I had heard a lot about Nagi Al-Harbi; his reputation precedes him. My cousin Osama often spoke highly of his kebab restaurant in Jeddah’s downtown (also known as the Balad), so it was with great anticipation and excitement that I descended upon his restaurant in the Al-Bayah market (just off from the Bayah Roundabout near the Foreign Ministry) recently.
We dropped by just after noon prayer, and were happy to see the place was as busy as ever. “My friend says it’s a good sign if a place is busy,” Osama told me. “He thinks it means the food is usually very good.”
The restaurant was as packed as a tin of sardines.
You don’t have to be a homing pigeon to find Nagi’s joint. Just ask anyone in the Balad for directions to the Bayah Market and they will point you in the direction of the restaurant. Once inside a strong aroma of grilling meat met us. This is by no means a place for the fainthearted. It gets hot and busy inside, as people tend to linger not only in the doorway but also all the way into the restaurant. That being said, if you like your meat and don’t mind waiting for it, you should be pleasantly surprised.
Three large BBQ grills run along the right side of the restaurant, manned by a staff who work quickly mixing the mince together and skewering fresh kebabs for cooking. Elsewhere others wash the used skewers while runners dart back and forth carrying trays loaded with even more skewers in preparation for the cycle to start all over again. It’s almost like sitting in on a live kitchen show and is truly fascinating to watch.
Don’t miss the tahina sauce. There is a separate turquoise-tile-rimmed glass booth, where a large pot of tahina is served up in to clear plastic bags for the masses to take home with them.
We managed to literally squeeze our way over to the cashier table to pay for our six orders of kofta kebabs and this came in at SR66 in total — SR11 for a meal is certainly not bad when one order is more than enough for a person.
For those that prefer lamb, awsal (pieces of lamb meat) is also available, and both types can be made into a sandwich on request.
This is by no means a fancy restaurant, but it is as local as you can get and is a great value. Once you have paid you just have to stand and wait. A number system is used so it is relatively easy to hear them call out your number when ready — just hang on to that receipt! Tables are available although they are in short supply. Your best bet if you arrive on a weekend or busy period is to make like the rest and take your order away, as you will find yourself hard pressed to find a place to sit inside easily.
Wrapped and ready to go we departed back home to sample the good work of Nagi Al-Harbi’s Restaurant, and I am happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. The meat is soft, full of flavor and mixed with the parsley, chopped spices and onions — a unique taste further enhanced by the charcoal grilling.
Be warned, however: The kofta pieces are so small it’s easy to lose count of how many you end up eating! It may be best to skip breakfast on the day you eat at Nagi’s restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant appeared to be for men only. If you are a family looking for a place to dine it may be best to send the men for this one.
Address: Nagi Al-Harbi Restaurant, Al-Bayah Markets, Balad
(Rashed Islam is a food critic who hosts Jeddahfood.com)
