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The Best Hummus in Jordan

Restaurant Hashim. Could be the best hummus I’ve ever had in my life. Anyone who already has a guidebook will already know this. With some falafel and fuul to match. Hashim in Amman was the first and last place I ate in Jordan during my 10 days there.

Some Facebook followers might recall my desperate cry for help last summer in attempting to find a good hummus recipe and method. Fail. My Lebanese friend Daniel of Canvas of Light wrote that seeing some of those posted suggestions made him want to weep with despair.

Well, tasting the hummus at Hashim nearly put me to tears. It’s as smooth as silk and comes with not just that little splash of extra olive oil, but also a bit of lemon juice with a tiny bit of spicy pepper to it.

Hashim is not a best kept secret nor off the beaten path in Amman, so you can expect double the crowd – the loyal local following and the LP-in-hand travelers. The manager at Jordan Tower Hotel (see review) sent me here without thinking twice. Jordanian celebrities come here. THE KING comes here. Need I say more?

The first time I went I had to sort out where to go and what to do. The restaurant is half indoors in two facing buildings and half in a courtyard/alleyway between them. There’s a retractable canvas awning for the outdoor seating, and the restaurant is divided into several rooms open to the outside. One is where the falafel is being made, another for the hummus and beans, and yet another is a tea service area. All of these have plastic tables and chairs, and generally they are all full. I can’t comment on the crowd for the wee hours, but I am told they are open 24 hours.

The second time I came with James Clark and while we stood in the courtyard deciding where to sit, a middle-aged server, Hasan, came and hustled us off to a table. He spoke enough English to make this easy for a traveler. Two hummus plates, two teas, two falafel, one plate of fuul.

The hummus comes with a side of fresh tomato slices, fresh mint, and a quarter of a raw onion. I read a framed article on the wall there that said Hashim’s goes through 40 kilos of onions in a day. Seemed a little harsh, but I dipped some into the hummus and it was magically transformed. Our waiter/guide Hasan saw this and came over to correct my method. Tear off a piece of bread, lay a slice of tomato and one of onion across it, fold it and dip into hummus. Yeah, that works nicely.

The tiny, perfectly shaped falafel, made to order, also paired nicely with a coating of hummus.

Hot tea comes sweet and you break the leaves of fresh mint into it to steep a bit. The beans are also a big hit here. I tried them and liked them well enough, but beans – or fuul – just isn’t my thing I guess. We left stuffed silly despite thinking we were ordering a modest amount of food. But that didn’t keep us from dessert as you’ll see…

Kevin Revolinski

Author, travel writer/photographer, world traveler. Writes about travel, hiking, camping, paddling, and craft beer.

16 thoughts on “The Best Hummus in Jordan

  • Looks absolutely delicious. Reminds me of some of the street food I had in Trinidad & Tobago.

    Reply
    • Street food rules. I wish we had more affordable street food here in the US. Instead we get a lot of $6 hot dogs and the like. Actually, Madison isn’t half bad and the options continue to grow. Still, it ain’t cheap!

      Reply
  • Wow! that looks lovely and made me hungry!

    Reply
  • When you said that this hummus nearly moved you to tears I thought you were using a bit of travel writer hyperbole. The bar was set impossibly high for my visit, but this really was worthy of the praise. Ahh if only they had branches around the world.

    Reply
    • I really had a little doubt when I built it up so much for you and worried that the excitement of my arrival in Jordan might have played into the food experience. But it totally lived up to my expectations when I went back the second time after a week worth of other hummuses. Or is that hummi??

      Reply
  • I was here a week ago and I have to agree that their hummus is the best. I was addicted and bought a bunch back to my hotel. The pita bread next door was also delicious! Now i am back to the states and Im really craving for their hummus. I should had a bought an air tight jar with olives to preserve but never had the time.. Does anyone know a recipe similar to this? Thanks

    Reply
    • to add on recipe, i meant the hummus

      Reply
    • If you come across a recipe like this, please share it! All my attempts at hummus are miserable by comparison.

      Reply
  • Lauren

    ate here and it was amazing been dreaming of this hummus ever since. sigh, in the kitchen trying to crack the code.

    Reply
    • My attempts have been so horribly wrong. The stuff is just so incredible and much better than anything I’ve had. Others will tell you of the great hummus they had once somewhere else, and you can only smile at them with pity knowing that their lives are incomplete. 😉

      Reply
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  • Raul Marroquin

    Agree absolutely, I been here and is the best hummus in Amman, actually the best from Jordan…..

    Reply

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