All roads in Bahrain lead to Manama, so see the main Bahrain article for details.

Manama is the best place to shop for less! It offers the Manama Souq, which any tourist cannot miss. It is a marketplace consisting of shops one can ever imagine off, and though the goods are quite good, the prices are very reasonable indeed. Just make sure you remember to bargain, otherwise you'll miss out the fun.

Restaurants in Manama run the gamut from cheap shwarma joints to five-star restaurants.

Budget

Cheap restaurants abound in the Adliya district.

• Al-Abraaj. Somewhat pricier.
• Al-Siraj. The second-best shwarma in Bahrain for only 300 fils.
• Burjuman Coffee Shop, Lulu Centre 2F. The main selling point of this Filipino-run joint is its location right next to the SABTCO bus terminal, but the menu covers sandwiches, burgers, rice and noodles and portions are generous. Try the excellent fried hammour (local fish) with the fixings for BD2. Main dishes BD1-2.  edit
• Century Restaurant
• Habara Snacks & Fish

Mid-range

• Lanterns, an Indian restaurant with great food and lovely decor next to Burgerland Roundabout in Budaiya.
• Zahle, a tasty Lebanese place with daily buffets and live entertainment.
• Trader Vic's, a Polynesian dining/drinking experience, located on the grounds of the Ritz Carlton.

Manama has a busy nightlife by Gulf standards, but most of it seems squarely aimed at beer-swilling expats watching football on the telly — don't expect any Dubai-style cutting edge clubs here.

• Gold Club. Arabic night club featuring Russian girls doing their interpretation of traditional belly dancing.  edit

• Hard Rock Cafe, [1].  edit

• Harvesters, King Faisal Highway (Crowne Plaza). Very popular pseudo-British pub offering cold beer, pub grub and a Filipino band distinguished more by the singers' skimpy outfits than musical talent. Beers from BD2.5.  edit

• JJ's, (Al Bustan Hotel). The largest Irish pub in the city.  edit

• Queensbury Arms. Another great hot spot, great prices on drinks.  edit

• Sherlock Holmes, (Gulf Hotel). Mock-British pub.  edit

• Warbler's. Expat sports pub. Technically this is a private club, but the bouncers at the door seem more interested in keeping Arabs out than in checking dues cards.  edit