Nizwa's eating-out options have improved in the past decade but are still mostly modest. Bin Atique on the main street is the classic local choice for traditional Omani food in a private majlis room — order shuwa (meat slow-cooked underground in banana leaves) a day in advance.
For a fancier dinner, the rooftop restaurant at the Falaj Daris Hotel does Omani specialities and a decent international menu, and Diyar restaurant near the souq is reliable. The Nizwa Hotel's poolside restaurant works for a sit-down lunch out of the heat. Around the souq you will find Pakistani and Indian places serving biryanis and curries to the workforce.
Try halwa — the Omani date and rosewater jelly — from one of the halwa-makers in the souq. It is dense, sticky, and traditionally eaten with bitter coffee and a few cardamom-scented dates.