Today I visited Café Liwan, located in a new shopping strip next to the corniche. It had been recommended to me by a Saudi friend as a place to find traditional Arabian coffee, served in the traditional way with a dallah (coffee pot). It states on the company’s website that the café was established to address “customer fatigue of seeing the same run of the mill global brands. A truly Saudi brand – a place where one can unwind, relax and socialize with the comforts of home.” It was definitely a beautiful café, with a calming décor inside and a large selection of cheesecakes and other pastries, as well as a selection of Arabian, Turkish, and American coffee. I was obviously interested in trying the traditional Arabian coffee, served in a traditional-looking coffee pot.
Looking for shade outside the cafe.
The coffee was made from Arabica beans and had the brown-yellow color of traditional coffee from the region. We also bought some date cheesecake, which apparently is one of the café’s specialties. We got to the café at about 2 p.m. and it was already very busy inside. All of the tables were taken and so we had to sit outside. Fortunately, although the sun was very hot, the table shades and strong winds made the heat just about bearable. The café had a sizable area for “singles” (men only) and what looked like a larger area for families and ladies. The café was very modern, with comfortable leather-clad chairs inside, and a large number of tables and shades on the outside.
Dallah and date cheesecake. Very delicious!
My only disappointment was that the Arabian coffee was not poured in the traditional way, from high above the cup. We had to pour our own coffee, but at least this was a step closer to an authentic Arabian coffee experience! I also discovered that the coffee is drunk without the addition of sugar since the coffee has a natural, slightly sweet taste.
Look for the cup!
Great pictures and yummy looking cheesecake. I hope to go there in a not distance future.