Petra's good restaurants are almost all in Wadi Musa, the small town that runs uphill from the archaeological park's visitor centre. Inside the site itself you have only two sit-down choices, so your eating plan matters as much as your walking plan: where to have breakfast before a 6:00 start, what to carry in, where to eat lunch 4 km into the ruins and where to recover in the evening.
This guide covers 10 places, from a buffet among the ruins to a cooking class and a bar inside a Nabataean cave, with price bands, timing and the trade-offs of each. Street falafel or shawarma costs 2 to 4 JD, and a one-day Petra ticket is 50 JD, so food is a small part of the budget if you plan it. For the wider trip, see our Petra guide and our Jordan travel page.
How we chose these restaurants: We looked for places that suit how people actually visit Petra: a long day on foot, an early start and a tired evening. Each one was checked in October 2026 against current listings and the Jordan Tourism Board. Restaurants in Wadi Musa change owners and hours often, especially in the low season, so confirm on arrival.
Petra restaurants compared: quick comparison table
Restaurants in Petra and Wadi Musa range from The Basin inside the ancient city, a $$$ stop for lunch mid-hike, to budget home cooking at My Mom's Recipe in Wadi Musa. Petra Kitchen near the gate runs a cooking class for 35 JD, and The Basin and the Cave Bar serve alcohol. Price bands: $ means a budget meal, $$ a standard sit-down meal, $$$ hotel or buffet pricing.
| # | Restaurant | Location | Price | Best for | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Basin | Inside Petra | $$$ | Lunch mid-hike | Yes |
| 2 | Al Qantarah | Wadi Musa | $$ | Jordanian buffet | No |
| 3 | Petra Kitchen | Near the gate | 35 JD | Cooking class | No |
| 4 | Cave Bar | Beside the gate | $$–$$$ | Drinks in a cave | Yes |
| 5 | My Mom's Recipe | Wadi Musa | $–$$ | Home cooking | No |
| 6 | Reem Beladi | Town centre | $–$$ | Grills | No |
| 7 | Red Cave | Tourist street | $$ | Mansaf | No |
| 8 | Oriental | Tourist street | $$ | Families | No |
| 9 | Sandstone | Near the gate | $ | Value | No |
| 10 | Mövenpick | Opposite the gate | $$$ | Special dinner | Yes |
Best restaurants in Petra and Wadi Musa: full guide
The Basin Restaurant
The Basin is one of only two restaurants inside the archaeological park, run by the Crowne Plaza Petra resort, and it is licensed. It sits at the far end of the Colonnaded Street near Qasr al-Bint, about 4 km from the visitor centre, which is where most people reach lunchtime on a full day in Petra. That location is the whole point: you avoid walking back to Wadi Musa and losing two hours of daylight.
Lunch is an international buffet with Jordanian mezze, salads, grills and desserts, plus a fresh juice bar. Unusually for Wadi Musa, the Basin serves beer and wine. Tables sit under shade cloth with a view of the cliffs, and the room fills quickly between 12:30 and 14:00 when guided groups arrive, so come before or after that window.
Expect hotel-buffet prices ($$$), well above what you would pay in town. Many travellers pack a lunch instead and use the Basin only for a cold drink before the climb to the Monastery, which starts nearby.
For a sit-down lunch mid-hike, this is the place to fuel up before the 800-plus steps up to the Monastery.
Al Qantarah Restaurant
Close to the main road into Wadi Musa, near the town entrance and the Mousa Spring area, Al Qantarah is often named the best place in town for traditional Jordanian food. There is no à la carte menu: lunch and dinner are a set buffet ($$) of hot dishes, mezze and salads, which makes it a reliable first meal if you do not yet know Jordanian dishes by name.
Look for maqluba (the "upside-down" rice with chicken and vegetables), mansaf on some days, stuffed vegetables and a long table of salads, hummus and mutabbal. Desserts lean on knafeh and sweet semolina cakes.
It is popular with tour groups, which keeps the food turning over but makes the room noisy at peak times. Independent travellers get a calmer meal by arriving early in the evening.
You can taste many Jordanian dishes in one sitting here. Ask staff which hot dishes are vegetarian; several usually are.
Petra Kitchen (cooking class and dinner)
Every evening, Petra Kitchen, on the tourist street a few minutes' walk up from the visitor centre, runs a hands-on cooking workshop where you cook your own dinner. A local cook leads a small group through a full home-style Jordanian meal: soup, cold mezze such as baba ghanoush and fattoush, cheese sambousek and a main course, and you eat everything together at the end with take-home recipes.
The evening workshop's October 2026 listing is 35 JD per person including dinner and soft drinks, and it starts around 18:00 to 18:30. It runs about three hours, so it fits neatly after a day on the trails when you want something more social than another restaurant.
It is a cooking class first and a restaurant second, so skip it if you are exhausted and just want to be served. Reserve a day or two ahead in spring and autumn.
Couples, families and solo travellers who want to meet people get the most from it. Book ahead in peak season.
The Cave Bar, Petra Guest House
Few bars anywhere have a setting like this one: a 1st-century Nabataean rock-cut space attached to the Petra Guest House hotel, metres from the visitor centre. The walls are the original sandstone, lit low, with alcoves and cushioned seating. After a day of walking, it is the most convenient drink in Petra: you come out of the gate and you are there.
The kitchen serves bar food and simple grills, plus a Jordanian mezze selection. Beer and wine are available, which is rare in Wadi Musa. Prices ($$–$$$) are higher than in town because of the setting and the licence.
The atmosphere and a drink at sunset or early evening are the reasons to come; a long dinner is better elsewhere. It is also a practical place to wait before Petra by Night starts on the evenings it runs.
After the hike, ask for a seat in one of the inner alcoves, which are quieter.
My Mom's Recipe Restaurant
My Mom's Recipe, on the tourist street in Wadi Musa, does what the name promises: home-style Jordanian cooking served without fuss. Travellers return for the friendly service, the free mint tea and the small dessert brought with the bill, and the bill itself stays modest ($–$$).
The menu covers grills, maqluba, stews and mezze, with clear vegetarian options. Portions are generous, so two people can share a main and a couple of cold starters.
It is a small, family-run room, so it fills on busy evenings. Walk-ins usually work if you come early, for lunch or an early dinner.
Budget travellers who want a sit-down meal should leave room for the complimentary sweet.
Reem Beladi Restaurant
Near the roundabout at the centre of Wadi Musa, at the far end of the main tourist street, Reem Beladi draws both locals and visitors. The draw is the charcoal grill: shish tawouk, kofta and mixed grills served with hummus, salads and fresh bread.
It is a good choice for dinner when you want quick, filling food at local prices ($–$$) without a buffet. Takeaway is easy if you want to eat back at your hotel.
The room is plain and busy, and the grill is what earns it a place here.
For a casual dinner, order a mixed grill platter to share and add a plate of hummus.
Red Cave Restaurant
Decorated to look like a rock-cut cave, Red Cave is a long-running restaurant on the street leading up to the visitor centre. It is a convenient lunch or dinner stop with a menu of Bedouin and Jordanian dishes, including mansaf (lamb cooked in jameed, a dried fermented yoghurt, and served over rice).
Because it is close to the gate, prices ($$) are a little higher than in the town centre, but it saves a walk at the end of a long day, which makes it a good late lunch after leaving the site.
Order mansaf here if you want to try Jordan's national dish and the buffet places do not have it that day. Share one portion; it is rich and heavy.
Oriental Restaurant
A short walk from the gate on the tourist street, Oriental Restaurant has a broad menu that covers Bedouin specials such as mansaf, plus grills, pasta and pizza for less adventurous eaters. That range ($$) makes it a practical choice for families, mixed groups and a first lunch on arrival day.
It has a terrace that works well on mild evenings in spring and autumn. Service can be slow when coach groups fill the room.
Check the bill carefully at all restaurants near the gate: many Wadi Musa restaurants add a 10% service charge and 7% sales tax. Ask whether they are included before ordering.
Sandstone Restaurant
Quick and cheap ($), Sandstone is a casual place near the visitor centre known for rotisserie chicken and kebabs. It suits travellers who want something fast and filling for an early dinner ahead of a 6:00 start at the site.
Order a half or whole chicken with rice, garlic sauce and salads, or a kebab plate. It is also a sensible place to pick up takeaway to carry into Petra the next day.
Expect a simple, functional room. Hours can be shorter in the low season.
On value it is hard to beat. Buy an extra wrap for the next day's trail lunch.
Al Iwan and Al Saraya at Mövenpick Resort Petra
Directly opposite the visitor centre, the Mövenpick Resort Petra has two main restaurants, Al Iwan and Al Saraya. The building is decorated in a lavish Arab style, and the hotel restaurants are the most polished dining near the site, with international and Middle Eastern menus and buffets.
Book here for a celebratory dinner or a calm, air-conditioned lunch after the heat of the trails. The hotel bar and roof terrace are a good spot for a drink at sunset before dinner.
Prices are international hotel prices ($$$). Non-guests are welcome, but book dinner in peak months. It is the obvious special-occasion choice, within a minute of the gate.
Where to eat inside Petra versus in Wadi Musa
Inside the park, your options are the two restaurants near Qasr al-Bint and the small Bedouin stalls along the trails, which sell tea, juice, water and snacks at prices that rise the further in you go. The stalls near the Monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice charge the most, because everything arrives by donkey.
The simplest plan for a full day is to eat a big breakfast at your hotel, carry two litres of water per person, a sandwich and fruit, and treat the Basin as an optional treat. Then eat properly in Wadi Musa in the evening. Restaurants near the gate cost more than those around the central roundabout, a 10 to 15 minute walk or short taxi ride uphill.
If you are coming from Amman, Petra is about three hours by road, and many visitors combine it with Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Check our hotel search for Wadi Musa stays, and our visa page for entry rules, which depend on your passport. The Jordan Pass, sold on the official Jordan Pass website, bundles Petra entry with the visa fee for many nationalities who stay at least three nights.
Tips for eating well on a Petra trip
- Pack lunch the night before. Many hotels in Wadi Musa prepare a boxed lunch if you ask the evening before. It saves money and time inside the site.
- Water first. Carry at least two litres each. Stalls inside sell water, but prices climb with every staircase.
- Read the bill. Many Wadi Musa restaurants add a 10% service charge and 7% sales tax. Ask before ordering if prices on the menu include them.
- Alcohol is limited. Only hotel restaurants, the Basin and a few bars such as the Cave Bar serve alcohol. Most local restaurants do not.
- Ramadan timing. During Ramadan, some local restaurants close at lunch and open at sunset; hotel restaurants keep serving visitors.
- Try the street food. Falafel and shawarma sandwiches around central Wadi Musa cost about 2 to 4 JD and make a quick, filling lunch to carry in.
- Time dinner around Petra by Night. The official Visit Petra site (checked October 2026) lists Petra by Night from Sunday to Thursday, 8:30 to about 10:30 pm, at 30 JD (free under 10). You need a daytime ticket or Jordan Pass to buy it, and the Jordan Pass does not include it, so book an early dinner near the gate.
Planning a trip to Jordan? Read our Jordan travel guide or search flights.
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