Luqaimat — meaning “small bites” in Arabic — is a big favorite among Muslims, especially Saudis, when it comes to traditional Ramadan desserts.
This dumpling dish, which consists of fried dough balls sweetened with honey or date syrup and sometimes garnished with sesame or black seeds, is thought to have been developed in Baghdad, where it was originally known as “judge’s bite” because legal adjudicators received the treat as their first payment.
Other theories suggest the sweet treat came from Greece, arriving in Egypt via Greek bakeries in Alexandria before spreading to neighboring countries and the entire Gulf region.
Luqaimat is mostly made at home and eaten after iftar and Taraweeh prayer. People now sweeten the fried dough balls with sugar or maple syrup, or melted chocolate. Lotus, vanilla or pistachio sauce, or any type of jam are also popular sweeteners.
This sweet and simple dish has a simple recipe as well, with readily available ingredients. All you need is 225 grams of all-purpose flour, 15 grams of dry yeast, one cup of milk, chopped pistachios, and one cup of honey in a bowl as the main sweetener.
Mix the flour and dry yeast in a bowl before adding the milk, and knead the dough until firm. Leave it to prove for one hour.
After the dough doubles in size, place in a piping bag, and squeeze out the ball into the hot oil for frying.
Stir and let the dough fry until it turns a golden color. Remove the luqaimat, add to the honey, mix, then place on the plate.
Garnish with chopped pistachio or any other topping of your choice.
While staying at Dar Tantora: The House Hotel in AlUla recently, I kept coming back for seconds at the establishment’s restaurant, Joontos, awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction in the Michelin Guide 2025.
If you are also staying at the hotel, this is the breakfast option that is conveniently provided — with no buffet in sight.
On my first breakfast there, on a crisp cool morning, I overheard several guests ask if there was a buffet and each was told no, it was a la carte.
That special attention to each plate made sense moments later when my selection arrived. I did not need to be distracted or stuff my plate with a mismatch of items but focus on one decadent dish at a time.
Even if you are not a hotel guest, you can — and perhaps should — also dine there. Seating is limited, so it is best to book ahead.
Joontos is deliberately kept exclusive to AlUla with no other branches, ensuring high quality and a unique experience. (AN photo)
You can enter either from outside the building or via the labyrinth within the hotel. Like in life, the path there seems complicated at first, but very easy once you know where to go.
The aptly-named Joontos derives from the Spanish word “juntos,” meaning “together.”
While the staff told me they tend to skirt around using the overused word fusion, the food is indeed a tasty mix of this and that.
It serves what they call “modern Saudi cuisine” from chef Jaume Puigdengolas, using local ingredients from nearby farms, with a menu medley full of international favorites.
The outdoor seating in the fresh air is spacious and offers sweeping views of the ancient rock formations. But the main view will be your beautifully curated dishes, bursting with vibrant color and even brighter flavor.
Joontos is deliberately kept exclusive to AlUla with no other branches, ensuring high quality and a unique experience. (AN photo)
There are limited semi-indoor tables, which usually need to be reserved.
Since oranges were in season, I had freshly squeezed juice and indulged in the mascarpone croissant with berries that they recommended, both highlights. I also could not resist the plate of homemade baked bread with various sauces for dipping.
One morning, I ordered the Moroccan eggs bowl, made with freshly poached eggs — I asked for mine medium — served with roasted cherry tomatoes, olives, whipped labneh and chili oil.
I returned for several days and also for a group lunch — everything was excellent. It was consistently good.
My food arrived on time, and the service was attentive; friendly without being overbearing.
Joontos is deliberately kept exclusive to AlUla with no other branches, ensuring high quality and a unique experience. (AN photo)
That said, on one visit, my friend ordered a granola yogurt bowl and an egg dish — the granola arrived instantly, and she raved about it, but the eggs never came.
Despite asking multiple times, they did not arrive, and we eventually had to rush out, so the rest of the order was canceled.
Joontos is deliberately kept exclusive to AlUla with no other branches, ensuring high quality and a unique experience.
It is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a smart-casual dress code.
Joontos is deliberately kept exclusive to AlUla with no other branches, ensuring high quality and a unique experience. (AN photo)
If you travel by car, there is free parking available at Old Town South Parking, making it easy to pop in and enjoy a meal, as many locals did.
While the Dar Tantora hotel is named for the tantora atop its building — the triangular stone sundial whose shadow across the space below historically signaled the start of the farming season — perhaps the truest marking of time is one’s grumbling stomach, signaling that it is time to eat.
