Saudi Arabia » Going Out
Food and Drink
Things to know: Eating, drinking and smoking in public during the fasting hours of Ramadan will incur strict penalties. Restaurants have table service. There are no bars. Alcohol is forbidden by law, and there are severe penalties for infringement; it is important to note that this applies to all nationals regardless of religion.
National specialities:
• Pitta bread (flat, unleavened bread) accompanies every dish.
• Rice, lentils, chick peas (hummus) and cracked wheat (burghul) are also common.
• Kultra (chicken or lamb on skewers) is popular for lunch.
• Kebabs served with soup and vegetables.
• Mezze, the equivalent of hors d’oeuvres, may include up to 40 dishes.
National drinks:
• Arabic coffee and fruit drinks are popular alternatives to alcohol.
• Alcohol-free beers and cocktails are served in hotel bars.
Tipping: The practice of tipping is becoming much more common and waiters should be given 10%.
Nightlife
Shopping
Shopping hours: Sat-Thurs 0900-1300 and 1630-2000 (Ramadan 2000-0100). These hours differ in various parts of the country.
Disclaimer:
Content in the country guide is updated every 3 months and is to the best of our knowledge accurate and up-to-date. The information contained is intended as a general guide - any opinions or travel advise expressed are not necessarily those of AME Info FZ LLC.
The information is provided in association with Columbus Travel Publishing Limited and my not be republished or reproduced in anyway without the prior written consent by the publisher.
All information made available from within this product is provided without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, any warranties as to merchantability, non-infringement or fitness for a particular purpose. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from this information.
AME Info FZ LLC or Columbus Travel Publishing Limited shall not be liable for any technical, editorial or typographical or other errors or omissions within the information accessible through this product.
Whilst changes are periodically made to the information herein AMEinfo.com FZ LLC or Columbus Publishing Limited does not warrant that information currently accessible is either up-to-date or accurate.
All product names mentioned herein are subject to the trademarks and/or trademark rights of their respective owners.
3D Animated Flags used in this section is courtesy of www.3DFlags.com
Please contact us if you have any questions or corrections to the content in this section.
Information in this section was last updated: Wed May 23 2012
