Category: Food

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a small Asian supermarket that opened up in Salmiya and now a second one opened. Yamama which previously had a location in Shuwaikh just opened up in Salmiya. Yamama like Singarea is actually an importer of products so they tend to supply other shops.

What’s cool about this location is they have a small bar area with boiling water, microwave and a hot plate. That way you can say buy your noodles and eat them there. I’d imagine that would be popular with people in the neighborhood.

If you want to check it out they’re open from 9AM to 11PM and they’re located on the same street at Marina Mall. Google Maps

Iroiro is a new Japanese restaurant that just soft opened in the city. It’s by Dong Jin Kang, the same person behind The Kimchi at the Radisson Blu. Iroiroi is a Japanese street food concept with a focus around ramen and the place looks incredible.

The interior is what caught my attention initially. I had been following the construction on Instagram for sometime now and had really been looking forward to seeing the final look. The interior is meant to mimic the popular Izakaya alleys in Japan and they even shipped in a lot of the interior pieces from Japan to help add to the authenticity. It’s an extremely photogenic space so I expect it to be really popular with instagrammers and Tiktokers over the coming weeks.

I came by for a quick lunch and I’m writing this post while waiting for my dessert. Iroiro is located near my office and is a very chill spot on the 10th floor of the Oasis Hotel (the building right next to Pick). They have a soft launch menu now and I ended up just having the Kujirai Ramen. There are no prices on the menu since it’s a free tasting over the next few days before they finalize things. My ramen was really good and I’ll definitely be coming back for it but also to try their Yakitori and Udon.

If you want to pass by they have a soft opening till the 28th and you can call and book a slot. Their instagram is @iroiro.kw.

Image on the very top by @me.folla

This is a bit of a weird and confusing drama. SALT, the popular UAE burger concept is NOT coming to Kuwait according to their most recent post. But, according to people on TikTok and Instagram they are supposedly coming to Kuwait.

Turns out there is a SALT opening in Shuwaikh near Mayar Complex with the exact same logo as the UAE one and have the account @salt_kwt. But, it’s supposedly a different SALT and is a franchise of the Qatari concept with a similar logo @salt_qa. To make things even more confusing, the UAE SALT is also available in Qatar and their account is @findsalt.qatar.

So just in case you’re as confused about this as I am, to keep things simple, the SALT opening up in Shuwaikh is different from the Emirati @findsalt.

Update: To confuse things even further, I’ve just been told the Emirati @findsalt is also coming to Kuwait. So we’re going to have both versions somehow open up here.

Medi (@eat.medi) is a small Mediterranean restaurant that just opened in the city. The restaurant has a cozy 16-seat communal counter that serves small sharing plates. Their menu is up on their website along with pictures and the dishes look pretty good. I haven’t passed by yet since they just opened, but if you’re looking for a new place to try Medi seems interesting.

Currently, they only accept reservations due to their limited seating capacity; so no walk-ins. They open at 6pm and the last booking is at 10:30pm.

Medi is located in the same building where Bartone used to be in Sharq (Google Maps). If you want to book or check out their menu, their website is eat-medi.com

An interview with a Michelin Star chef popped up on my TikTok feed last week and he said something really interesting which was basically that food is the third most important thing in a restaurant, with ambiance and service being more important. I think thats true and I realized that while I was putting this list together.

Sometimes I wonder why certain places are always busy while I’m sure other people wonder why I like a certain place, it really comes down to our individual experiences. I eat out pretty much every single day and the list below are some of my favorite places in Kuwait:

Breakfast
Cocoa Room (@cocoaroom) is the spot I go to when I want to have breakfast on a Friday morning while Alf Layla wLayla (@alf_laylawlayla) is the spot I have breakfast with friends midweek when the weather is good (Tip: Bring your own chapati from Sound Indian Restaurant at the roundabout next door).

Healthy-ish
Ever since OVO (@ovokwt) opened their new location in Shuwaikh I’ve loved going there. M.E’AT (@meatkwt) is my don’t think about it, just go build a bowl eat and leave spot.

Kuwaiti
Al Shemam (@alshemam1) is mine and everyones favorite with delicious grilled fish options and kebabs but I also really like Midar (@midar.me) in The Avenues.

Italian
Vigonovo (@vigonovo_kw) has been my go-to spot for the past 7 years ago but this past year I’ve been bouncing between them and Leccino (@leccino.kw).

Asian
EDO (@edo_restaurant) is my favorite Japanese right now while Great China Wall (@chinagreatwallrestaurant) is my favorite Chinese/Hot Pot spot.

Indian
Cardamon Club (@cardamom.club) is my favorite “fancy” Indian place while Paratha King (@paratha_king) is my hole in the wall.

My Comfort Food
Tampopo (@tampopo.ramenshop) because it’s simple and right next to my house. I still love Solo Pizza (@solopn) even though there are a lot more pizza places nowadays. And finally, one of my favorite restaurants in Kuwait, Oak & Smoke (@oakandsmoke). I would also have added Five Guys here if it wasn’t a franchise.

These are my favorite spots, let me know if your favorite place should have been on my list.

Amorino, the popular French gelato chain is set to open in Kuwait this coming weekend at The Avenues. Thursday and Friday will be by invitation only, but on Saturday it will be open to everyone.

I’m actually excited about this since I like their ice cream a lot. They’re located in Phase III of The Avenues, in the back next to the escalators and where the English Tea Lounge used to be.

Their instagram account is also now live and they’ve started a countdown for their opening @amorinokuwait

Back in November, I broke the news that Chipotle had signed with Alshaya and were coming to Kuwait. Now, 7 months later, its finally official.

Chipotle just announced that it had signed an agreement with Alshaya Group, its first-ever franchise partner, to open locations in the Middle East next year. The initial plan calls for two locations each in Dubai and Kuwait.

This is pretty huge news especially since this is the first time Chipotle has enlisted a local franchise retail operator as it moves into a new market. Alshaya really know how to get things done, exciting!