Saasna — Restaurant in Doha

great location, but missing soul

Saasna sits right in the heart of Msheireb Downtown, making it a convenient spot for a meal, but something about the experience just feels… underwhelming. The place is almost always empty, which can be a good thing if you’re looking for a quiet, private dining experience, but it also takes away from the atmosphere—it lacks that energy and warmth that makes a restaurant feel alive.

The food itself is a bit hit-or-miss. The hummus and beef? Easily the best thing on the menu—flavorful, rich, and perfectly done. But beyond that, the dishes just don’t hit with the depth of flavor you’d expect. Given the pricing, you’d hope for something a little more refined in taste.

Service is polite but could use a personal touch. More engagement, some dialogue, and a bit of friendliness would make the experience more inviting. Right now, it feels like you order, eat, and leave without much connection.

All in all, 3 out of 5 stars. It has potential—great location, a few standout dishes—but it needs more personality, both in flavor and in service, to feel like a place worth...

Saasna is a modern Qatari restaurant in the heart of Msheirb. Nice white interiors with glimpses of Qatari architecture all around in a modern style.

We started off with some Mathai Salad, which had lettuce, tomatoes, pomegranates, and crunchy matai in a yogurt dressing. Refreshing and nice textures. For the main courses, the star of the show for me was the Badawi, a plate of spiced yellow rice topped with a huge tender lamb shank. The meat was beautifully cooked and spiced just right served with some of the broth that the rice was cooked in. We also got the Fish Barnioush, a relatively small piece of Kingfish served with sweetened brown colored rice and arugula. The spiced fish and the bitter arugula went really well with the sweet rice and crispy onions. Lastly we got the Chicken Mashkhoul, which was a chicken curry style with rice. The sauce was very heavily spiced, I did not enjoy it at all honestly, it was too overpowering so I couldn’t taste the chicken or the rice or the vegetables.

Food: 8/10 Price: 7/10 Location: 9/10

Recommend: Matai...

Like the previous reviewer, I also wanted to experience Qatari food and was told that this was a good place. Lovely restaurant located in the downtown area. Elegant and chic. I was one person so only ordered one main dish as portions were huge! I went with the hammour majboos which is similar to a biryani but less spicier. It was not as rich and heavy as a biryani. More lighter. I was told the portion size was fine for one person but two people can eat from it! So big. Very nice. I enjoyed it. Simple. I managed to finish the fish but only got through half the rice. The dish came with a side condiment which added a nice little spice to it. Lovely. To drink I had a small sparkling water. If you go and are dining with others, then get a few dishes and share so you can try more things. Not too badly priced given the location. Service was pleasant and friendly. The area and restaurant were very quiet. I had the whole...