She ate her way across Saudi Arabia. Now her restaurant ‘preserves the recipes from our ancestors’

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At Takya, every plate tells a story.

“You’re going to go all around Saudi while you’re seated — that is what I aspire (to),” says Hadeel Al Motawa, who co-founded the restaurant in 2019.

Located in the 600-year-old historic center of Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, the contemporary restaurant’s menu is inspired by the traditional home cooking Al Motawa grew up with, and by her travels around Saudia Arabia and abroad.

After seeing the deep connection between food and culture, Al Motawa wanted to “bring that same connection back home, to create a space where people could rediscover the beauty of Saudi cuisine.”

Five years later, her debut restaurant often features in local publications as one of the city’s finest, and was highlighted by international dining guide “50 Best” on its “discovery” list of eateries that should be on travelers’ radars.

Rediscovering Saudi cuisine

Occupying the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia stretches 2.15 million square kilometers (830,120 square miles), encompassing mountains, deserts and rocky plateaus — and its cuisine reflects its many regions and geographies.

For example, the Eastern Province is known for its seafood, such as Muhammar, a fried fish dish made with rice and sugar that was traditionally popular among sailors.

On the other hand, in the country’s northern region, where temperatures are cooler and may drop below freezing during winter, traditional recipes focus on grains and meat, like the popular jareesh, a lamb stew made with wheat and yogurt.

Ingredients like saffron, cardamom, and dates play a prominent role across the country, and meals are often accompanied by flatbreads and laban, a yoghurt-based drink.

When talking to others about opening a Saudi contemporary restaurant, Al Motawa realized that even within Saudi Arabia, many were unfamiliar with the full scope of their country’s culinary heritage.

“That was the spark that started Takya as a concept,” she says.

She began the project by visiting every corner of the kingdom, from the coastal regions to the mountainous north, studying the origins of dishes, ingredients and cooking techniques.

Her discoveries shaped Takya’s menu, which offers a curated selection of dishes from different parts of the country, including jareesh, from the north.

“I want to have a deeper understanding of the meal, I want someone to tell me a story about it – and that’s what we’re trying to convey here,” she explains.

Setting the scene for gastronomy

Saudi Arabia’s dining scene is still relatively young, but in the past decade, the kingdom has embarked on several major development projects to modernize, including huge investment in its lifestyle retail sector, in a bid to stimulate the economy, and attract international business and tourists.

Takya is one of many restaurants located in the $63.2-billion Diriyah Gate development, which includes a 15,000-square-meter dining space adjacent to UNESCO World Heritage site At-Turaif.

Michelin-starred chefs, including Joël Robuchon, Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse, have opened eateries in Saudi, marking a shift in the market from cafes and fast food to haute cuisine and global fare. Initiatives like the Saudi Feast Food Festival and the Culinary Arts Incubator are bringing new flavors into the country, while efforts such as the Culinary Legacy project aim to preserve traditional recipes.

For Al Motawa, her food is a way to explore cultural identity, mixing old and new, tradition and innovation. Despite Riyadh’s modern, high-rise-dense downtown area, the country is still “very much in touch with its roots,” says Al Motawa, adding: “It’s modern from the outside, but when you look deep inside, it’s very culture-orientated.”

Blending tradition and modernity

At Takya, while the traditional recipes are untouched, the food is presented with a contemporary flair. Al Motawa emphasizes that every dish must first capture the original flavors before being reimagined for the modern palate.

“If you look at the dishes, you would find it very modern, very appealing. But once you try it and you get into the story of it, it would be very authentic,” she says, adding: “We preserve the recipes that we got from our ancestors.”

For example, dates — one of Saudi Arabia’s most iconic ingredients, with more than 300 varieties said to be grown in the kingdom — take center stage in both savory and sweet dishes. They could be presented as molasses to accompany a lamb shank delicately cooked over 10 hours, or paired with spiced buttermilk and baked into fragrant pastries.

Al Motawa hopes that diners in her restaurant, both local and those visiting from abroad, will experience the diversity of Saudi Arabia’s cuisine — and be inspired to keep exploring the country.

“The first layer of my restaurant is the love for food,” says Al Motawa “and then the next layer is about falling in love with the Saudi culture.”

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