Karbala's food is straightforward Iraqi pilgrim fare — grilled meats, big plates of rice, lentil stew, and bread from the clay oven. Around the shrines you will find an almost endless line of small eateries serving masgouf (Euphrates carp split and grilled over an open fire), quzi (slow-cooked lamb on saffron rice), and dolma (vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat).
Look for the kababji stalls near the bazaar: shoulder-to-shoulder grills turning out skewers of lamb and chicken, served with raw onion, fresh herbs, and warm samoon bread. For dessert, the syrup-soaked zalabiya is everywhere during pilgrim season. Restaurants close briefly during the main prayers but stay open very late on busy nights.
Alcohol is not served. Tap water is best avoided — bottled water is universal and cheap.