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Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed: MNKY HSE ceviche

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed

See the full list of nominees in the Saudi capital’s first-ever awards

Riyadh’s very best restaurants are set to be unveiled by Time Out on Thursday September 15. As we begin the countdown, we can now reveal the Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022, featuring the top restaurants and cafés in the city across 17 categories.

For more than 20 years, Time Out’s reviewers have conducted anonymous, independent restaurant visits in the region, booking anonymously and paying for every meal in order to establish which restaurants are truly worth diners’ time and money.

The Time Out Restaurant Awards are the longest-running, most established dining awards in the Middle East.

Want to know more about our review process? Click here.

In 2022, the Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards will be held for the very first time, following 12 months of anonymous restaurant reviews, taking in all corners of the city, and the full spectrum of price points and dining experiences.

And we are going big. Today, we present 150 of Riyadh’s best restaurants right here with the hotly anticipated Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022.

The Saudi capital’s restaurant scene has grown at a dizzying pace over the past 12 months, with exciting new restaurants, cafés, lounges and street food eateries popping up along with a mix of standout home-grown favourites and major international restaurant groups coming to the Saudi capital.

You might also like: First-ever Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards to take place on September 15

It has never been a more exciting time as Riyadh takes its place as a bonafide global dining destination.

In just four weeks, on Thursday September 15, we will unveil the winners of the Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards 2022.

Categories span the huge range of cuisines represented across the capital, from Italian and Indian to Japanese and Saudi. Additionally, we are recognising top dining experiences in themed categories ranging from breakfast to afternoon tea and coffee and cake, of course.

Are you ready? We definitely are. The winners will be revealed at the Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards 2022 ceremony, a glamorous private event for the Saudi capital’s best chefs and restaurateurs held at Fairmont Riyadh on Thursday September 15.

For enquiries and ticket bookings, please contact Eleanor Ashton on eleanor.ashton@itp.com, or Time Out Riyadh via WhatsApp on +971 52 874 1593, or on Instagram via @timeoutriyadh and @timeoutriyadhar.

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022 shortlist

ASIAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed: Billionaire bao buns
Billionaire, As Sulimaniyah
  • Baan Thai Restaurant, Al Urubah
  • BB Social, Huna Takhassusi, Panorama Mall
  • Billionaire, As Sulimaniyah
  • Golden Royal Chinese Restaurant, Ar Rahmaniyah
  • Kazo, Le Méridien Riyadh
  • Korean Palace Restaurant, Ar Rahmaniyyah
  • Lotus, Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences
  • MyMakan, Ar Rayyan
  • Thai Thai Seafood Restaurant, Ar Rayyan
  • Yauatcha, Al Olaya

EUROPEAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed LPM fish carpaccio
LPM, Al Olaya                 
  • A.O.K Kitchen, KAFD
  • Entrecôte Café de Paris, Al Faisaliah Tower
  • Le Maschou, Diplomatic Quarter
  • LPM, Al Olaya                 
  • Meraki, Al Faisaliah Hotel
  • OKTO, The Zone
  • SOE, An Nakheel
  • Spazio, Kingdom Tower
  • The Globe, Al Faisaliah Hotel 
  • Villa Palma, As Sulimaniyah

INDIAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Ruhi curry dishes
RUHI Indian Cuisine, The Zone   
  • Amaly, Al Ghadir
  • Blue Tok Tok, An Nakheel
  • Indian Style Restaurant, Ar Rayyan
  • Kumar, Riyadh Park
  • Maharaja East by Vineet, As Sulimaniyah           
  • Mohalla, The Esplanade
  • Molo, Riyadh Front
  • New Anarkali South Indian Restaurant, Al Wurud
  • RUHI Indian Cuisine, The Zone                
  • Zafran Indian Bistro, Northern Ring Road           

ITALIAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Walton St Scallini pasta aalla vongole with clams
Walton St. Scalini, Hittin
  • Annabella Ristorante Italiano, Levels Mall
  • Azzurro, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
  • Cipriani, Hittin
  • Il Baretto, KAFD
  • Mamo Michelangelo, Al Faisaliah Hotel
  • Oulu, As Sulimaniyah
  • San Carlo Cicchetti, As Sulimaniyah
  • Serafina, The Esplanade
  • Signor Sassi, As Sulimaniyah
  • Walton St. Scalini, Hittin

JAPANESE

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Myazu sushi
Myazu Riyadh, As Sulimaniyah
  • Anago, Oud Square
  • Bonzai Japanese Grill, Al Wahah
  • Myazu Riyadh, As Sulimaniyah
  • Nyoko, Rabwa Plaza
  • O-Kazu, Hittin
  • OKKU, Al Olaya
  • OYA, An Nakheel
  • ROKA, As Sulimaniyah
  • Tokyo, As Sulimaniyah
  • Yokari, Centria Mall

LATIN AMERICAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed COYA roast fish
COYA, As Sulimaniyah
  • Cabana, Al Nakheel Mall
  • COYA, As Sulimaniyah
  • Don Ruben’s Mexican Restaurant, Diplomatic Quarter
  • Hotel Cartagena, U Walk
  • MNKY HSE, Hittin  
  • Tacoville, Huna Takhassusi, Panorama Mall
  • The Pampa Grill, Narcissus Hotel
  • Wildfire, Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel & Convention

MENA 

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed AVAK mezze
AVAK, Hittin
  • AVAK, Hittin
  • Beit Omar, Al Olaya
  • Harat, Northern Ring Road        
  • Lavash, Mateen Square
  • Lusin, Centria Mall
  • Maward Armenian Lebanese Restaurant, Alyasmin
  • Mayrig, Al Olaya
  • Naya, voco Riyadh
  • Shababïk, As Sulimaniyah          
  • The Lebanese Bakery, U Walk
  • Ward, Al Urubah Road

NORTH AMERICAN

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Oak Smokehouse ribs platter
OAK Smokehouse, Alyasmin
  • 56th Avenue Diner, Hyatt Regency Riyadh Olaya
  • 7 Ribs, Al Malqa
  • Buttermilk, An Nakheel
  • David Burke, The Zone
  • OAK Smokehouse, Alyasmin
  • Smokey Beards Q, Hittin

SAUDI

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Suhail Saudi beef stew
Suhail, An Nakheel 
  • Al Saeed Restaurant, Al Anwar
  • Al Saudi, Dhahrat Laban
  • Cabrito, Salahuddin
  • Hamsa W Taghmeesa, At Taawun                                       
  • Maqloba, Ar Rayyan
  • Najd Village, Alyasmin                
  • Suhail, An Nakheel
  • Takya, As Sulimaniyah
  • Tameesa, Alyasmin

AFTERNOON TEA

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Four Seasons afternoon tea
Lobby Lounge, Four Seasons Riyadh
  • Acoustic Restaurant & Art Gallery, Al Olaya
  • Chorisia Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
  • Joud Lounge, Al Faisaliah Hotel
  • Lobby Lounge, Four Seasons Riyadh
  • Oplaisir, Al Mohammadiyyah
  • The Coffee Table, Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter
  • The Globe, Al Faisaliah Hotel
  • The Mansion, Al Olaya
  • The Plaza, Fairmont Riyadh
  • Yauatcha, Al Olaya

BUFFET

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Al Orjouan buffet
Al Orjouan, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
  • Al Bustan, Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers
  • Al Orjouan, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
  • Elements, Kingdom Tower, Four Seasons Riyadh
  • Flavours, Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana
  • Goji, Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter
  • Horizon, voco Riyadh
  • La Brasserie, Al Faisaliah Hotel
  • Mazaj, Mövenpick Riyadh
  • Milwan, Le Méridien Riyadh
  • The 365, Fairmont Riyadh

BURGER

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed The California Burger cheeseburger and fries
The California Burger, Al Malqa
  • Black Tap, KAFD                            
  • Burger Boutique, Al Olaya
  • Century Burger, Al Olaya
  • Graffiti Burger, Al Malqa
  • GUNBUN, Pure Center
  • Regal Burger, Alyasmin
  • Section-B, Hittin             
  • The Brgr Joint, Al Izdihar            
  • The California Burger, Al Malqa
  • Wagyu Burger, As Sulimaniyah                 

BREAKFAST

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Zeila avocado, egg waffle
Zeila, Al Hamra
  • Arcomi, The Esplanade
  • Bofia, An Nada
  • Breako, Ar Rahmaniyyah
  • Brekkie, Al Mursalat
  • Chapter, Ar Rabi
  • Flour & Firewood, As Sulimaniyah
  • Ohayou, Hittin
  • Olé, U Walk
  • Opla, Ar Rabi
  • Zeila, Al Hamra

COFFEE 

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Pandemic Coffee iced coffee
Pandemic Coffee, Prince Turki Al Awwal Road 
  • ½ Million, Al Olaya        
  • Cacti, Al Olaya
  • Camel Step, At Taawun
  • Draft Café, As Sulimaniyah
  • Five Elephants, Alyasmin                          
  • Pandemic Coffee, Prince Turki Al Awwal Road                 
  • Sombrero, As Sulimaniyah         
  • Some Coffee Bar, Al Muruj        
  • SOUL CAFÉ, River Walk
  • SPOUT, Al Mohammadiyyah

DESSERT

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Jarlicious chocolate popcorn cake
Jarlicious, An Nakheel
  • Cheat, The Esplanade
  • Chunk, Al Mohammadiyyah      
  • Hanoverian, An Nakheel
  • Jarlicious, An Nakheel
  • Lock, Hittin
  • MÜH, Riyadh Front
  • Over Jar, Riyadh Park
  • Sugarhive, Al Malqa
  • Sweets of Arabia, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
  • Toastic, At Taawun

PIZZA

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Crazy Pizza, pizza
Crazy Pizza, As Sulimaniyah
  • Bones, Al Malqa
  • Blanca Pizzeria, As Sulimaniyah
  • Crazy Pizza, As Sulimaniyah
  • Finzione, Al Malqa
  • Forti Pizzeria, Al Aqiq
  • L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, U Walk
  • La Rustica, Al Olaya
  • Oulu, As Sulimaniyah
  • Pizza Roma, King Fahad National Library
  • The Social Pizzeria, Ar Rabi

STEAKHOUSE

Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards shortlist 2022: nominees revealed Lucca Steakhouse and fries
Lucca, Riyadh Front
  • Beefbar, As Sulimaniyah
  • Florya Steak by Etçi Mehmet, An Nafal
  • Gürkan Şef Steakhouse, The Zone
  • Habra, MEFIC Centre
  • Entrecôte Café de Paris, Al Faisaliah Tower
  • Lucca, Riyadh Front
  • Marble Steakhouse, Al Sharqi
  • Nusr-Et, U Walk
  • Porterhouse, Al Olaya  
  • Sultan’s Steakhouse, Boulevard Riyadh City

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A digital media whizz and keen traveller, Heather Cichowski has lived and worked in cities across the Middle East – and is happiest when sharing her best finds with the world along the way. Luckily,...