#wavy ice

Saudi is opening, with tourist visas being issued and their grand 2030 plan to make the Kingdom’s tourism industry as robust as that of the UAE and others, not to mention, 1/3 of the country’s residents are expats. If you’re coming to Saudi for business or pleasure, you’re likely to stop in Riyadh, the capital city which has more than 5 million residents.

With daytime temperatures averaging over 100°F in the summer, Saudis tend to stay up all night when the weather is cool(-er) and sleep during the day. To keep them going all night long, they need a lot of coffee. Coffee culture is very strong in Riyadh, with unique shops all over the city. However there are plenty of your familiar chains available if you’re needing a taste of home, such as Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, Dunkin Doughnuts, Caribou, and Cafe Bene.

But this post is dedicated to my Saudi-exclusive coffee joints. I’ve done my best to link to their instagrams as best I can so you can check out their websites and locations from there. (Links are in the names before the pictures )

1. Wavy Ice

Located in Al Mughrizat Plaza, along with Starbucks, Dunkin, Doughnuts, and Cafe Bene this coffee shop has personality and a great cup of coffee. My go-to drink is a vanilla latte, but be warned: their’s is on the sweeter side, so a plain latte does suffice for me. The booths are wide, plenty of outlets for you to charge your laptop or phone, their walls are covered in local artwork which they swap out regularly, giving it a unique and personal feel. They do play music (not a given in Saudi) and sometimes even host events in the evenings.

Personal ancedote: I thought their stickers were cute and asked if they were for sale. They weren’t, but the barista gave me a handful (literally) for free, taking them off the paper and handing them to me, leaving me with no where to put them. I think we both thought the other was a bit odd 😂

2. 12 Cups

On our way out of the city, driving to the Safari put on by Riyadh Season, we stopped at 12 Cups. (I believe they also have a location in the DQ.)

A sleek, modern, coffee shop with several 20-somethings working on their laptops and the smell of fresh beans, this shop had a lovely atmosphere and I wished we weren’t just popping in for a takeaway. But alas, we had places to go, so we snapped a quick pic with the angle wings on the wall while they whipped up our drinks and we dashed off to our plans.

The coffee was one of the best in terms of quality and the ascetics were on point too. 10/10.

3. Pandemic Coffee

Honestly, I didn’t love their coffee. They had a lot of unique flavors on their menu, but it just wasn’t quite my taste.

HOWEVER, it is a must see purely for the aesthetics and vibe. I mean, what could be more relevant right now?

Stepping through the massive steel door is like entering a night club with the music pounding, low lighting, walls painted black, and cherry blossoms growing. It’s such a stark contrast to life outside and anything else you experience in Riyadh, that it’s worth the other-worldly culture shock.

If I remember correctly, their wifi wasn’t working 😬😬😬

But it seems like enough people like them for locations to open in Tabuk and Dubai, so maybe it might be closer to your palette. 

4. Bearista

A cabin-themed coffee shop, looking like something out of a USA road trip to the mountains, with faux-brick walls and tree-stump tables, BEARISTA is a cozy coffee shop located across the street from the Hayat mall and within walking distance of an Enjaz, so you can transfer some money, pop over for a quick coffee break, and then go off to do some shopping.

We went on a Thursday afternoon and slipped right in before prayer time. It was lovely to relax and sip our coffee while waiting for shops to re-open. The staff was nice and of course, the coffee was delicious. 

(I couldn’t find their instagram, but I did link to their foursquare page).

5. Caffe Bene

Okay, so I know I said this list was dedicated to Saudi-exclusives, but I HAD to include this global chain. I discovered Caffe Bene last summer in Japan and have been a fan of the vibe ever since. While the coffee quality might be a bit watered down for my personal taste, the instrumental music, array of seating, and low prices keep it high on my list of go-tos, especially when looking to pass a few hours in the afternoon or on the weekend with a book or laptop.

In pre-COVID times, my friends and I were regulars at this particular location. Loads of seating, free wifi, tons of natural light, and again low prices! Even with a 15 % VAT, a medium iced vanilla latte is only 18 SAR.

Not to mention their staff is always kind and lovely. Unlike Starbucks, they play music! While they don’t close for prayer, so you can sit inside and enjoy a wonderful respite from the heat when all other shops are closed, their employees do take a break during prayer times. At my favorite location, Caffe Bene also recently removed the divide between men’s and women’s sections (or as they’re know in Saudi “Single” and “Family Sections”). Yay steps toward gender equality!!

In COVID times, employees wear masks and gloves, perform temperature checks at the door, and require social distancing among customers.

Disclaimer: be wary of the baked goods... they can be a bit dried out, but this is Saudi, so I don’t really fault them so much as lack of humidity.