Oman » Going Out
Food and Drink
Things to know: Waiter service is usual. Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, but most hotel bars and restaurants have a bar for guests. Visitors are only allowed to drink alcohol if they purchase drinks from licensed hotels and restaurants. To buy alcohol for home consumption, Western nationals must obtain a licence from their embassy.
National specialities:
• Shuwa (meat cooked slowly for up to two days in underground clay ovens, marinated with herbs and spices).
• Mashuai (spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice).
• Maqbous (rice dish with saffron cooked over spicy red or white meat).
• Halwa (sticky, gelatinous sweet made from dates or sugar and flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater).
• Lokhemat (balls of flour and yeast flavoured with cardamom and deep fried, served with sweet lime and cardamom syrup).
National drinks:
• Kahwa (coffee; strong, bitter and flavoured with cardamom, served with halwa and lokhemat).
• Mixed fruit juice (mango, pomegranate, orange and avocado layered in long glasses).
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: Becoming more common; 10% should be given in hotels and restaurants with licensed bars but is not expected in more casual restaurants.
Nightlife
Shopping
Shopping hours: Sat-Thurs 0800-1300 and 1600-2000. Souks open 0800-1100 and 1600-1900. Many shops close on Friday. Opening hours vary during Ramadan with many shops closing all afternoon but opening until late (about 1000) in the evening.
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Information in this section was last updated: Wed May 23 2012
