In general, restaurants in Sharjah offer a fairly European-style menu with a standard selection of dishes. In addition, many establishments serve purely Arabic dishes such as kebabs, kofta, and shawarma. However, there are also specialties that you can try only in this city.
The national cuisine of Sharjah is very diverse. Among the traditional dishes, it is worth trying:
meat dishes: “guzi” — lamb with rice and nuts, “tikka” kebab, traditional Arabic “shawarma”, lamb cutlets with herbs “kustileta”, marinated lamb or beef kebab, lamb “shish kebab”, meat with spices and rice “machboos”, traditional minced-meat kebab “kofta”, fried meat balls “kebbe”, mixed meat roast “meshoui-mushakkal”;
poultry dishes: steamed chicken “al-mandi” with honey, chicken casserole “harees” (or with veal), rice with chicken pieces “biryani ajaj”, chicken kebab “tikka dajaj”, spicy chicken “dajaj tannouri”, quail meat “samman”;
rice and fish dishes: “biryani samak”, a distinctive fish pilaf “machboos samak”;
fish delicacies and seafood: sea bass “hamour”, “sultan Ibrahim” (red mullet), “shaari”, “zubaidi”, various crustaceans and even sharks. Traditionally, fish is cooked exclusively over charcoal;
pastries and snacks: meat pies “kubbe”, small triangular “sambusas” with vegetables — “khudar”, cheese — “jabna”, meat — “lahma”, or spinach — “sabeneh”.
Local desserts are also delicious — milk pudding “umm ali” with raisins and nuts, sweet cheese pie with cream “esh-asaya” (or “as-saraya”), pistachio pudding “muhallabia”, “baklava”, honey doughnuts “luqaimat”, “sherbet”, the traditional Arabic dessert “aseeda”, etc.
A special part of the UAE’s national cuisine is coffee. It is prepared here in a particularly delicious way. No flavorings or spices are used, and it is served in small bowl-shaped cups.
Note that pork is not cooked and alcohol is not sold in gastronomic establishments in Sharjah.
