Meet Yasmin Bani Hani, aka Foodie Jo!
Yasmin is a 23-year-old Jordanian who eats for a living. With a degree in Spanish and English languages, in addition to a Diploma in Digital Marketing, her career path revolves around social media, content writing and volunteering in youth development.
To combine her career path and her passion for writing, photography, and of course, food, she started her Insta-blog back in 2015. Across her various social media accounts Instagram (@FoodieJo), Facebook (@FoodieJordan) and Snapchat, she critiques restaurants across Amman to share her wild and tasty journey with her followers.
She’s proud to be one of Jordan’s first female food critics and feels she has a huge responsibility towards her loyal followers to give them her honest reviews of Jordan’s food scene.
Now let’s get to the fun part, THE FOOD! As I personally am vegan and want to promote Amman’s ever-growing plant-based scene, I asked Foodie Jo to give me her top picks of veg-friendly dishes in the Jordanian capital. Here they are…
Joury Rosa Damascena Restaurant
Joury is located at the 2nd Circle and serves up traditional Levantine cuisine.
Her favorite veg-friendly dishes @ Joury:
- Waraq Enab & Kousa (Stuffed Zucchini and grape leaves)
- Hummus
- Mutabal
- Tabouleh (Levantine parsley salad)
- Harra bi Isbaou (Syrian dish based on lentils and bread dough)
Primal
Primal is located in Abdoun and is Amman’s only paleo restaurant.
Her favorite veg-friendly dish @ Primal: Eggplant Caprese
Da Esmat
Da Esmat is located on Rainbow Street and specializes in homemade Italian cuisine.
Her favorite veg-friendly dish @ Da Esmat: Insalata di Mango (Mango Salad)
Hamada Restaurant
Hamada has two locations in Amman – Sports City and Gardens Street. They specialize in traditional Levantine cuisine.
Her favorite veg-friendly dishes @ Hamada:
- Fatteh Hummus* (Mid-Eastern Savory Chickpea Bread Pudding)
- *Note: vegetarian not vegan because contains dairy
- Falafel (Deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both)
- Foul Mudammas (Fava beans)
Be sure to follow @FoodieJo on Instagram for more delicious adventures!