Walima Terrace - Review - Qatar Survival Guide

With the last few days of good weather at hand, we at Qatar Survival Guide urge you to make the best of it, before you actually shrink into survival mode come summer. We’ve discovered a fantastic spot just in time for the Doha winter finale – Walima Terrace.

Make your way to this cozy outdoor set up for one of Doha’s best al fresco experiences. Comfortable couches and high tables, classy cabanas, lush greenery and even some colorful lights to brighten up your evenings are all the highlights. And of course the food, but we’ll get into that later.

There is something incredibly spectacular about this terrace. It’s majestic, but not in an overwhelming way. It’s luxurious, but not in a stuffy way. It’s a magical spot, almost like a temporary hideout. You have the fresh air (just don’t pick a dusty day), the comfort, and the stunning visuals that surround you. The quirky decorative elements make it more interesting – life-sized chess pieces and gigantic shishas that you unfortunately can’t huff and puff (a tease, really).

We opt for a high table, because it’s more suitable if you’re dining. If you’re just looking to chill with a few drinks (and a fried Oreo dessert which we’ll dwell on later), we recommend the cabanas or the couches. It’s probably a great idea to stop by here just before the sun sets, so you can watch this wonderful venue transform from day to night.

Let’s get down to business – the business of feeding ourselves with some delectable Oriental bites. Walima has a brief menu, but that’s perfect because every dish on there is pretty much perfect. They know what they’re doing and they do it well.

We start off with some mixed cold appetisers and an absolute winner of an opening dish in our opinion – the harak esbaho. Brown lentils generously doused in pomegranate molasses and tamarind syrup, wonderfully spiced with garlic and coriander and topped with the crispy bread that famously disguises what’s otherwise known as a healthy fattoush salad – you know – that crispy bread we all love. The other cold appetisers are textbook – you can’t go wrong with an order of these. Amp it up with a portion of the hot appetisers. And these portions are generous, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. The batata harra deserves a special mention. We may or may not have had recurring dreams about these spicy, crispy potatoes.

We’re actually stuffed to the brim with Oriental delicacies but how does one refuse main course, you ask? One doesn’t. One asks for the menu, and shamelessly proceeds to order two of the best-selling and undeniably tastiest dishes on the list. The chili and nutmeg marinated lamb chops are massive and satisfying – tender, juicy, and a few more adjectives that we’d dish out if we weren’t so occupied with visualizing the experience all over again.

Don’t miss the seafood platter. It’s pricy at QR295, but totally worth it. Especially when you’re getting lobster, shrimp, sea bass and calamari. In good portions once again.

At this point, we highly recommend circling the venue on foot to really commence the digestion process. It’s required to proceed to the next and most important course – dessert. We also highly recommend not making it obvious that your stomach is almost falling to the floor thereby discouraging your fellow diners from moving on to that next course. Pick that stomach up (invest in shapewear beforehand, if necessary) and casually stroll around to burn off a few calories and then grab a very comfortable sofa for the highlight of the night – the FRIED OREO dessert. (Yes, capitalisation was necessary).

If the idea of a fried Oreo isn’t indulgent enough, picture it alongside pistachio ice cream with caramel sauce and Oreo crumble. We will leave you with that.

Make a booking now – 4045 5999.