A huge selection of decent dishes in a generally nice atmosphere: Restaurant Awani (28. March 2023)
Since I really liked the experience in The Zone the night before, I decided to go out in that area again, this time visiting another restaurant called Awani. We were a group of people, hence, we ordered a bunch of dishes like the “crispy halloumi salad (mixed green lettuce with dried figs, cherry tomatoes and mixed capsicum topped with halloumi cheese wrapped with Othmaliya dough, served with honey mayo dressing)” (52.00 SAR), which did not only look nice, but which was actually quite delicious in terms of flavour profile.
I absolutely loved the “trio hummus (Awani’s special hummus, pesto hummus (hummus blend mixed with pesto sauce), Hickory Hummus (hummus blend mixed with chilli paste and walnut))” (38.00 SAR) and felt free to “add meat to any hummus” (33.00 SAR). The smoked hummus was absolutely mind-blowing. Like, it was so good!
Something, which always works is the “sujuk (sautéed seasoned sujuk with pomegranate molasses sauce, and garnished with nuts and lemon slice)” (38.00 SAR) – intense, small, full of flavour and saturated with fat.
The “shrimp provincial” (46.00 SAR) was not really what blew my mind, but the “Awani Chicken Liver (seasoned fresh chicken liver sautéed with onion, garlic, creamy spicy sauce, and garnished with nuts, parsley and lemon slices)” (35.00 SAR) was delicious! Definitely one of the best chicken livers I’ve tried in my life! The chicken liver was not coarse like it often is, but very smooth, and the sauce was just to gobble down!
The “muttabal” (28.00 SAR) was nice too, but has never been one of my favourite dishes, but this one was actually quite enjoyable.
The “vine leaves” (33.00 SAR) were decent, but far from exciting. I mean, I definitely have had better ones in my life so far.
The “Spicy potatoes” (33.00 SAR) were exactly as they promised – they were potatoes, and they were spicy. Hence, fulfilled their purpose, but not much more.
As a main, we went for the “Awani’s Signature Mixed Grill (charcoal grilled skewers of shish tawook, kafta, kebab, veal tenderloin cubes and lamb chops, served with grilled vegetables) (275.00 SAR), which was a quite luscious selection of different pieces of meat. But frankly, it was also an absolutely massive selection, since the food was just amazingly much.
The “beef, kale & quinoa salad” (52.00 SAR) definitely looked better on the menu than it actually was.
The “Ouzi Surar” (68.00 SAR) was definitely something, which looked interesting, but it wasn’t necessarily something too appealing once you’ve had a bite. I mean, it wasn’t bad at all, it was just nothing special.
What I absolutely loved was the “pomegranate juice” (26.50 SAR), since it was freshly prepared. Smooth, intense, but great.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed the Awani. It’s not like it’s a super special place, but it’s a nice place, which offers a great variety of decent food and makes the whole place enjoyable.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Awani
The Zone
Al Takhassousi
Riyadh (KSA)
Tel.: +966 114 22 22 94
Homepage: http://www.awani.ae
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
