2018 EDITION CROSSFIT CRESCENT

WE’LL GIVE YOU THE PROS AND CONS OF THE BEST GROCERY STORES AND RESTAURANTS IN AMMAN, JORDAN!

Finding a place near you, with great selection and price eases the stress of moving to a new place AMMAN GROCERY & RESTAURANT GUIDE

Welcome to Amman! Whether you are new to Amman, or a resident for a long time who’s just begun your fitness journey we can help! Nutrition is the foundation of our fitness. We want to help take the guesswork out of where you can find healthy, affordable food to fuel progress! We will cover these grocery stores: Cozmo, Carrefour, Safeway, Select Foods Shop, Yanboot, Jabbok Farms, Mazraati and Meat Master. Then we have a list of 8 Healthy Restaurants for food on the go when you are in a hurry.

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Comzo- The Haven https://cozmo.jo/cozmostore/ https://web.facebook.com/cozmosupermarket/?_rdc=1&_rdr Location- there are four different locations, but the 7th Circle location is the one we know best and will cover here. Quality: Excellent Selection/Options: excellent, extensive Price: $$$ - Tends to be more pricey than other options for certain things, but there are options here you cannot find anywhere else, and they have the largest selection of American branded foods we’ve seen in Amman thus far. Parking: easy. Offers FREE Valet, Free parking garage, street side parking and a small lot at ground level outside right next to an elevator directly into Cozmo with young men to help you unload your groceries (you could tip them 1JD if you want to!) Delivery: Yes! Exceptional Service. You must order 20JD worth to qualify for delivery, and if you order 50JD+ worth of food, delivery is free! Same day delivery available. Online ordering through www.cozmo.Jo Easy to get to: yes. The 7th Circle location is very easy to get to and find via google maps. English: definitely. Most people who work here know enough English to communicate well with expats. Haram foods: yes! You can get alcohol and bacon/pork cuts at the 7th circle location. Bonuses: carries health food, organic food, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and chemical free options. Contains a sweets stand, honey stand, juice bar, bakery, deli, butcher, spice stand, Pharmacy One and Nuts/Coffee/Sweets shop inside. Also carries chemical free soap options that are handmade here in Jordan. You can get a membership card with them also that racks up points that you can spend later on anything from their partners or on more groceries from Cozmo.

Carrefour- The Jordan Walmart http://www.carrefourjordan.com/ https://web.facebook.com/CarrefourJordanOfficialPage/ Location- there are 10 locations in the city - these details cover the City Mall location specifically Quality: Good. Selection/Options: Good. Not as many healthy options as Cozmo, but if you don’t deal with food sensitivities Carrefour will have anything you need. Also they have household goods, so it’s more like a Wal-Mart in the USA, which is a big plus when settling into a new city! Price: $-$$ - some things are still pricey, but I would say Carrefour is very affordable for the average expat.

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Parking: decent. Depends on the location. The City Mall and Avenue Mall locations have parking garages. Try to get a spot close to an entry into the mall and GO EARLY!!! Opens at 9am most days. Delivery: Not at this point Easy to get to: It depends on the location. Some locations are smaller and off the main roads making them more difficult to get to and find parking. The City Mall location is easy to find on google maps, but it may be tricky for a first timer to find the store once inside the mall. English: Yes, most of the time. An expat should be able to get around easily and find people who speak English to help them. Haram foods: No. Carrefour tends to cater to the local population’s cultural norms while still offering a large selection of western foods. Bonuses: Many of the Carrefour’s are within malls, so you can do other shopping at the same time or easily purchase a snack or coffee from a nearby cafe. The City Mall location even has a Starbucks if you are still fighting jet lag!

Safeway- The Safety Valve http://safeway.com.jo https://web.facebook.com/SafewayJo/ Location- there are 6 locations around Amman - the 7th circle location is the one we will cover here. Quality: Excellent Selection/Options: Good. We rated this as only “good” because they don’t have as much variety as Carrefour or Cozmo, however the options they do have are very good quality. Yanboot, a local organic foods supplier and delivery service, has a booth inside which makes it a prime location for those who want to select their own produce from them instead of just having it delivered. Safeway has a great household goods selection upstairs with high quality options. Price: $-$$$. The price range here is wide. You can find sales and inexpensive options, but some things are just going to be pricey no matter what grocery chain you go to. Parking: Great. They have their own parking garage for just their building = there’s always a spot near the door! Easier to get in and out of than Carrefour. Delivery: Yes! Email: [email protected] Easy to get to?: Yes. Cozmo and Select Foods are just around the corner too, so if you don’t find what you need you can easily hop over to the other locations. English: Yes you should easily be able to find people to help you Haram foods: Yes, but you may have to ask a few employees before finding them.

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Select Foods- The Good Stuff https://m.facebook.com/SelectFoodsShoppe/ 962798900851 Location- Near 7th Circle and Safeway Quality: Excellent Selection/Options: Unique. This is a specialty food shoppe, carrying specific cheeses, meats and wines, specialty health foods, protein powders and powdered herbs from the USA. Price: $$-$$$ Parking: Good. They have a small shoppe and parking directly in front. Go early in the day if you don’t want to fight for a spot. Delivery: Not Currently Easy to get to: Sort of. In the same area as Cozmo and Safeway 7th circle locations. GPS gets you to the right general location. If you don’t see it right away, ask someone nearby. It’s located on a cul de sac English: Yes Haram foods: Yes. They carry alcohol and pork options.

The Meat Master- Wow! Located near Primrose and 7th circle Quality: excellent. Maybe the best quality meats in Amman besides ordering from Yanboot. Selection/Options: excellent. They have all sorts of meats, some pre-marinated, some stuffed with goodies, and turkey bacon. They also carry specialty condiments and spices such as avocado mayo and American spice blends. Price: $$-$$$ Parking: terrible. The streets are very crowded near the shop, so they have a guard who helps to manage the 4 parking spaces assigned to Meat Masters. Delivery?: unknown, but you could ask Easy to Find?: meh. If you’re new to Amman, not super easy to find. It is on google maps but once you get there it’s easiest to find after you park and start walking there. English?: definitely. Their English is excellent. Haram foods?: unsure. Maybe if you request pork they could get it for you! Bonuses: If you’re interested in making your own bone broth, this is the place to go for high quality bones! https://web.facebook.com/themeatmaster.jo/

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Yanboot- Nothing Like It http://www.yanboot.com https://m.facebook.com/yanboot.organic/ WhatsApp Number for weekly selection: +962 7 7567 5346

This is a unique business offering local, seasonal and organic produce, bread, meat options, bee products, potted herbs and other Arab specialties - delivered right to your door! Quality: Good. Selection/Options: Good. Price: $-$$$. What I love about Yanboot is that the seasonal produce is CHEAP and still some of the best quality you will find in Jordan, which will encourage you to eat more seasonally, which is better for your body. But, they also have pricier specialty items, like their raw organic local bee products. They have a wide range of produce and pricing, and it changes week to week according to what is available from the farms. Parking: Not needed if doing delivery, Safeway location has very easy parking, Dabouq Headquarters unknown Delivery: Absolutely. The only thing they don’t deliver is their meat options. You have to visit their headquarters in Dabouq for that. Easy to get to: Yes! They have 2 hard locations, 1 inside Safeway and 1 in Dabouq (a neighborhood in North East Amman). But they specialize in delivering right to your door! English: Yes, you can order in English via WhatsApp and they will understand you. Your driver may or may not know enough English to communicate clearly, but if there’s a discrepancy you can easily call the owner via his WhatsApp number. Haram foods: No Bonuses: They offer an organic brunch every Friday and Saturday at a different location that has lots of local Arab breakfast and lunch food options! Check their WhatsApp and Facebook notifications for the location each week. Their customer service is excellent and they are great about following up after an order is delivered to make sure everything looks ok. They will gladly replace things that aren’t satisfactory or give you a refund or credit. Also, they are wonderful networkers, bringing together several health oriented businesses and farms to offer Amman products that are hard to find elsewhere.

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Jabbok Farms- To Your Doorstep https://m.facebook.com/jabbokfarms/ 07 9547 2689 This is what Americans call a co-op. They deliver seasonal produce boxes of varying sizes to your door. You can order at will or sign up for their weekly or bi-weekly boxes to be delivered automatically! Quality: Great Selection/Options: Seasonal, so for each season the options are fantastic! Price: $-$$, Depends on how big your family is and how big of a box you order. The pricing is very reasonable! Parking: Not needed. Delivery only! Delivery: Their Speciality Easy to get to:- they only DELIVER, but will have their products showcased around Amman throughout the year English: Yes! Haram foods: Nope Bonuses: This is the only weekly boxed delivery service we know of operating in Amman at this time.

Mazraati- All Fresh https://web.facebook.com/MazraatiJO/ +962 (7) 96548559 This is a market, cafe and greenhouse. Quality: Excellent Selection/Options: Excellent Price: $-$$$ Parking: Great. They have a large area out front for easy parking Delivery: Yes! Easy to get to: Yes, you can find it on Google Maps easily. It’s a little bit of a drive for anyone not living near 7th or 8th circles because it’s outside the city on the way south to the Airport. English: Yes Haram foods: No Bonuses: They have some fantastic customer service! They sell potted herbs, vegetables and fruits year round from their green houses connected to their market and cafe. Also, they sell us our organic fertilizer, perlite and vegetable garden soil, plus they deliver it to our door for a small fee included in the price of the items!

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Healthy Resturants Primrose – food prepared daily ready to eat! Location: Near Starbucks Sweifeh Dine in area: Outdoors, seats about 8 Service: Good, very eager to serve you Speed: very good Quality: Good Selection/Options: healthy sweets, soups, salads, wraps, and meals (fish, chicken, meat and you can pre order a vegan meal) Price: $$$-$$$$ Parking: Not easy, you have to find a parking in the street; often depends on the time of day Delivery: Yes, very fast Easy to get to: Yes English: Yes, very good Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Primrose.jo/?fref=ts Website: http://primrose-jo.com/ Phone Number: 07 9555 1220

The Nutribox Location: Near Mecca Street and Mecca Circle Dine in area: Outdoor area that can seat perhaps 10 Service: Good Speed: Good Quality: Great Selection/Options: Salads, wraps, and meals Price: $$-$$$ Parking: You can usually find somewhere on the street Delivery: Yes Easy to get to: Yes English: Yes Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NutriBoxJO/ Website: https://twitter.com/NutriBoxJO Phone Number: 0797804780 / 0796244838

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OJ’s Location: Um Othaina - near 6th Circle Dine in area: Yes, indoor seats about 20 Service: Good Speed: Good, you can get your custom salad in less than 5 minutes. Quality: Very Good (big portion) Selection/Options: Soup, salad bar, chicken platter and healthy smoothies. Price: $$-$$$ Parking: Can be hard to find a spot depends on time of day Delivery: Yes Easy to get to: Yes English: Yes Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ojskitchen/?fref=ts Website: http://www.eatojs.com/ Phone Number: 07 8773 3339 Notes:- Have their own loyalty program and app that are very convenient to use and pay from

Bloom Location: Abdoun Dine in area: Yes but small Service: Good Speed: Good Quality: Good Selection/Options: Sweets, salads and meals (Chicken and beef) Price: $$-$$$ Parking: Not easy, on the street Delivery: Yes Easy to get to: No English: Yes Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/Bloom-Healthy-Habit Phone Number: 07 7733 2266

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Seed Location: Abdoun Dine in area: Yes Service: Good Speed: Good Quality: Very Good Selection/Options: Soups, sweets, salads, healthy smoothies and wraps Price: $$$-$$$$ Parking: Can usually find on the block Delivery: Yes Easy to get to: No, it can be tricky getting to it English: Yes Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/SeedAmman/ Website: http://www.SeedHealthy.com Phone Number: 07 9656 0001

Blue Fig

2 locations, The Original large location next to Taj Mall and Blue Fig Corner near Primrose and Meat Masters Dine in area: Yes, this is a full sized sit down restaurant with large indoor and outdoor areas Quality: excellent. Everything is local, fresh and sometimes organic. Selection/Options: excellent. You can find dishes from every continent, plus they always showcase food each month from a specific country. It’s easy to find gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan options. They also offer an array of healthy and delicious drink options like fresh juices and smoothies. Price: $-$$$ Parking: just ok. They offer valet for 2 JD, but the only other option is finding an empty spot on the street nearby or parking in the Starbucks lot and walking over. Delivery?: YES! Via the Talabat App. Highly recommended. Easy to Find?: yes English?: yes Haram foods?: some, you can purchase alcohol and some dishes have bacon Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/BlueFigJo/ Website: http://www.bluefig.com Phone Number: (06) 592 8800

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Muscle Kitchen

Location- Rabieh area Quality: Good quality Dine in area- small indoor area seating maybe 10 Selection/Options: Salads, burgers, wraps, meals Price: $-$$ Parking: ok Delivery?: YES! Via the Talabat App. Highly recommended. Easy to Find?: yes, not too bad English?: yes Haram foods?: No Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/musclekitchen/ Phone Number: 07 9599 0903 Notes- this is the newest healthy food store as of 2018. They provide a great value for the quality of food they have.

Primal

Location- Abdoun area Quality: Excellent quality Dine in area- nice indoor and outdoor area Selection/Options: Salads, burgers, wraps, meals, lots of variety Price: $$$-$$$$ Parking: ok Delivery?: YES! Via the Talabat App. Highly recommended. Easy to Find?: not too bad English?: yes Haram foods?: No Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/PrimalPaleo.co/ Phone Number: 07 8870 0111 Notes- We love Primal- amazing food, great atmosphere, but it is the most expensive option

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