Eating, drinking and enjoying the nightlife in Oman

Eating

The food on offer is generally a mixture of Turkish, Indian, Lebanese and pan-Arabic, although Oman does have a distinctive cuisine of its own. Unfortunately trying to find authentic Omani food can be a bit of a challenge as restaurants seem to create dishes that are closer to what they believe their customers will want.

Drinking and Nightlife

It is generally preferable to drink bottled water, although tap water is considered to be safe. Alcohol is only available at certain hotels and restaurants that have a licence and it is usually very expensive. Remember that the massive majority of locals are Muslims who abstain from drinking alcohol and as such you should not go expecting a vibrant nightlife.

Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan will be celebrated in the late summer (2 April-1 May 2022, 22 March-20 April 2023). During Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during daylight hours. As a result hotels in the United Arab Emirates have restrictions on alcohol, food consumption and entertainment between sunrise and sunset. At nightfall these restrictions are lifted and normal eating, drinking and entertainment policies are resumed.

Eid Al Adha falls between sunset on 9-13 July 2022 and 28 June-2 July 2023, and starts with a 24 hour dry day followed by a three day celebration. Please ensure you are aware of these restrictions, and that they are subject to change.