Quick answer: Arabic food is the cooking of the Arab world, from Lebanon and Syria to the Gulf, Egypt and Morocco. A meal is built on shared mezze, grilled meat, rice, flatbread and spices such as cumin, sumac and cardamom. For Arabic food in Bangkok, Al Saray serves a 100% halal Lebanese menu with dishes from the Gulf, Egypt and North Africa at three branches, in Silom, Sathorn and Soonvijai, with hummus from ฿165.
Arabic food Bangkok guide: what is Arabic cuisine?
Arabic cuisine covers the food of the 22 member states of the Arab League. A typical meal starts with several small plates placed in the middle of the table (mezze), moves on to grilled meat or a rice dish, and ends with sweets made from nuts, semolina, syrup or flower water. Flatbread is on the table at nearly every meal. Halal Arabic cooking uses no pork and no alcohol.
- Bread. Torn by hand and used to scoop mezze instead of a spoon. At Al Saray, Lebanese Bread is ฿20.
- Chickpeas, sesame and aubergine. The base of hummus, tahini and baba ghanouj.
- Spices and sour notes. Cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, sumac, za’atar, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses.
- Lamb and chicken. The main meats, grilled on skewers or slow-cooked over rice.
- Rice. Central to Gulf cooking. The Levant leans more on bread and mezze.
What are the main regional styles of Arabic food?
Arabic food changes from region to region. These are the four styles you meet most often, and the dish that represents each one on the Al Saray menu.
| Region | Countries | What marks it | Try at Al Saray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levant | Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine | Mezze, olive oil, lemon, fresh herbs, grilled skewers | Hummus ฿165, Fattouch ฿180, Shish Tawook ฿380 |
| Gulf and Arabian Peninsula | Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen | Spiced rice cooked with lamb or chicken, cardamom, dried lime | Kabsa Chicken ฿420 (Silom, Soonvijai), Lamb Ouzi ฿650 |
| Egypt | Egypt | Beans and lentils, baked puddings and pastries | Oum Ali ฿280 |
| North Africa | Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya | Slow-cooked soups and stews with spice blends | Harrira Soup ฿260 (Sathorn) |
Prices are the Silom menu price unless a branch is named. Sathorn charges ฿180 for Hummus, ฿220 for Fattouch, and Soonvijai ฿340 for Shish Tawook.
Is Lebanese food Arabic food?
Yes. Lebanon is an Arab country in the Levant, and Lebanese cooking is one of the Levantine styles of Arabic food. Al Saray calls itself an authentic Lebanese and Indian restaurant, so most of its Arabic dishes are Lebanese, with a few from the Gulf, Egypt and North Africa on the same menu.
If you want a starting order of Lebanese dishes, read the beginner’s guide to Lebanese food. This page looks at the wider Arabic table.
Which Arabic dishes can you order at Al Saray?
These are the Arabic food choices on the current menus of Al Saray’s three Bangkok branches. A price in brackets is where one branch charges differently.
- Cold mezze. Hummus ฿165 (Sathorn ฿180), Baba Ghanouj ฿220, Mutable Batenjan ฿220 (smoked eggplant with tahini), Walnut Muhamara ฿220, Labneh with Kalamata Olives ฿220 (Sathorn ฿240) and Vine Leaves ฿260 (Sathorn ฿280).
- Hot mezze. Meat Kebbeh ฿260 (Sathorn ฿280), fried bulgur stuffed with minced lamb and pine nuts. Falafel ฿260 (Sathorn ฿280). Hot Mezzeh to Share ฿480 puts kebbeh, cheese roll, samosa, sambousek and spinach fatayer on one plate, the dish on this page’s cover.
- From the grill. Shish Tawook ฿380 (Soonvijai ฿340), Lamb Kofta ฿420 (Soonvijai ฿360) and the Extra Mixed Grill Platter ฿899 (Soonvijai ฿699), a chef’s recommendation at every branch. Al Saray’s guide to Arabic grills and mezze goes through the full grill menu.
- Rice dishes. Lamb Ouzi ฿650, oriental rice with lamb and gravy, a chef’s recommendation at all three branches. Kabsa Chicken ฿420, kabsa rice with baby chicken, at Silom and Soonvijai. Fish Sayadieh, fish on cumin-flavoured basmati rice with caramelised onions, ฿460 at Silom and Soonvijai and ฿490 at Sathorn.
- Only at Sathorn. Harrira Soup ฿260 (tomato, lentils, chickpeas and lamb), Chicken Shawarma ฿380 and Beef Shawarma ฿520. Okra Stew with Lamb (฿420) is on all three menus.
- Desserts. Oum Ali ฿280 (bread pudding with mixed nuts and blossom water), Mohalabieh ฿180, Riz Bil Halib ฿180, Othmaliyeh Bil Ashta ฿360 (Sathorn ฿420) and Baked Baklava with Ice Cream ฿360 (Sathorn ฿420).
See every dish and price on the Al Saray Sathorn menu, which has the longest list of Arabic main courses.
Is the Arabic food at Al Saray halal?
Yes. The full menu at all three branches is 100% halal. Arabic and Indian dishes share one menu, so a mixed table can order mezze and Lamb Ouzi next to Butter Chicken (฿360) or the Al Saray Lamb Shank Biryani (฿650). Travellers looking for halal Arabic food in Bangkok can also read the guide to halal food in Bangkok.
For Arabic-speaking guests
ما هو المطبخ العربي؟ هو مطبخ المازة والمشاوي والأرز والخبز، من بلاد الشام إلى الخليج ومصر والمغرب العربي. في بانكوك يقدّم مطعم السراي (Al Saray) أطباقاً عربية ولبنانية وهندية حلال 100% في ثلاثة فروع: سيلوم وساثورن وسونفيجاي.
Hours, contact and booking
- Al Saray Silom. 60/2 Soi Silom 2/1, Silom Rd, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, opposite Silom Complex near BTS Sala Daeng. Open daily 11:00 to 00:00 (kitchen last order 23:30). Call 02 234 4988. Open in Google Maps.
- Al Saray Sathorn. 27/1 Soi Phiphat, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, about 500 m from BTS Chong Nonsi. Open daily 11:00 to 00:00 (kitchen last order 23:30). Call 02 116 3317. Open in Google Maps.
- Al Saray Soonvijai. 4th floor, Bangkok Plaza Building, Soi Soonvijai 7, New Phetchaburi Rd, Bangkok 10310, beside Bangkok Hospital. Open daily 9:00 to 22:00 (kitchen last order 21:00). Call 02 319 4388. Open in Google Maps.
- Book a table at any branch on Chope.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the difference between Arabic food and Middle Eastern food?
Middle Eastern is a map term. It includes Arab countries and also Turkey and Iran, whose cooking is not Arabic. Arabic food follows the Arab world instead, so it also covers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, which are rarely called Middle Eastern. Al Saray’s Lebanese dishes fit both labels.
2. What is the most famous Arabic food, and can I try it at Al Saray?
Ask in Beirut, Riyadh or Cairo and you will hear different answers. Dishes that travel across the region include hummus, falafel, shawarma, grilled kebab and, in the Gulf, kabsa. All of them are on the Al Saray menu: Hummus with Beef Shawarma (฿290) at every branch, Kabab Kishkash (฿420), a minced lamb kebab in mild spicy tomato sauce, at every branch, and Kabsa Chicken at Silom and Soonvijai.
3. Is there an Arab street in Bangkok?
Yes. Sukhumvit Soi 3/1, close to BTS Nana, is often called Soi Arab and has many Arabic and Middle Eastern restaurants. Al Saray is not on that street. Its branches are in Silom, in Sathorn and beside Bangkok Hospital, which is closer for guests staying or working in the business district or visiting the hospital.
4. Which Arabic dishes at Al Saray are spicy?
Most Arabic dishes are seasoned with spices rather than chilli. The menus mark Walnut Muhamara (฿220) and Batata Harra (฿220, spicy potato with garlic and coriander) as spicy at every branch. At Silom and Soonvijai, Shanklish (฿220, spicy cheese) and Samkeh Harra (฿280, baked fish with tahini) are marked spicy too.
5. Do Al Saray menu prices include service charge and tax?
No. Every branch menu shows prices before a 10% service charge and 7% government tax, which are added to the bill.
