete bar has…
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Trucking Good – Food Trucks Roll Into Qatar’s Food Scene
It has been a long time coming…but the food truck movement has finally started rolling in Qatar. OK so they may not the the mobile trucks we are used to seeing on the streets of the US, UK and Australia, but they are a step in the right direction. While Burgeri (owned by Katara Hospitality) has been roving the country selling serviceable burgers, hotdogs and fries for a few years, the slow road started back in 2016 when the Ministry for Economy and Commerce indicated it would issue licences for mobile food vendors, giving a boost to the private sector. This came after a successful “Food Truck” section at the…
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Living on the Wedge: My Top Dishes of 2017
And so here we are…What a year it was! We’ve seen the illegal blockade of Qatar continue to rattle us and have some rebound effects on the country’s dining scene – some ingredients are harder to find (others easier) and we haven’t seen as many new openings as in previous years. I’ve also found that while the market is more competitive (we are spending less and not going out as often) the dynamism of previous years is missing. But my annual list of best dishes must go on! It’s still been a creative and delicious year on the dining front in many ways. The Mondrian Doha was a late and glamorous…
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The Doha Brunch Index – How Far Your Riyal Will Stretch
Brunch in Doha (usually Friday but now increasingly also Saturday) is a deadly serious business, especially in these leaner times. But, with seemingly every restaurant offering some kind of brunch offer, how far will your dining riyal stretch? Being the intrepid food blogger, half baked economist and general busybody that I am, I devised and extremely dubious scientific ranking system for Doha’s burgeoning brunch scene. Behold – the inaugural Doha Brunch Index© This is the result a complicated matrix of reviews, personal experience, overeating and general hysteria levels. It’s not definitive. It’s not exhaustive (but boy was it exhausting), but it should give you a solid snapshot at what’s out there and…
