The Torch Doha

You’ll find this great value restaurant on a pedestrianised street on the fringes of the Souq Waqif marketplace, a tourist hotspot that’s home to a range of local retailers and eateries. The appealing menu features authentic Moroccan dishes that are packed with flavour and enhanced by careful spicing; tagine and couscous are their speciality. Desserts such as jawhara are great too, as are the refreshing mocktails – and a mint tea in the plush lounge of the Al Jasra Boutique Hotel, in which the restaurant sits, is a lovely way to end your visit.

To find this spacious restaurant and some of the best steaks in the city, look out for the huge statue of a stag at the heart of the Westin Doha Hotel. As the name suggests, it’s all about the grills here. Premium quality and full-flavoured Australian Black Onyx steaks, a nice piquant sea bass aguachile and even homemade bread flavoured with meat juices are all must-tries on the menu.

Step into this beautiful and spacious dining room and you’ll be warmly welcomed by the gracious team. North African Maghrebian cuisine is the appeal here, with a particular focus on Morocco. Homemade breads are plentiful and delicious, with highlights of the traditional menu including Moroccan tagines – the chicken tagine with lemon and olives is particularly good – and Algerian boureks. The kitchen puts plenty of heart into the cooking and the team even make their own ice cream to satisfy sweet-toothed diners.

This branch of the global brand sits in the grounds of the St Regis hotel but feels entirely independent of it. The dining room features an impressive back-lit counter and remains a place ‘to be seen’ in the city. The extensive menu features plenty of appealingly presented dishes, including all the signature classics – like their Peking duck and dim sum platters – while the desserts are more than an afterthought. If you're not sure what to order, you can't go far wrong by opting for one of their Signature set menus.

The dream of the late Sheikha Ahmed Al Meer – author of 'The Art of Qatari Cooking' – lives on through the proud and caring team who run this restaurant and who are determined to continue her desire to preserve and celebrate the country’s culinary past and to bring it into the 21st century. The traditional cooking is fresh and full of flavour; start your visit with a samosa or the Saasna salad, then the majboos for main course; the wonderful date ice cream is a great way to finish. They have a terrific range of freshly ground seasonings and spices for you to purchase to replicate the flavours

Carefully prepared Cantonese dishes, adapted somewhat to suit local tastes, are the order of the day at this elegant restaurant located at the rear of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Other regions of China are also represented on the wide-ranging à la carte, with dishes like Kung Pao tiger prawns and Peking duck likely to appear. The attractive and contemporary dining room features modern screens for a sense of privacy, with a charming service team always on hand if you need any recommendations.

The first floor of a private members’ club in Doha’s rejuvenated downtown plays host to this impressively chic dining room. The menu offers a showcase of contemporary Levantine dishes, many of which are perfect for sharing. The kitchen takes things up a notch in the evening, including some dishes served from the trolley for an extra dash of theatre. You don’t need to be a member to eat here, but you’ll be tempted to join up after you’ve experienced the caring service and delicious food.