Old hummus and foul joint becomes major Irbid attraction in Ramadan

IRBID – For Irbid residents, Yaseen Al Fawwal Restaurant is not just an eatery that serves hummus and foul; it is a city attraction, particularly during Ramadan.

The old restaurant, named after its founder Yaseen Al Bitar, is described by many residents of the northern city and surrounding villages as the perfect place for the pre-dawn meal of sohour during the fasting month. 

Bitar was popularly known in Irbid as Al Fawwal, which means the man who makes foul out of fava beans.  

But walking down King Talal Street on Friday after midnight, one would think there was a demonstration as hundreds of young people were sitting and standing outside the restaurant.

There is no seating inside the small eatery, but tables are spread on the sidewalks of the narrow street in downtown Irbid, some 80km north of Amman.

Some people were waiting to be served as there were no tables available. 

“Wow, what is that? It’s like all Irbid residents are coming to eat here,” Mohammad Gharaibeh said to his friends while waiting for a table. 

Gharaibeh told The Jordan Times that he came from the nearby village of Houwarah to have sohour at the restaurant, which he described as a special place. 

Ahmad Al Kayed, a native of Irbid who works in Saudi Arabia, said coming to Yaseen Al Fawwal restaurant is part of his Ramadan rituals. 

“This restaurant is perfect in Ramadan and other days, but sohour here has a special taste.” 

Khaled Ababneh described the restaurant as a landmark of Irbid. 

“We feel proud to have such a landmark in our city,” he said.

Mohammad Al Bitar, Yaseen’s son, said his father opened the eatery in 1952. 

Mohammad told The Jordan Times that his father died several years ago and he and his brothers look after the family business now. 

“We still make hummus and foul the same way our father used to decades ago as he taught us the recipe.”

Commenting on the old but simple décor of the restaurant, he said the family previously considered carrying out renovations, but “were concerned that we might lose our customers who prefer the eatery as it is”.