Author: Mark

It wasn’t easy putting this list together with so many great-looking coffee shops in Kuwait, here click on more below to see the 6 most beautifully designed ones. If I missed a place, let me know in the comments.

I wish there were more photos but you can at least check these two out in full-resolution on twitter @ArabiaArchive

I just noticed Xcite have updated their website with a new design and it’s super fast. The design itself isn’t that special but the speed of navigation is. Check it out xcite.com

One thing I did find weird is navigating through the drop-down menu requires clicking and not hovering to open up sub-menus. Seems very old school.

The Best Electronics website seems will also be getting an update but in the meantime have strangely shut down the whole website to do so. best.com.kw

Update: A reader highlighted a major flaw with the Xcite website which is the fact you can’t open products in separate tabs. Hopefully, that’s something they’re planning to fix because it’s a major navigation flaw the way it is now.

Update2: Looks like they heard us, products can now be opened in new tabs!

I always imagined it would be crazy expensive to play golf at the Sahara Kuwait Golf Club but turns out that’s not the case. Earlier this week I got in touch with the golf coach there and after a bit of back and forth I managed to figure out the cheapest way to have fun at the golf club.

If like me you just want to go alone or with friends and hit balls at the driving range, then you can do that for just 13KD. The cost to use the driving range for a non-member is 10KD for 2 hours and that includes 150 balls. If you don’t have a golf club which I’m assuming you don’t then you can rent a 7-iron for 3KD. If you want more balls, its 3KD for an additional 150.

Another great option is booking a 30-minute lesson with a professional PGA coach. The lesson costs 35KD and once you’re done with it you then get 2 hours of practice at the driving range with 150 balls to hit. The golf club is included at this price.

I went yesterday to the driving range to try it out and it’s definitely a very fun thing to do. I went just before sunset and the place was very chill. The range can hold 11 people but there was just one person when I was there. 150 balls lasted me nearly an hour of basically non-stop swinging.

If you want to play at the driving range you can either go as a walk-in or book ahead by calling them up on 22203411 or 22203410. There is a basic dress code, for guys, it’s like no jeans or shorts, no flip flops, and wear a top with a collar. When you call them they’ll fill you in. When you get to the Sahara Club, head downstairs to the golf shop, that’s where you pay and go in from.

At 13KD, this could be one of the most affordable and fun outdoor activities in Kuwait.

Photo on top from @itsgee98

Last year I posted about Flora, a hidden wholesale florist in Salmiya that I used to get my flowers from. Tahani is another similar wholesale florist but since I found out about it, it’s become my new go-to flower shop.

Tahani Flowers have multiple locations but I’ve only been to the ones in Salmiya and Hawally. The Salmiya one is larger and has a bigger variety so that’s the one I frequent the most. The store is located in the basement of a building on the same street as Jothen Cosmetics, Barakat, and Tibawi Sweets. The store is divided into two areas, the large main area is where you’ll find pots, plant accessories, dried flowers, and some plants and flowers like Orchids. But, the most important area is their extremely large walk-in fridge.

The fridge is where all the fresh flowers are displayed and is divided into two large sections with a corridor connecting the two areas. The fridge is filled to the brim with flowers, from popular and common, to rarer and harder-to-find ones. Since they’re wholesalers, the prices of the flowers are cheaper than anywhere else and their collection is the largest I’ve seen so far in Kuwait (if you know a place with a larger collection let me know!).

Here is the location on Google Maps, and they’re also on Instagram @tahaniflowersalmiya

Over the weekend I passed by the Solelab location in Shuwaikh and it’s HUGE. The place looks as good as it does in the photos and there’s even a beautiful coffee bar in one corner. Actually, if there were more seats and tables, it would also be a great-looking coffee shop.

I didn’t end up buying anything but they did have a pretty large selection of sneakers as well as some clothes from brands like Carhartt, Butter Goods, and Huff. There’s also a cool-looking sneaker laundry in case you want to get your sneakers cleaned.

If you want to check the place out, the store is located in Shuwaikh in the same complex as Spark and Pet Lobby. They’ve also got more photos on their account if you want to check them out @solelabkw

Below are all the events I found taking place this weekend, if I missed anything let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Jan 19
Meet Me At The Terrace
Light Expo
The Promenade Family Fun
The Kuwait Motor Show
The Valley Market

Friday, Jan 20
Kites Watching in Bnaider
Meet Me At The Terrace
Light Expo
Kuwait Duathlon 2023
A Weekend Downtown
BNK Padel Open Finals
Drag Race Round 2
The Kuwait Motor Show
965 MX Junior Championship
Workshop: Embroidery Basics
Music Night at Palama
The Valley Market
Trip to Jahra Reserve

Saturday, Jan 21
Meet Me At The Terrace
Treasure Hunt At Alshaheed Park
Light Expo
EO at Cinema Hall
BNK Padel Open Finals
Drag Race Round 2
KMT Open-Cockpit Car Track Day
The Kuwait Motor Show
Art N Dine: Take me to Saturn
Asherij Beach Cleanup
The Valley Market
A Weekend Downtown

Exhibitions
Bridging East and West
Building Prints
Mona Al-Qanai Letting Go
Surrender by Bader Qabazard

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Assassin Club (N/A)
Best Birthday Ever (5.3)
Detective Knight: Independence (N/A)
Old Man (4.8)

Other Movies Showing:
Avatar: The Way of Water (8.3)
Black Adam (7.5)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (7.4)
Finnick (5.7)
Leave (5.3)
M3GAN (6.1)
Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (7.2)
Shotgun Wedding (7.3)
The Amazing Maurice (6.4)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Beauty and the Beast (8.0)
Blade Runner (8.1)
Home Alone (7.7)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been forcing myself to try a new place every week. I had gotten a bit too comfortable just eating at the places I liked but also there were very few new places I was interested in trying anyway.

Ode is one of the spots that did get my attention. I knew all the talented people behind the project and loved their work so I had been meaning to pass by it ever since it opened.

The menu isn’t very large, most of the sweet and savory items are out on display but there are a handful of other items that are prepared in the kitchen. The display is visually very appetizing so it’s pretty hard to pick what to eat. Go in a larger group so you could order a wider range of items. The prices are slightly on the expensive side but the portions are fairly large so it does balance out.

I went with a friend so we didn’t order too many items. We had mama’s zaatar rolls with whipped feta, the avocado on sourdough with scrambled eggs (I didn’t pick this), and the flan tart with tonka and kumquat compote. From the three I wouldn’t order the avocado and scrambled eggs again since it turned out to be too basic, but the zaatar roll and specifically the flan tart were both delicious. Add a coffee to the order and our bill came out to 13KD.

If you’re looking for a small trendy brunch spot with a variety of interesting and unique dishes, they’re located in Salmiya near Pet Zone and are open from 10AM to 7PM daily except for Sundays. Here is their location Google Maps and they’re on Instagram @ode.eatery

AAB World which was already considered the largest photography and videography store in Kuwait now has a new and much larger location. The new location is still in the basement of Symphony Mall but is now located across from their previous store. The new store looks like it’s 6+ times larger than their previous store which was starting to feel cramped because of the large variety of equipment and accessories they were selling.

Thinking about it now, I don’t recall ever going to a photography store larger than the new AAB World. It’s so big they have a full podcast setup, a video broadcasting setup and an area dedicated to workshops and events. The majority of the cameras and equipment are also all on display for you to fiddle with and try.

I don’t need to tell you to visit AAB World if you’re looking to get a new camera or podcasting equipment since you most likely already know about them, but if you haven’t seen their new store then you should give them a visit because it really is impressive. @aabworld

Shakir just launched the chicken shawarma a couple of days ago and it made me realize just how strange it was that they didn’t have chicken as an option to begin with. If it was me opening a shawarma place and someone suggested to me to only sell meat I’d be like wtf? The number 1 rule of a shawarma place is the fact that you have chicken and meat, that’s basic Shawarma 101. But that’s the power of Shakir, since the start they’ve been doing things differently and it’s worked out really well for them.

I passed by their Salmiya location yesterday which tends to be fairly quiet, but when I got there it was really busy with delivery drivers and people waiting to order the new chicken shawarma. I’m a big fan of Shakir but had recently gotten bored of it, the fact they have chicken now has re-sparked my interest in the brand and I’m guessing it’s done the same with other people.

Was it worth the wait?

So their chicken shawarma is actually pretty good, better than I was expecting it to be, not that I was thinking it was going to be bad. I think it’s their nicely balanced garlic sauce combined with the freshly baked bread that gives it a slight edge over my other favorite places like Ebn 3my and Shawarma Arabi. The only issue is the ratio of chicken to bread, they’re pretty stingy with the filling. After having two sandwiches, I went back for a third and asked for extra chicken (it’s an option with the meat shawarma for an extra fee if you didn’t know). But, according to the cashier, the IT guys hadn’t set up that option yet on their system. When it does become an option, that’s how I’d recommend you have it, order the sandwich with extra chicken or else it will mostly feel like you’re eating bread as you can see in my photo.

Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The price of the chicken shawarma is 750fils similar to their meat. They also have the platter for 2.750KD. I had my sandwich with just garlic inside because that’s how I like it but it usually comes with greens, sweet potato chips, and pickles.

Kei, the first and oldest Japanese restaurant in Kuwait is reopening next week on January 23rd. The new Kei will be called Kei Downtown to differentiate it from the Kei Restaurant that will eventually reopen again at the JW Marriott once the hotel renovation is complete.

I just got back from a private lunch at Kei and it was great to see the old staff again, many of which I’ve known for close to two decades.

The new Kei Downtown location is at Assima Mall but located on the outside right next door to Pick. They’ll be opening from 7PM on January 23rd but will start opening for lunch the following day. To stay posted on their opening you can follow them on Instagram @kei_downtown

The Staged in Kuwait IMPROV comedy night is back again and will be taking place at the end of this month (January 26).

This is my favorite local comedy show and if you’ve never been to one of their shows you definitely should.

Tickets start at KD 7.5 and you should probably hurry and get some as well since they tend to get picked up fast. If you’re looking for something fun and different to do then check them out. Link

The MOI has started the process of replacing the old traffic cameras with the new ones all around Kuwait. Below is a list of most of the violations these new cameras will be able to capture.

The strangest violation for me is the fact they will now fine you for using your phone while stopped at a red light. EVERYONE gets on their phone at red lights, so not sure how that’s going to work.

Anyway, here is the list of violations the new cameras can capture:

• Driving above the speed limit
• Using the phone while driving
• Using the phone at traffic lights
• Driving without the seatbelt on
• Running red lights
• Changing lanes without using the indicator
• Stopping in the yellow box at intersections
• Driving on the wrong side of the road
• Taking illegal u-turns, right or left turns
• Not driving in the designated heavy vehicle lane

Teta’s is a new breakfast and brunch spot that just opened today in Kuwait City. The place is super cute with a rustic-looking interior and a menu to match.

The restaurant was full when I dropped by but they did have a lot of to-go items on display. The interior is somewhat of a bakery/coffeeshop while the main dining area is outdoors.

They currently open from 9AM to 6PM and are located across the street from Behbahani Complex, where Lunch Room used to be (Google Maps).

If you want to check out the menu, click here and here.