Top Family Dining Spots in Petra That Work for Everyone at the Table
Words by
Khalid Al-Tarawneh
Top Family Dining Spots in Petra That Work for Everyone at the Table
I have lived in Wadi Musa my entire life, the town that cradles the ancient city of my ancestors. I remember the days when finding a restaurant that didn't just tolerate children but actually welcomed them felt like a small victory. Over the years, as families from Amman and abroad began flooding into Petra, the dining scene shifted. Today, the top family dining spots in Petra are not just about filling stomachs. They are about creating a space where a seven-year-old can be loud, a teenager can scroll their phone, and a grandparent can sit in the shade and feel the weight of two thousand years of history pressing gently against the present. I have eaten at every place on this list, sometimes with my own nieces and nephews, sometimes alone, and I can tell you which ones earn their reputation and which ones are coasting on a good view.
1. The Basin Restaurant: Where History Meets the High Chair
Location: Inside the Petra Archaeological Park, near the Tomb of the Obelisks, operated by the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority.
The Basin Restaurant sits inside the archaeological park itself, which means you do not need to leave the site to eat. For families, this is a game-changer. You can walk through the Siq, stand in front of the Treasury, and then sit down for lunch without ever passing through the main gate again. The restaurant is run by a local cooperative of Bedouin families from the Bdoul tribe, the same community that once lived inside the caves of Petra before being relocated in the 1980s. Every meal here carries that legacy.
The Vibe? Open-air stone pavilion with long communal tables, shaded by canvas canopies that flap in the desert wind. It feels like a picnic organized by someone who actually knows what they are doing.
The Bill? A full buffet runs about 15 to 20 JD per person, which includes salads, grilled chicken, lamb, rice, and fresh bread. Kids under six eat free, which is a detail most guidebooks skip.
The Standout? The mansaf. It is not the most refined version you will ever taste, but eating Jordan's national dish inside the ancient city, surrounded by rose-red cliffs, changes the flavor entirely. My nephew once said it tasted like the mountain made it, and I think he was right.
The Catch? The lunch rush between 12:30 and 2:00 PM is brutal. Tour groups descend like locusts, and the buffet lines stretch past the restrooms. If you have small children, arrive at 11:45 AM or wait until 2:30 PM.
Local Tip: Ask the staff if you can sit at the far-left corner table near the rock face. It is quieter, cooler, and you can see the original Nabataean water channels carved into the stone just a few meters away. Most tourists walk right past them.
2. Al-Wadi Restaurant: The Heart of Wadi Musa's Food Scene
Location: Main Street, Wadi Musa, directly across from the Petra Visitor Center.
If you ask any local in Wadi Musa where to take a family for a reliable, no-nonsense meal, Al-Wadi comes up every single time. It has been operating for over two decades, and the owner, a man named Mahmoud, still greets regulars by name. The restaurant specializes in Jordanian and Arabic cuisine, and the portions are generous enough to share, which is exactly what you want when you are feeding a table of six with two picky eaters.
The Vibe? Ground floor is a busy open kitchen with visible grills. Upstairs is a quieter dining room with cushions along the walls and low tables. Families tend to gravitate upstairs because the kids can sprawl out without bothering other diners.
The Bill? A mixed grill platter for the table runs about 25 to 35 JD and can feed four to five adults comfortably. Individual dishes like shawarma or falafel plates are 3 to 5 JD.
The Standout? The mixed grill platter. You get kebab, shish taouk, lamb chops, and kofta all on one massive tray with hummus, tabbouleh, and fresh taboon bread. My youngest niece only eats bread and hummus, and even she leaves this table happy.
The Catch? The ground-floor seating gets smoky from the open grill. If anyone in your family has asthma or sensitivity to smoke, insist on the upper level. Also, the Wi-Fi is practically nonexistent, so do not count on keeping teenagers entertained with a screen.
Local Tip: On Thursday nights, Al-Wadi stays open later than most restaurants in town and serves a special lamb dish called fatteh, layered with yogurt, chickpeas, and pine nuts. It is not on the printed menu. You have to ask for it.
3. The Petra Kitchen: Cooking Together as a Family
Location: Off the main road in Wadi Musa, near the Mövenpick Hotel entrance.
The Petra Kitchen is not a traditional restaurant. It is a hands-on cooking experience where your family prepares the meal together under the guidance of local chefs. For families with kids aged six and up, this is one of the most memorable things you can do in Petra that does not involve walking through ancient ruins. You learn to make dishes like fattoush, mutabbal, and chicken shawarma from scratch, and then you sit down and eat everything you cooked.
The Vibe? A bright, clean kitchen space with individual cooking stations. It feels like a cooking show set, and the staff are patient with children in a way that feels genuine, not performative.
The Bill? Around 30 JD per person, which includes the full cooking class and the meal. Children between four and ten are half price.
The Standout? Watching your kid roll taboon bread onto the saj and then eat it three minutes later. There is a pride in that moment you cannot buy at a regular restaurant.
The Catch? The sessions last about two to three hours, which is a long time for a four-year-old to stay focused. I brought my nephew once when he was four, and he lost interest after forty-five minutes. The staff let him sit in the corner with crayons, but it was not the same.
Local Tip: Book the late afternoon session, around 4:00 PM. You will finish cooking just as the light turns golden over the hills, and the staff sometimes lets families eat on the small terrace outside, which has a partial view of the mountains that frame Petra.
4. My Mom's Recipe Restaurant: Comfort Food with a Story
Location: Ain Musa area, Wadi Musa, a short drive from the main tourist strip.
This place is exactly what the name promises. The owner, a woman named Um Fadi, opened the restaurant to share the recipes her mother taught her growing up in the Bdoul community. The dining room is small, maybe eight tables, and the walls are covered with old photographs of Petra from the 1960s and 1970s. Eating here feels like being invited into someone's home, because essentially, you are.
The Vibe? Intimate, warm, and slow. There is no rush. Um Fadi or one of her daughters will come to your table, explain the day's dishes, and recommend what is freshest. The kid friendly restaurants Petra has to offer rarely feel this personal.
The Bill? A full meal for a family of four runs about 20 to 25 JD. There is no printed menu with prices. You eat what is prepared that day, and you pay what feels fair. Most families I know leave around 5 to 7 JD per person.
The Standout? The maqluba. It is a rice dish cooked with chicken, cauliflower, and eggplant, flipped upside down onto a platter. Um Fadi's version has a smoky depth that I have never been able to replicate at home, and I have tried.
The Catch? The restaurant is not always open. Um Fadi operates on her own schedule, and during the low season, November through February, she sometimes closes for weeks at a time. Call ahead or ask your hotel to check.
Local Tip: If you visit during olive harvest season, usually late October, Um Fadi presses her own olive oil and sometimes sends guests home with a small bottle. It is the most generous and unexpected souvenir you will find in Petra.
5. Cave Bar: The Name Is Misleading, the Experience Is Not
Location: Off the main road in Wadi Musa, attached to the Petra Guest House Hotel.
Despite the name, the Cave Bar is not a bar in the Western sense. It is a restaurant built into a natural cave, and it serves food and non-alcoholic drinks alongside beer and wine. For families, the early evening hours, before the adult crowd arrives, are ideal. The cave stays cool even in July, and the atmosphere is unlike anything else in town. Your kids will feel like they are eating inside a mountain, because they essentially are.
The Vibe? Stone walls, low lighting, and a constant cool breeze that flows through the cave's natural openings. It is atmospheric without being dark or cramped.
The Bill? Burgers and sandwiches run 6 to 9 JD. Pasta dishes are around 7 to 10 JD. A family of four can eat well for 30 to 40 JD.
The Standout? The chicken pesto sandwich on fresh-baked bread. It sounds basic, but the bread is baked in-house, and the pesto is made with local herbs. My son, who refuses to eat sandwiches at home, devoured two of these.
The Catch? After 8:00 PM, the Cave Bar shifts into a more adult-oriented space with louder music and a heavier drinking crowd. If you are dining with kids in Petra, stick to the 5:00 to 7:30 PM window.
Local Tip: Ask to sit near the back of the cave, where the natural rock formations create small alcoves. These semi-private nooks are perfect for families with toddlers who need a contained space. The staff knows about them but does not always offer unless you ask.
6. Al-Saraya Restaurant: Buffet Style for the Whole Crew
Location: Near the Petra Visitor Center, Wadi Musa, inside the Saraya Hotel complex.
Al-Saraya is the kind of place you go when your family cannot agree on what to eat. The buffet is extensive, covering Jordanian, Arabic, and international dishes, and the dining room is large enough that you never feel crowded. It is one of the more established family restaurants Petra has in its inventory, and it caters heavily to tour groups, which means the staff are accustomed to handling large, noisy tables with children.
The Vibe? Hotel restaurant energy. Clean, organized, and efficient. Not the most romantic setting in the world, but when you have a five-year-old melting down and a teenager complaining about walking, efficiency is what you need.
The Bill? The lunch buffet is around 18 JD per person. Dinner buffet is slightly more, around 22 JD. Children under eight eat for half price.
The Standout? The dessert section. It includes knafeh, fresh fruit, and a chocolate mousse that my daughters fight over every single time. For a hotel buffet, the quality is surprisingly high.
The Catch? Because it caters to tour groups, the food can sometimes sit on the buffet line longer than it should. Arrive early in the service window to get the freshest items. The rice dishes, in particular, tend to dry out if they have been sitting for more than thirty minutes.
Local Tip: If you are staying at the Saraya Hotel or any nearby hotel, ask your concierge about the "local rate" for Al-Saraya. Many hotels in Wadi Musa have arrangements that knock 2 to 3 JD off the per-person price. It is not advertised, but it is widely known among hotel staff.
7. Tawaheen Al-Gharb: The West Wind Grill
Location: Umm Sayhoun, the Bdoul village on the hill overlooking Petra.
This is the spot most tourists never find. Umm Sayhoun is the village where the Bdoul tribe was relocated in the 1980s, and it sits on the ridge above Petra with a view that will stop you mid-bite. Tawaheen Al-Gharb, which translates to "West Wind Grill," is a small, family-run operation where the father grills and the mother handles the salads and bread. There are maybe six tables, all outdoors, and the wind that comes off the desert gives the place its name.
The Vibe? Rustic, open-air, and windy. You are eating on a hillside with Petra spread out below you. It is not fancy. The tables are plastic, and the chairs are metal. But the view is worth every discomfort.
The Bill? A full grilled meal for a family of four is about 15 to 20 JD. This is one of the most affordable dining with kids Petra options on this list.
The Standout? The grilled lamb. It is seasoned simply with salt, sumac, and a touch of garlic, and it is cooked over charcoal that the owner sources from local wood. The smoky flavor is intense and clean at the same time.
The Catch? Getting there requires a short drive or a steep walk from the main tourist area. If you have very young children or anyone with mobility issues, the walk up is not easy. I recommend hiring a taxi from the visitor center, which should cost no more than 3 to 5 JD.
Local Tip: Go at sunset. The light over Petra during the last hour of daylight is something I have seen ten thousand times and it still makes me pause. The owner sometimes brings out a pot of mint tea on the house if you are there for the sunset. He does this quietly, without announcement, as if it is just what happens when the sun goes down.
8. Red Cave Restaurant: Eating in the Shadows of the Ancients
Location: Along the path to Ad-Deir (the Monastery), inside the Petra Archaeological Park.
Red Cave Restaurant is not a permanent structure. It is a seasonal setup operated by local Bedouin families along the trail that leads to the Monastery, one of Petra's most iconic monuments. During peak tourist season, from March through October, you will find several small stalls and shaded rest areas where vendors sell tea, soft drinks, and simple grilled food. The "restaurant" is really a collection of these stalls, but the experience of eating here, halfway up a mountain trail inside an ancient city, is something your family will talk about for years.
The Vibe? Basic. You are sitting on woven mats under a canvas shade, eating grilled chicken and bread while donkeys pass by carrying other tourists up the trail. It is chaotic and beautiful.
The Bill? A grilled chicken sandwich with a drink is about 3 to 5 JD. A pot of tea for the table is 1 to 2 JD. You could feed a family of four for under 20 JD.
The Standout? The tea. It is black tea brewed with sage and sugar, served in small glasses, and it is the best thing you will drink after climbing 800 steps in the Jordanian heat. My kids, who normally refuse tea, always ask for more here. I think the altitude and exhaustion make it taste better.
The Catch? There are no restrooms at this location. The nearest facilities are at the base of the Monastery trail, which means you need to plan accordingly if you are traveling with small children. Also, the food options are limited. If anyone in your family has dietary restrictions, bring your own snacks.
Local Tip: The vendors here are Bdoul, the same tribe that has lived in and around Petra for generations. If you show genuine interest, they will tell you stories about the caves and tombs that line the trail. One vendor, a man named Suleiman, told me about a hidden tomb entrance near his stall that is not on any official map. He pointed it out to me, and I have seen it on every climb since. Ask politely, and you might get the same tour.
When to Go and What to Know
The best months for family dining in Petra are March, April, October, and November. The weather is mild enough for outdoor seating, and the crowds are manageable compared to the summer peak. If you are visiting in June, July, or August, plan your meals for early morning or late evening, and always carry water. The heat in Petra is not forgiving, and children dehydrate faster than adults in dry desert climates.
Most restaurants in Wadi Musa accept Jordanian dinars and major credit cards, but the smaller operations in Umm Sayhoun and inside the park are cash only. Keep small bills, 1s and 5s, for tips and tea.
If you are traveling with a stroller, be aware that almost none of the restaurants inside the archaeological park are stroller accessible. The terrain is rocky, uneven, and involves stairs. A carrier or backpack for young children is a far better option.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of a simple picnic. There are shaded areas near the visitor center and along the entrance to the Siq where families can spread a blanket and eat food bought from the local bakeries and grocery stores in Wadi Musa. Some of my best family memories in Petra involve nothing more than fresh bread, labaneh, zaatar, and a bottle of water eaten on the ground while watching the Treasury appear at the end of the canyon.
Enjoyed this guide? Support the work
