THE Q80 MIX

A Kuwaiti Blog For News, Tips and Reviews (and other interesting stuff!)

As the weekend’s here and the weather is still really good, I wanted to tell you about one of my favourite Lebanese restaurant in Kuwait called Al-Sakhra.  If you don’t know where it is you’ve probably passed it loads of times without even realising. Its at one end of the row of coffee shops (Classical, Safadi etc) roughly opposite the side entrance of The One in Marina Mall.  I’m going to talk about the atmosphere, service and prices but let’s start off with my favourite part -  the food !

The Food

The menu has most of the things you would expect to find in any respectable Lebanese restaurant with plenty of choice. I found the cold mezza OK. The homous is of course excellent, tabouleh is standard and although the fatoush is quite good, I felt it had too much bread in and couldn’t compare to the fatoush from Mais Alghnaim.

Al-Sakhra however excels with its hot mezza. The lamb and spicy beef sausage dishes (naqaniq and sojok) are delicious. Also both the Arayes with cheese and with meat are excellent and they don’t hold back on the fillings ! (By the way why does everyone always say “quick eat the arrayas while its hot !” whenever it arrives? Everyone knows this but we still say it :)) Another dish worth ordering is the kibbeh which always arrives piping hot.

Of the main dishes,the shish taouk is in my opinion one of the best in Kuwait (and yes that includes Mais Alghanim !). Its also worth checking out the grilled baby chicken wings. The tikka is very good but the kebab is disappointing.

After all that food (the portions are very generous!) there’s not much room for dessert LOL ! I haven’t actually tried any of the desserts and to be honest none of them look very appealing.

The Atmosphere

I would really recommend sitting outside if there are tables available and the weather is good. There is a pretty large outside seating area which is mainly reserved for families although there are a few tables for shebab. There is plenty of seating indoors but the decor is frankly pretty awful and the seating doesn’t feel as comfortable as it does outside. It can also get majorly smokey from the shisha.

When I’ve had colleagues come over from Europe I’ve taken them to Al-Sakhra. We sit outside and they always really enjoy it. So its a good place to take people who are visiting Kuwait as its authentic cuisine served in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Service

Waiters are polite and attentive.  They’ll actually make an effort to find you a table or bring an extra one out. You also don’t have to wait too long to give your order or for the food to be served. The kitchen closes at 12 midnight and the restaurant stays open till about 1 am during the weekend which means you can get there at 11 and still take your time.

The Prices

You’ll be amazed when you get the bill especially when you consider the quality and quantity of food. In all the times I’ve been there I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than KD5 or KD 6 per person and usually there’s still food left over. And believe me when I’m with my friends its usually a feast !

Overall

An excellent restaurant to go to, especially if you are in a group. Great food and very good value for money. Try your best to get a table outside.

Tip: Parking can be a bit of a problem around the restaurant. I would recommend parking in Marina Mall car park opposite the restaurant and walking over.