The green dome of the Prophet’s Mosque, Jannat-ul-Baqi, Mount Uhud, and Quba Mosque have always been the biggest attractions of Madinah. But thanks to social media, more than just places have gone viral.
Clips of rose petals being showered on people while they get a rose-flavoured ice cream, fries drenched in sauces, long queues for the Italian pizza, and various Ajwa innovations have taken over our feeds in the past few years. All of these trending sensations could be found on the brilliant International Food Street near the Prophet’s Mosque. For years, returning pilgrims shared recommendations of the chaotic food stretch.
Now, there has been a major development: the food street has been moved to a new, sleek culinary boulevard near Gate 340 of the Mosque. And this shift has rapidly solidified its status as the city’s latest evening sensation.
The new International Food Market in Madinah
Walking down the newly organised stretch, your senses are treated to a rolling tapestry of global comfort food, where authentic Middle Eastern traditions seamlessly blend with Western and South Asian favourites.
Visitors can sample aromatic Pakistani biryanis, rich Arabian mandi, and bubbling pots of spiced South Asian karak chai just steps away from spinning Turkish shawarma broilers, smoky Lebanese kebabs, and crispy, savoury snacks like loaded street fries drenched in dynamic sauces. Along with the popular Italian wood-fired pizzas, the street plays host to vendors serving everything from sweet Egyptian desserts to Ajwa ice cream and Rose ice cream.
It is a vibrant, cross-cultural gastronomic map packed into a single, bustling promenade, ensuring that no matter which corner of the earth a traveller has journeyed from, they can find a comforting taste of home right next to Madinah’s most viral local innovations.
Beyond the food
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