Amman's Living Culture: Syrian Restaurants, Wild Jordan Café & a Diplomatic Crossroads
Amman at its most human—University Street's shawarma stands feeding Jordanian students until 2 am, Syrian refugee restaurateurs bringing Damascus mezze and Aleppo pistachio pastries, the Wild Jordan Café's timber deck above the Roman Theatre where organic food funds nature reserves, Palestinian tatreez embroidery workshops, and an Arab capital that maintains peace with Israel while hosting the largest Palestinian diaspora population in the world.
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Amman's Food Street – Tla' Ali & University Street
University Street (Al-Jami'a Street) in west Amman is the city's most important food street—a 2 km stretch of restaurants, bakeries, and juice bars serving the Jordanian University student population. The shawarma stands, falafel shops, and the renowned Hashem chain (originally downtown, with branches on University Street) serve cheap, excellent Jordanian street food until late. The Arabic sweets shops (Aqaba Street, University Street) sell Nabulsi knafeh, baklava, and qatayef (Ramadan pancakes stuffed with cheese or nuts).
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Amman's Syrian Refugee Restaurant Scene
The large Syrian refugee population in Amman has brought a significant number of Syrian restaurants, many opened by displaced restaurateurs from Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs. The Syrian kitchen—kibbeh, muhammara (red pepper walnut paste), aleppo kebab, fatté—is distinct from Jordanian cooking and has enriched the Amman food scene. Several restaurants in the Jabal Amman and Sweifieh districts are Syrian-owned and serve the full Damascus mezze tradition; Syrian pastry shops (Damascene-style maamoul, pistachio paste) are excellent.
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Wild Jordan Café & Ecotourism
The Wild Jordan Café, operated by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature on a hillside in Jabal Amman, is Amman's most spectacular café setting—a timber-decked terrace overlooking the old town with extraordinary views of the Roman Theatre and the Citadel. The café serves organic Jordanian food produced by RSCN-supported rural cooperatives; proceeds fund Jordan's nature reserves. The RSCN's ecotourism programme covers the Dana Biosphere, Wadi Mujib, Azraq Wetland Reserve, and Ajloun Forest—all bookable from the Wild Jordan Centre below the café.
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Arabic Calligraphy & Traditional Crafts
Amman's traditional craft scene centres on Arabic calligraphy, Palestinian embroidery (tatreez—a cross-stitch tradition with each region's distinctive patterns), and Bedouin silver jewellery. The Jordan River Foundation's Beit al-Bawadi showroom (Abdali area) sells handicrafts produced by rural Jordanian women's cooperatives at fair-trade prices. The Mosaics Art Centre (near Madaba, 30 km from Amman) offers mosaic workshops using traditional Byzantine techniques. Arabic calligraphy workshops are available through several Amman cultural centres.
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Amman's Music & Performance Scene
Amman's music scene is understated but active—the Jordan Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the Royal Cultural Centre; the Nai Ensemble performs classical Arabic music; and several contemporary Jordanian bands play the city's bars and smaller venues. The Royal Film Commission runs the Royal Film Festival and supports Jordanian cinema; the city's two significant theatres (Royal Cultural Centre, Al-Hussein Cultural Centre) stage Arabic theatre, music, and occasional dance performances. The Citadel and the South Theatre at Jerash are used for outdoor summer performances.
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Jordan's Diplomacy & Amman as the Middle East's Crossroads
Amman is one of the Arab world's key diplomatic hubs—it maintains diplomatic relations with Israel (unusual among Arab capitals), hosts significant US and European diplomatic missions, and has served as a channel for Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab communication since the 1994 Wadi Araba peace treaty. The city's relative political stability and English-speaking professional class make it a regional HQ for international NGOs, UN agencies, and media organisations covering the Middle East. The Queen Noor Foundation and USAID operate major programmes from Amman.