140 curated places · MICHELIN Saudi Arabia 2026, MENA 50 Best and local guides · no Eater coverage
Tap a route and it gets drawn on the map, stop by stop.
Tap a pin to see photos, rating and how to get there by metro, bus or on foot. Turn on a route to follow the numbered path.
This interactive map of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) brings together 140 hand-picked places: 52 attractions, 40 restaurants, 26 cafés and 22 shops. It also includes 5 walking routes with their stops in order. For every place you get what it is, a practical tip and how to get there by public transport. It is free, works on your phone and needs no sign-up.
· Curated by the HOLASIM team · How we make the maps
Tap a route to see it drawn on the map, stop by stop.
7 stops · 4 h · on foot, arrive by taxi · start at 4:30pm · 7 stops
7 stops · 3 h · walk from Qasr Al Hokm metro (L1/L3) · 7 stops
6 stops · 5 h · Blue Line 1 end to end · 6 stops
6 stops · 4 h · Al Malaz metro (L3 Orange) plus a short cab · 6 stops
7 stops · 5 h · metro to KAFD, cabs between stops · 7 stops
الطريف · الدرعية
The 18th-century mud-brick city where the Saud dynasty began, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO site: Najdi alleys at dusk.
Tip: It only opens at 5pm and closes at midnight (last entry 11pm). The Diriyah Pass runs SAR 50-100 depending on the slot and is redeemable as credit at Al-Bujairi restaurants: book on diriyah.sa from your phone before you get in the cab.
🚇 No metro to Diriyah yet: taxi or Uber from downtown, 15-20 min (SAR 25-50)
Featured in: UNESCO · diriyah.sa · Visit Saudi
Show on mapقصر سلوى · الطريف
The largest mud palace in At-Turaif, now a narrative museum on the first Saudi state and its emirs.
Tip: It's inside the At-Turaif enclosure on the same Diriyah Pass, no separate ticket. Allow 45 minutes for this building alone.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa · UNESCO
Show on mapمتحف العمارة التقليدية · الطريف
How a Najdi mud house is built: walls, tamarisk beams, courtyards and why adobe works here.
Tip: The shortest museum in the enclosure (20 min) and the one that best explains the alleys you're about to walk. Start here.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa
Show on mapمتحف الخيل العربي · الطريف
The Arabian horse as engine of the first Saudi state: bloodlines, saddles and Najdi cavalry.
Tip: Included in the Diriyah Pass loop. With kids, it's the favourite of At-Turaif's four museums.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa
Show on mapمتحف التجارة والمال · الطريف
Coins, weights and caravan routes: how a mud-brick emirate financed itself in the middle of the desert.
Tip: The smallest of the four. Short on time, prioritise Salwa and Traditional Architecture.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa
Show on mapوقف الموضي · الطريف
A restored waqf house telling Najdi domestic life and the role women played in old Diriyah.
Tip: Look up at the palm-trunk ceilings and the ventilation: it's the detail that explains why adobe works at 45°C.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa
Show on mapسوق الطريف · الطريف
The rebuilt market inside the UNESCO enclosure: Najdi crafts, dates and coffee from mud-brick stalls.
Tip: Opens with At-Turaif, so after 5pm. Al-Qassim dates and green coffee beans are the souvenir you'll actually use back home.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa
Show on mapمنتزه البجيري · البجيري
Palm groves and viewpoints facing the At-Turaif walls: the best photo of the site is from here, and it's free.
Tip: The park is free and open in daylight, the opposite of At-Turaif. Come at 5:30pm, shoot in low light, then go into the enclosure.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: diriyah.sa · Visit Saudi
Show on mapقصر العوجاء · الدرعية
A restored mud palace on the wadi's edge, one of the least trafficked corners of old Diriyah.
Tip: It sits outside the ticketed loop: viewable from the outside, no box office. Good for stretching the walk before Al-Bujairi.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~17 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapميدان الملك سلمان بالدرعية · الدرعية
Diriyah's new public square, the stage for concerts and for Diriyah Season from November to March.
Tip: On 15 October it's still quiet: Diriyah Season only starts in November. Go now and you'll have it nearly empty.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~13 min
Featured in: Diriyah Gate · prensa local
Show on mapقصر المصمك · الديرة
The 1865 mud fort Abdulaziz stormed in 1902: the spearhead lodged in the door is still there.
Tip: It reopened in 2025 after years of restoration: what older guides say about the closure no longer applies. Entry is free and it shuts on Friday midday.
🚇 Qasr Al Hokm metro (L1 Blue / L3 Orange), 6 min walk
Featured in: Museums Commission · prensa saudí 2025
Show on mapساحة الديرة · الديرة
The stone square facing the Justice Palace, ground zero of old Riyadh and the natural gateway to the souks.
Tip: It fills for Friday midday prayers: if you'd rather avoid the crowd, come Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.
🚇 Courts Complex metro (L3 Orange), 6 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapجامع الإمام تركي بن عبدالله · الديرة
The historic centre's great mosque, pale stone with a vast courtyard, right off Deera Square.
Tip: The interior is for Muslim worshippers; the courtyard and walls read just as well from outside. Wear long sleeves and long trousers or skirt out of respect.
🚇 Courts Complex metro (L3 Orange), 6 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Visit Saudi
Show on mapالمتحف الوطني السعودي · المربع
Eight galleries from the Pleistocene to Vision 2030, with meteorites, Nabataean inscriptions and a Kaaba model.
Tip: Entry is free but the slot is booked online at engage.moc.gov.sa from your phone. Closed Sundays; Thursdays run to 10pm and Friday opens only at 2pm.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 2 min walk
Featured in: Ministry of Culture · engage.moc.gov.sa
Show on mapقصر المربع · المربع
The 1938 mud palace where King Abdulaziz lived, with his Rolls-Royce and the indoor ramp he rode up on horseback.
Tip: It sits inside the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, a 4-minute walk from the National Museum: do both in one trip.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 2 min walk
Featured in: Ministry of Culture · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالقصر الأحمر · الفوطة
A 1943 palace that served as seat of government and King Saud's home, with a pink façade unlike anything nearby.
Tip: Public opening is intermittent and tied to the cultural programme: check before going, and if closed the façade still earns the detour.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 5 min walk
Featured in: Ministry of Culture · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمركز الملك عبدالعزيز التاريخي · المربع
Twenty hectares of gardens, water and Najdi stone stitching the National Museum, Murabba and the Darah into one walk.
Tip: Free and open all day. At sundown it fills with families: the best place downtown to see everyday Riyadh.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Visit Saudi
Show on mapمكتبة الملك عبدالعزيز العامة · الفوطة
A public library with a manuscripts room and a collection of old maps of Arabia open to visitors.
Tip: A perfect refuge when midday bites. Ask at reception for the map room: it isn't signposted but you can visit it.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 4 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapدارة الملك عبدالعزيز · المربع
The Kingdom's historical archive: early photography, unification documents and rotating exhibitions.
Tip: Office hours, Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday, the Saudi weekend, it's closed.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 4 min walk
Featured in: Darah · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapجامع الملك عبدالعزيز · المربع
A pale-stone mosque inside the historical centre, with a shaded courtyard and the minaret that anchors the shot.
Tip: The outer courtyard is open to everyone and gives real shade between museums. The interior is for worshippers only.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبرج المياه · المربع
The 1971 concrete mushroom that was Riyadh's first modern icon, now hugged by Al-Watan park.
Tip: You can't go up: the viewing level is closed. But from the park, in six o'clock light, it's one of downtown's cleanest shots.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة الوطن · المربع
Lawn, fountains and palms between the National Museum and the water tower: downtown Riyadh's urban picnic.
Tip: It fills after sunset prayer, when the heat drops. Bring something to sit on: the benches go fast.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمركز المملكة · العليا
The 302 m inverted arch with a skybridge on floor 99: the view that explains how Riyadh grows.
Tip: Buy the Sky Bridge ticket at the ground-floor counter between Montblanc and Carolina Herrera; about SAR 69. It opens at noon, except Friday when it starts at 4pm. For the light, go up 40 minutes before sunset.
🚇 Al Urubah metro (L1 Blue), 3 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · Kingdom Centre
Show on mapبرج الفيصلية · العليا
Riyadh's first tall tower, by Norman Foster, topped by a glass globe that lights up at dusk.
Tip: The globe is a restaurant and viewing deck by reservation; if you didn't book, the mall below and the plaza give the best shot of it lit.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 2 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمركز الملك عبدالله المالي · مركز الملك عبدالله المالي
A whole district of towers linked by elevated walkways, with its own metro and three lines stopping here.
Tip: KAFD station, by Zaha Hadid, is a sight in itself and the hub of lines 1, 4 and 6. The walkways are air-conditioned: you cross the district without stepping into the heat.
🚇 King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 1 min walk
Featured in: Riyadh Metro · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمركز مؤتمرات كافد · مركز الملك عبدالله المالي
A sculptural white-concrete volume on KAFD's southern edge, one of the district's most photographed buildings.
Tip: Exterior only unless there's an event. Best light hits mid-morning, before the sun flattens the façades.
🚇 King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 10 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة السلام · الدحو
An artificial lake with palms and pedal boats in southern Riyadh, the city's most classic family park.
Tip: Free entry. Thursday and Friday nights are pure family picnic; for a quiet walk, come on a Monday at sunset.
🚇 Courts Complex metro (L3 Orange), 10 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Visit Saudi
Show on mapسد وادي حنيفة · الهدا
The dam that turned a polluted wadi into an 80 km green corridor: water, reeds and bike paths.
Tip: No direct public transport: take a taxi. Come at dawn or after 5pm, when the wadi has people and shade.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: Riyadh Development Authority · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapوادي حنيفة · العريجاء
The wadi's southern stretch, with dirt paths, palm groves and the stone benches where locals stop.
Tip: It's the least touristy stretch of all. No kiosks: bring water and only go down in daylight.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Sultanah metro (L3 Orange), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة جبل أبو مخروق · الضباط
The hill with a hole through it in the middle of the city, ringed by a park with a short, perfect downtown view.
Tip: Ten minutes up the east-side path. The natural arch frames the skyline: come with the sun already low.
🚇 Al Wizarat metro (L5 Green), 10 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمنتزه الملك سلمان · وسط الرياض
The urban park being built over Riyadh's old airport, with sections already open to the public.
Tip: It's phased construction: part of the perimeter is walkable, part is still fenced. Confirm which section is open before you go.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Abu Dhabi Square metro (L5 Green), ~4 min
Featured in: King Salman Park Foundation · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapذا قروڤ · حطين
The tree-lined stretch of Sports Boulevard: 135 km of trails and bike paths crossing Riyadh end to end.
Tip: October is when it becomes usable: after summer, 6pm walking is painless. Rental bikes at the access points.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~8 min
Featured in: Sports Boulevard Foundation · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة الحيوان بالرياض · الملز
Riyadh's historic zoo, opened in 1957, with mature gardens and the only giraffes in the whole city.
Tip: It closes early and has family-only time slots on some days: check before you go if you're travelling alone.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Al Wizarat metro (L5 Green), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Riyadh Municipality
Show on mapحديقة الملك عبدالله · الملز
A park with a lake, a dancing fountain and lit paths: the best free show in all of eastern Riyadh.
Tip: The fountain dances after dark, at intervals. Come around 8pm and stay for two runs.
🚇 Al Malaz metro (L3 Orange), 14 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Riyadh Municipality
Show on mapنادي الفروسية · الملز
Riyadh's historic racecourse, running Arabian thoroughbred meetings through the winter season.
Tip: The racing season starts right now, as the heat breaks. Meetings are usually Fridays: check the Saudi Jockey Club calendar.
🚇 Al Malaz metro (L3 Orange), 14 min walk
Featured in: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة العليا · العليا
A green lung between the towers, with tall grass, palms and shaded benches steps from Tahlia Street.
Tip: The only real green on foot in Olaya. A good break between Al Faisaliah and Tahlia without a cab.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 15 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة مكتبة الملك فهد · العليا
The geometric gardens wrapping the National Library, with its façade of tensioned white sails.
Tip: Gerber's façade is central Olaya's best contemporary architecture and sits 2 minutes from King Fahad Library metro.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 6 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبوليفارد رياض سيتي · حطين
Riyadh Season's flagship zone: pedestrian streets, giant screens, shows and hundreds of restaurants.
Tip: Heads up: it is NOT open year-round. Riyadh Season 2026 opens on 21 October; arriving on the 15th, you'll find it shut. Buy tickets online as soon as sales open.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~9 min
Featured in: General Entertainment Authority · SPA 2026
Show on mapبوليفارد وورلد · حطين
A park rebuilding neighbourhoods from a dozen countries, with navigable canals and a giant wheel.
Tip: Also seasonal: it returns with Riyadh Season from 21 October 2026. Out of season it's closed, it is not a permanent park.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~10 min
Featured in: General Entertainment Authority · SPA 2026
Show on mapمسرح محمد عبده · حطين
The 8,000-seat theatre named for the greatest singer in Arabia, inside the Boulevard complex.
Tip: It only programmes during Riyadh Season. The 2026 line-up drops when the Boulevard opens on 21 October.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~9 min
Featured in: General Entertainment Authority · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبوليفارد رن واي · حطين
The Boulevard's catwalk avenue, with light installations and open-air shows during the season.
Tip: The most photogenic part of the complex at night, but on the same calendar: it opens with Riyadh Season.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~12 min
Featured in: General Entertainment Authority · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapاستاد مدينة الملك فهد الرياضية · المعيزيلة
The 1982 stadium with its Bedouin-tent roof, now being fully rebuilt for the 2034 World Cup.
Tip: Trip-saver: it has been closed for reconstruction since 2023 and the Populous works land at the end of 2026. No tours: view it from outside, off King Fahad Stadium station.
🚇 King Fahad Stadium metro (L2 Red), 8 min walk
Featured in: Populous · StadiumDB · Riyadh Metro
Show on mapملعب الأول بارك · النخيل
Al-Nassr's stadium inside the King Saud University campus, 25,000 seats and loud league nights.
Tip: Mind the name: it stopped being Mrsool Park and is now Al-Awwal Park. Tickets go through the app and sell out fast when Al-Nassr play.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Salman Oasis metro (L2 Red), ~5 min
Featured in: Saudi Pro League · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapملعب الأمير فيصل بن فهد · الملز
Al-Shabab's old 1971 stadium in Malaz, still in use for league football and for athletics meets.
Tip: It keeps its original, sponsor-free name. The cheapest way to see Saudi football live, 15 minutes on foot from Al Malaz metro.
🚇 Al Malaz metro (L3 Orange), 7 min walk
Featured in: Saudi Pro League · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapجامعة الملك سعود · النخيل
A seventies modernist campus with shaded courtyards, an archaeology museum and its own metro station.
Tip: King Saud University is the Red Line 2 terminus. The archaeology museum opens Sunday to Thursday and is free.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~4 min
Featured in: Riyadh Metro · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمتحف صقر الجزيرة للطيران · قاعدة الرياض الجوية
Hangars of fighter jets, helicopters and King Faisal's presidential aircraft, on Riyadh's air base.
Tip: It's a military site: bring your passport and confirm opening times, which shift with the base's schedule. Closed Fridays.
🚇 Riyadh Exhibition Center metro (L2 Red), 18 min walk
Featured in: Royal Saudi Air Force · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحديقة معالم العالم · مغرزات
Scale replicas of world monuments in a neighbourhood park: happy kitsch and a guaranteed photo.
Tip: Cheap entry and far nicer at night, when the replicas light up. With kids, it wins the evening.
🚇 Riyadh Exhibition Center metro (L2 Red), 17 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Riyadh Municipality
Show on mapحديقة الخيمة · الورود
A playground-and-Bedouin-tents park in Al Wurud, with real shade and tables for an outdoor dinner.
Tip: October is Riyadh's picnic month: people pitch a tent and dine outdoors. Bring coffee and dates and copy the custom.
🚇 Al Wurud 2 metro (L1 Blue), 13 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحي السفارات · حي السفارات
The eighties diplomatic quarter, with stone walls, pedestrian trails and reinterpreted Najdi architecture.
Tip: The wadi-side pedestrian trails are open to the public and rank among Riyadh's best walks. Embassy access, obviously, is not.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Visit Saudi
Show on mapجامع الملك خالد · أم الحمام
A monumental eighties mosque in Umm Al Hamam, with a white dome and a huge stone plaza around it.
Tip: The outer plaza is freely visitable and the silhouette at dusk earns the detour. Avoid Friday prayer time if you're not praying.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology metro (L2 Red), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمنتزه سد وادي نمار · نمار
An artificial lake south of Riyadh, with a stone promenade, stepped waterfall and whole families at sunset.
Tip: Far from downtown and off the metro: allow 25-30 minutes by taxi. Worth it to see the Riyadh guides skip.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Sultanah metro (L3 Orange), ~11 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Riyadh Municipality
Show on mapواجهة الرياض للمعارض والمؤتمرات · قرطبة
Northern Riyadh's fairground, home of the International Book Fair and the big trade shows.
Tip: Only worth it when something's on: check the calendar before crossing town. Riyadh's Book Fair usually lands between September and October.
🚇 PNU 1 metro (L4 Yellow), 19 min walk
Featured in: Ministry of Culture · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapقرية نجد · الواحة
Textbook Najdi cooking in halls with floor-level majlis seating: jareesh, matazeez and lamb with Hasawi rice.
Tip: Order the jareesh and the matazeez, which almost no tourist asks for. You eat on the floor: comfortable clothes and easy shoes.
🚇 An Nuzhah metro (L2 Red), 13 min walk
Featured in: MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 (Bib Gourmand)
Show on mapالرومانسية · الروابي
The Saudi chain that turned madfoon and kabsa into a family affair, huge portions at low prices.
Tip: Order the lamb madfoon: cooked underground, literally, and it feeds three. You pay at the counter first and they call you.
🚇 Harun Ar Rasheed Road metro (L3 Orange), 15 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · prensa local
Show on mapميازو · السليمانية
High-end Japanese on Tahlia, the only Riyadh restaurant inside MENA's 50 Best for years running.
Tip: It climbed from 49 to 45 on the 2026 list. Book days ahead: the room is small and the omakase goes fast.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 15 min walk
Featured in: MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 (N.º 45)
Show on mapكايزو · السليمانية
A modern izakaya on Tahlia with robata, sushi and a bar that fills with locals at eleven at night.
Tip: One of Riyadh's seven Bib Gourmands and the most affordable on the Tahlia strip. Sit at the bar and order the robata of the day.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 9 min walk
Featured in: MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 (Bib Gourmand)
Show on mapلوسين · النخيل
White-tablecloth Armenian cooking: manti, lahmajun and rose desserts that have been in town for twenty years.
Tip: Manti with yoghurt and ishli kofte are the must-orders. It's in the MICHELIN 2026 Selection, with no star: none have been awarded in Saudi Arabia yet.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~7 min
Featured in: MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 (Selected)
Show on mapنامو · المحمدية
Korean barbecue with live-coal tables and bottomless banchan, in The Esplanade's dining courtyard.
Tip: Order the bulgogi and let the waiter cook it tableside. The kitchen runs late and serves no alcohol, like everywhere in the country.
🚇 King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology metro (L2 Red), 11 min walk
Featured in: MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 (Selected)
Show on mapكويا · السليمانية
Peruvian-Nikkei with ceviches, tiraditos and a room that hums; the Riyadh take on the London and Dubai classic.
Tip: Dinner starts late in Riyadh: before 9pm the room is empty. The pisco sours here are mocktails, the norm across the Kingdom.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 8 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبيف بار · السليمانية
Beef from around the world in Tahlia's smartest building: wagyu, kobe and a street-food menu worth ordering.
Tip: The street-food menu is half the price of the cuts and twice the fun. Book ahead: it's one of Riyadh's most requested rooms.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 8 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسينيور ساسي · السليمانية
The Knightsbridge Italian classic landed on Tahlia, with handmade pasta and old-school service.
Tip: Order the tagliolini al limone. Unlike the newer rooms, lunch here is just as good.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 15 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسان كارلو تشيكيتي · السليمانية
Small Venetian plates and colourful mosaics: the most photogenic Italian on the Tahlia mile.
Tip: Order several cicchetti to share instead of a main. Window tables if you want the room shot.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 13 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapكريزي بيتزا · السليمانية
Paper-thin Roman pizza that the cooks stretch and spin in the air right in front of your table.
Tip: It's as much show as dinner: with kids, ask for a table near the oven. A second branch sits in Hittin.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 7 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapتشوتو ماتيه · مركز الملك عبدالله المالي
Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei high up in KAFD, with tower views and a neon-washed dining room upstairs.
Tip: Ask for a window table at dusk: all of KAFD lights up. It's steps from KAFD station, the hub of lines 1, 4 and 6.
🚇 King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 3 min walk
Featured in: Time Out Riyadh · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapأنتركوت كافيه دو باري · العليا
One dish since 1959: entrecôte with the secret sauce, fries and walnut salad. Nothing else.
Tip: There's no menu: they sit you and bring the steak. The second helping is included, so don't fill up on bread.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Time Out Riyadh
Show on mapمطعم مكبوس · العليا
A kabsa and machboos house right on King Fahd Road, the kind that fills up at lunchtime every day.
Tip: Chicken machboos with cold laban is the standard Saudi lunch and here it costs a fraction of Tahlia prices.
🚇 Bank Al Bilad metro (L1 Blue), 7 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبيت الشواية · حي الملك فهد
Saudi-style charcoal chicken, golden outside and juicy inside, with rice and garlic sauce.
Tip: Half a chicken with rice and a side of mutabbal is dinner for under SAR 40. Take it away and eat it in the park.
🚇 King Fahad District 2 metro (L1 Blue), 15 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالصاج الذهبي · حي الملك فهد
Lebanese manaqeesh straight off the saj: za'atar, akkawi cheese and the meat wrap that makes a fast dinner.
Tip: Za'atar manqousha with fresh mint is the local breakfast par excellence, under SAR 10.
🚇 King Fahad District 2 metro (L1 Blue), 11 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبي كرم · المحمدية
Long-table Lebanese mezze on Takhassusi: tabbouleh, kibbeh nayyeh and grills for the whole family.
Tip: Order cold mezze to share and a single grill: it's more than enough. Open past midnight.
🚇 King Fahad District metro (L1 Blue), 18 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapجولد سوشي كلوب · النخيل
Dark-room sushi with loud music on the Northern Ring, one of northern Riyadh's most booked Japanese spots.
Tip: Book for after 10pm, when it comes alive. The signature rolls are huge: order one at a time.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Time Out Riyadh
Show on mapأجيو · النخيل
A contemporary trattoria in northern Riyadh, fresh pasta and a short menu that changes often.
Tip: A good fallback if Gold Sushi, on the same block, is full. The terrace only becomes usable from October.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحشوة · الازدهار
Modern Saudi cooking in generous portions, with lamb-and-rice hashwa as the signature plate.
Tip: Order the hashwa for two and a fattoush. Residential area: a taxi is the sane way in.
🚇 Granadia metro (L6 Purple), 19 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapأسطى عاصم · الوادي
Turkish shawarma carved off the spit in full view, fresh bread and a pavement queue every night.
Tip: Get the lamb with sumac. There's a queue: arrive before 8pm or after midnight, when it eases.
🚇 Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 9 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمندي الرياض · الياسمين
Yemeni mandi cooked in an underground oven, with lamb falling off the bone over smoked rice.
Tip: The mandi comes out at fixed times: call ahead and ask when the lamb is ready. You eat with your right hand.
🚇 Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Group metro (L1 Blue), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapديل مار · الغدير
Fish and shellfish from the Gulf and the Red Sea, grilled or fried, in the north of the city.
Tip: Pick your fish at the counter and ask for it salt-baked. Hamour and safi are the two Gulf fish to try.
🚇 Ar Rabi metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 8 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapتاكوسون · الصحافة
Tacos al pastor and birria in northern Riyadh, one of the Mexican spots that caught on in the city.
Tip: Birria with consommé is the order. Afternoon-to-night hours; it may be shut at lunchtime.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Ar Rabi metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapعبد الرحمن الحلاب وأولاده · السليمانية
The century-old Tripoli sweet house: hot cheese knafeh nabulsieh, baklava and sahlab ice cream.
Tip: Order the na'ameh knafeh straight off the griddle, with orange-blossom syrup on the side. It doesn't keep: eat it there.
🚇 Ad Dhabab metro (L5 Green), 1 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapباب اليمن · البجيري
Yemeni cooking in Al-Bujairi: mandi, saltah in a stone pot and fresh tandoor bread facing At-Turaif.
Tip: Order the saltah with whipped fenugreek: Yemen's national dish and almost nobody asks for it. Terrace facing the lit walls.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapبرانش آند كيك · البجيري
Long breakfasts and towering cakes in Al-Bujairi, hanging plants and a terrace facing the wadi.
Tip: It opens at 9am, long before At-Turaif: breakfast here and enter the enclosure at 5pm. People come just for the pistachio pancake.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapأولو · البجيري
Chef-driven cooking in Diriyah with Saudi produce: camel, jareesh wheat and Al-Qassim vegetables.
Tip: Try the camel if you never have: here it's handled as a prime cut, not a tourist curiosity.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapكينتان · الوادي
Japanese yakiniku with a grill in the table and wagyu by the cut, in the north of the city.
Tip: Order the A5 wagyu set and the rice with raw egg: the house pairing.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبينيهانا · التعاون
Teppanyaki with knife theatrics, the classic that works in Riyadh as a Thursday family night out.
Tip: Book a teppanyaki table, not a regular one: without the chef in front of you it loses half its charm.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapشيزان · العليا
A thirty-year-old Indian-Pakistani in Olaya: biryani, karahi and tandoor bread straight out.
Tip: The Friday lamb biryani sells out before 3pm. Excellent value right in the centre.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 4 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapشيكارا · الرحمانية
Kashmiri cooking on King Fahd Road: rogan josh, yakhni and sheermal bread, rare in this city.
Tip: Ask for the wazwan if you're in a group: a multi-course feast that needs notice in advance.
🚇 Al Urubah metro (L1 Blue), 5 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapحمص بلدنا · الورود
Warm hummus with pine nuts, foul and msabbaha: the Levantine breakfast Riyadh eats at any hour.
Tip: Order hummus bil lahmeh with fresh bread and mint tea. Opens early, one of few options at 8am.
🚇 Al Wurud 2 metro (L1 Blue), 5 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapيمال الشام · السلامة
Classic Syrian in Olaya: kibbeh, shish barak and the fattet makdous that draws a Thursday queue.
Tip: Shish barak, little dumplings in warm yoghurt, is the dish you won't find in the new rooms.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 18 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapكشري أبو طارق · السليمانية
Egyptian koshary in Riyadh: lentils, rice, noodles, chickpeas and fried onion in one unbeatable bowl.
Tip: The large bowl is under SAR 20 and genuinely fills you. Ask for the chilli sauce on the side and the garlic vinegar.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapتوينة · المحمدية
Griddled seafood in The Esplanade, fish of the day and a short menu that moves with the catch.
Tip: It shares the courtyard with Namu: if one is full, the other usually has a table. Fifteen minutes on foot from At Takhassussi metro.
🚇 King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology metro (L2 Red), 11 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapإيليت بخاري جريل · العريجاء الغربية
Bukhari rice with charcoal lamb in southern Riyadh, a Central Asian flavour that arrived with the pilgrimage.
Tip: Bukhari rice with carrot and raisins is not kabsa, and nobody explains that to visitors. Order it with lamb.
🚇 Ad Douh metro (L3 Orange), 13 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبوف · النزهة
Smash-patty burgers and cheddar fries, one of the Saudi burger projects that genuinely took off.
Tip: A local brand, not an international chain. Get the double with house sauce: it's why the queue exists.
🚇 Riyadh Exhibition Center metro (L2 Red), 9 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapفلفلة · الأندلس
All-day Arab breakfasts: foul, falafel, shakshuka and mint tea in a permanently full room.
Tip: Order the foul with olive oil and lemon, and the just-fried falafel. Four blocks from Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road metro.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Khurais Road metro (L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapهاشم · الملز
Jordanian falafel and foul sandwiches in Malaz, cheap, fast and open until very late at night.
Tip: Three sandwiches and a tea come to under SAR 20. This is the Malaz neighbourhood's dinner, not a tourist proposition.
🚇 Al Malaz metro (L3 Orange), 19 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapإم شريف كافيه · المحمدية
An all-day Lebanese café on Takhassusi, with mezze, pastry and a floral room that is an Instagram staple.
Tip: One of Riyadh's seven Bib Gourmands, and it's a café, not a formal restaurant. Get the breakfast knafeh and the cardamom Lebanese coffee.
🚇 At Takhassussi metro (L2 Red), 13 min walk
Featured in: MICHELIN Guide Saudi Arabia 2026 (Bib Gourmand)
Show on mapخطوة جمل · التعاون
A 2014 Saudi roaster, one of those that pushed third wave in the Kingdom: filters, Jazan coffee and cupping classes.
Tip: Ask for the Jazan coffee, grown in Saudi Arabia's southwestern mountains: the only Arabian specialty origin you'll taste here.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from An Nuzhah metro (L2 Red), ~8 min
Featured in: Saudi Coffee Company · prensa de specialty
Show on mapإلكسير بن · النخيل
One of the oldest Saudi roasters, strong on East African origins and with its own espresso blend.
Tip: They sell beans and brewing gear: the best place to take home real Saudi coffee instead of a fridge magnet.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~8 min
Featured in: prensa de specialty saudí
Show on map% أرابيكا · العقيق
The Kyoto roaster in Riyadh: white bar, impeccable latte art and the city's most orderly queue.
Tip: The iced Kyoto latte is what everyone orders. It's a roastery too, not just a café: you can watch the drum work.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · prensa de specialty
Show on mapبيت التحميص · حطين
A direct-trade Saudi roaster with nano-lots from Ethiopia, Colombia and Jazan, and a serious filter bar.
Tip: Order the nano-lot of the month as a V60 and talk to the barista: this is the house that explains the most.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~8 min
Featured in: prensa de specialty saudí
Show on mapكور كوفي · الندى
A northern roastery with a filter bar, a communal table and an office crowd at almost all hours.
Tip: A good place to work: sockets, wifi and big tables. Opens early, rare in Riyadh.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapريبوزيتوري · الندى
An industrial-design roastery up north, light roasts and a long list of alternative brew methods.
Tip: Order the Chemex for two if you're with someone: it comes with tasting notes and earns the time.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~7 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapوايت روستري · الوادي
A white, minimal roastery on Uthman Ibn Affan Road, with its own beans and a neighbourhood crowd.
Tip: It's on the same avenue as Uthman Bin Affan Road station, lines 4 and 6: combine it with a northern loop.
🚇 Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 9 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمقهى فيندور · حي الملك فيصل
An eastern Riyadh specialty café with a short bar, its own roast and a lot of people studying.
Tip: An untouristed area: taxi in. It opens late and closes very late, Riyadh's normal rhythm.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road metro (L2 Red), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapهاف مليون · المصيف
A Saudi specialty chain that spread across half the Gulf, own roast and a much-ordered date latte.
Tip: Order the date latte: the Saudi take on sweet milk coffee, and it doesn't exist outside the region.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Al Murooj metro (L1 Blue), ~5 min
Featured in: prensa de specialty saudí · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapدرافت كافيه · النخيل
A roomy café in U Walk, terrace onto the pedestrian promenade and a fixed crowd of people working.
Tip: The terrace only works from October; in summer it's impossible. Outside table at sunset and done.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Salman Oasis metro (L2 Red), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Time Out Riyadh
Show on mapبرو 92 · الندى
The Jeddah roaster that became the country's most consistent specialty chain, now settled in Riyadh.
Tip: If you don't know what to order, the 92 blend as espresso is the Saudi benchmark. They sell beans to take away.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: prensa de specialty saudí · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapكويارد · السلامة
A 2018 Saudi roaster with its own brewing approach and a bean counter to take home with you.
Tip: One of the few serious specialty cafés near the historic centre: a good break between the National Museum and Olaya.
🚇 Al Wizarat metro (L5 Green), 18 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapفابريكا دي كافيه · العقيق
A specialty bar in Hittin with the roaster on show and the best pastry in the whole district.
Tip: Five minutes on foot from % Arabica: do both and compare the roasts.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسكوير هاوس · المربع
A specialty café near the historic centre, one of the few with serious beans in that area.
Tip: Seven minutes on foot from Passport Department station: a lifesaver when downtown midday is winning.
🚇 Passport Department metro (L1 Blue), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapأو تو كوفي · المصيف
A northern Riyadh specialty bar, with barrel cold brew and a short list of brewing methods.
Tip: Cold brew with tonic is Riyadh's October drink: the heat drops but still asks for ice.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Al Murooj metro (L1 Blue), ~7 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapنهار · النرجس
A clean-lined specialty café in the far north, very strong on contemporary Saudi pastry work.
Tip: Try the date and tahini dessert: the modern take on the lifelong Saudi sweet.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Group metro (L1 Blue), ~10 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمقهى كلمات · الغدير
A bookshop-café on King Abdulaziz Road, with shelves of Arabic books and tables for lingering.
Tip: Open very late with an Arabic poetry section: the kind of place no Spanish-language guide lists.
🚇 Ar Rabi metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), 9 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapهيتكا · الورود
A specialty café on King Abdullah Road, with its own house blend and a seasonal cold brew.
Tip: Ten minutes on foot from Al Wurud station on Red Line 2: one of the few specialty bars with a metro nearby.
🚇 Al Wurud metro (L2 Red), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapكافيه بتيل · البجيري
The Saudi date house turned café: qahwa with premium dates, facing the walls of At-Turaif.
Tip: Order the Saudi qahwa, green coffee with cardamom and saffron served with dates: the Kingdom's welcome rite, done properly here.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~14 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapآرتشي · البجيري
A design café in Al-Bujairi, with a wadi-facing terrace and chef-driven Saudi pastry every day.
Tip: It opens in the morning, when At-Turaif is still shut: ideal for arriving early in Diriyah and waiting out 5pm.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapمخبز ليرس · العليا
An artisan bakery in Olaya with sourdough, laminated croissants and an excellent date bread.
Tip: Date bread is the easiest edible souvenir to carry. It sells out before noon.
🚇 Al Inma Bank metro (L1 Blue), 7 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمنش بيكري · العليا
A Saudi bakery that started in Jeddah and is now a fixture: croissants, cookies and milk bread.
Tip: The pistachio cookie is the classic. Open late and one of the few bakeries with tables in Olaya.
🚇 Bank Al Bilad metro (L1 Blue), 13 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapتشاي · الوادي
A northern tea house serving karak, masala chai and Gulf-style green tea with plenty of mint.
Tip: Karak, black tea with condensed milk and cardamom, is the Gulf's real night drink. It costs SAR 5.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Uthman Bin Affan Road metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالرشيد للحلويات · المربع
A classic downtown sweet shop: baklava, basbousa and date maamoul by weight, as it has always been done.
Tip: Buy a quarter kilo assorted and ask them to explain each one. Date maamoul is the one that survives the flight.
🚇 National Museum metro (L1 Blue / L5 Green), 10 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapفخر الكيف للقهوة العربية · الشفا
A traditional qahwa house in the south: green coffee with cardamom poured from a copper dallah, with dates.
Tip: This is the opposite of specialty: real Saudi qahwa, very pale, heavily spiced, unsweetened, with a date alongside.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Al Iman Hospital metro (L1 Blue), ~13 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسوق الزل · الديرة
Riyadh's oldest souk: Najdi rugs, copper dallahs, Bedouin antiques and a daily carpet auction.
Tip: Opens in the morning and again after afternoon prayer. Haggling is expected: offer half and close around seventy per cent.
🚇 Courts Complex metro (L3 Orange), 3 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسوق الثميري · الديرة
The historic shopping street beside Masmak: perfumes, oud, fabrics, spices and souvenirs at local prices.
Tip: Two minutes from Masmak and where Saudis shop, not tourists. Ask to see the Cambodian oud even if you don't buy.
🚇 Qasr Al Hokm metro (L1 Blue / L3 Orange), 6 min walk
Featured in: Visit Saudi · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسوق الحراج · منفوحة
Riyadh's biggest flea market: old furniture, radios, Bedouin chests and anything imaginable.
Tip: Thursday afternoon and Friday are when the good stuff appears. For a real old chest or dallah, it's here, not the tourist souk.
🚇 Al Iman Hospital metro (L1 Blue), 6 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · prensa local
Show on mapالفيصلية مول · العليا
The mall under Foster's tower: international brands, the gourmet supermarket and direct access to the globe.
Tip: Two minutes from King Fahad Library station on Blue Line 1. The basement supermarket has Al-Qassim dates at normal prices.
🚇 King Fahad Library metro (L1 Blue), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسنتريا مول · العليا
A compact mall on Olaya Street with luxury brands and the most used food court in downtown.
Tip: A good air-conditioned refuge when midday bites: twelve minutes on foot from Bank Al Bilad station.
🚇 Bank Al Bilad metro (L1 Blue), 2 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبانوراما مول · شمال المعذر
A neighbourhood mall on Takhassusi with Gulf brands, cinemas and a whole floor of Arabian perfumery.
Tip: The perfumery floor is the city's best place to compare oud without souk pressure.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Bank Al Bilad metro (L1 Blue), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالنخيل مول · النزهة
One of the big northern malls, with international brands, a cinema and a large kids' play zone.
Tip: No metro station next door: the nearest is Riyadh Exhibition Center, 1.8 km away. Taxi is sensible.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Riyadh Exhibition Center metro (L2 Red), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالرياض بارك · النخيل
A bright, open mall in the northwest, a restaurant terrace and the brands other centres lack.
Tip: The terrace only becomes enjoyable from October, once the heat breaks. Cinema, courtyard and brands in one trip.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapيو ووك · النخيل
An open-air retail district with pedestrian streets, cinemas and a high density of specialty cafés.
Tip: It's open-air: unviable May to September, but from October it's one of Riyadh's best night walks.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Salman Oasis metro (L2 Red), ~6 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapذا اسبلاناد · المحمدية
A design-led dining and retail courtyard on Takhassusi, chef-driven restaurants and independent shops.
Tip: Fifteen minutes on foot from At Takhassussi station on Red Line 2. More chef-led courtyard than classic mall.
🚇 King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology metro (L2 Red), 10 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالزلّال · البجيري
Diriyah's retail promenade, contemporary Saudi craft, local brands and cafés facing the wadi.
Tip: This is where you find Saudi design labels without luxury-mall pricing. It opens in the morning, unlike At-Turaif.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Saud University metro (L2 Red), ~15 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Diriyah Gate
Show on mapروشن فرونت · قرطبة
An open-air retail district by the airport, with terraces, cinemas and international brands.
Tip: Mind the name: it stopped being Riyadh Front. It sits on the way to King Khalid airport, a good plan for the last afternoon.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from PNU 1 metro (L4 Yellow), ~4 min
Featured in: Roshn · OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمركز غرناطة · غرناطة
A northeastern mall with an indoor lake, a cinema and one of the largest food halls in town.
Tip: It has its own metro 400 m away: Granadia on Purple Line 6. One of the few genuinely connected malls.
🚇 Granadia metro (L6 Purple), 7 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap · Riyadh Metro
Show on mapسوليتير مول · الربيع
A luxury mall in the north, watchmakers, high-end brands and a calm gallery without crowds.
Tip: This is where you buy a watch in Riyadh. Twelve minutes by taxi from Ar Rabi station, lines 4 and 6.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Ar Rabi metro (L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapعبدالصمد القرشي · حطين
The historic Saudi perfumer: oud, agarwood, musk and bespoke blends mixed right at the counter.
Tip: Ask to smell the Cambodi and the Hindi oud side by side. Small bottles exist: you don't need to spend a fortune.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~9 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالعربية للعود · الصحافة
The Arab world's largest oud house, with house blends, incense sticks and resin burners too.
Tip: Bakhoor tablets are the Saudi souvenir you'll actually use: cheap, light and it perfumes a whole house.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Group metro (L1 Blue), ~5 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapأحمد المغربي للعطور · الديرة
A classic perfumery steps from Deera Square, one of those that has sold oud to the neighbourhood for decades.
Tip: It's on the Masmak and Souq Al Zal circuit: all walkable from Qasr Al Hokm station.
🚇 Courts Complex metro (L3 Orange), 4 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمكتبة جرير · العليا
The Saudi bookshop par excellence: Arabic and English books, stationery, electronics and maps of the Kingdom.
Tip: A good place for a physical map of the Kingdom and Saudi photography books. Open until midnight.
🚇 Al Inma Bank metro (L1 Blue), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapبتيل إلان · قرطبة
The premium Saudi date house: stuffed dates, date chocolates and the gift boxes everyone takes home.
Tip: Medjool dates stuffed with pistachio are the easiest Saudi souvenir to fly with. Ask for the wooden box.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from PNU 1 metro (L4 Yellow), ~4 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapالرفاعي · الياسمين
Nuts roasted to order, pistachios, green coffee and spices by weight, a Levantine classic.
Tip: Buy Saudi green coffee from Jazan by weight and roast it at home: the souvenir no other traveller will have.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Group metro (L1 Blue), ~8 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapسوق طيبة · حي الملك فهد
A covered market in Olaya with traditional perfumes, fabrics, abayas and costume jewellery at local prices.
Tip: This is where real abayas and thobes are bought, not souvenir-shop ones. Haggling is fine.
🚇 King Fahad District 2 metro (L1 Blue), 3 min walk
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on mapمجمع لوميير · حطين
A design gallery in Hittin with independent shops, concept stores and emerging Saudi labels.
Tip: This is where you find the Saudi design labels the big malls don't stock. No metro: taxi from KAFD.
🚇 No station nearby: taxi from King Abdullah Financial District metro (L1 Blue / L4 Yellow / L6 Purple), ~10 min
Featured in: OpenStreetMap
Show on map