"The Dead Sea's most scenic hotel dinner — a terrace above the water at the Kempinski Ishtar where international buffets sit beside Jordan's national dish, mansaf."
The Obelisk is the main international restaurant of the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, the landmark five-star resort on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea at Sweimeh. Its draw is as much the setting as the plate — al-fresco terrace tables looking out across the resort's pools to the lowest body of water on earth, with sunsets that turn the whole basin amber.
For the other tables along this shore, compare the Lebanese Burj Al Hamam or Rehan Lebanese Cuisine nearby.
The kitchen works a broad international repertoire that changes with the seasons, served largely as generous buffets — live cooking stations, seafood, grills and a strong dessert spread. The reason to seek it out is the local thread running through the menu: Jordanian classics including mansaf, the national dish of lamb cooked in fermented dried-yoghurt jameed and served over rice. Dinner buffets run around JOD 29 per person.
The setting is the headline — a broad terrace and dining room oriented to the Dead Sea, with oriental touches softening the resort polish. It runs from relaxed family dinners to candlelit evenings as the light drops over the water. Service is the attentive five-star Kempinski standard; the mood is scenic rather than hushed fine dining.
The buffet breadth, the terrace and the sunset over the water make The Obelisk an easy family dinner on a resort stay. The view also carries a relaxed anniversary evening, and it is a comfortable spot to host visiting guests staying at the hotel.
Not for diners seeking an intimate, chef-driven tasting menu or budget travellers — it is a scenic five-star hotel restaurant built largely around international buffets at resort prices.
The Obelisk is the main international restaurant of the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea at Sweimeh, serving seasonal international buffets and Jordanian dishes on a terrace overlooking the water.
A broad international menu, largely as buffets with live stations, alongside Jordanian classics including mansaf — the national dish of lamb in jameed yoghurt sauce over rice.
Dinner buffets run around JOD 29 per person, with breakfast and lunch buffets priced lower. It sits at five-star resort pricing for the setting and spread.
Inside the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar on the Dead Sea Road at Sweimeh, in Jordan's Balqa Governorate, about an hour from Amman.
Booking is advisable, particularly for a sunset terrace table and during the resort's busy seasons; non-residents are welcome with a reservation.
Book ahead for a sunset terrace table; non-residents welcome.
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A terrace buffet over the Dead Sea suits every age at the table. See where The Obelisk ranks among the resort tables built for dining as a group.
Read the family-dinner guide →