Somehow my three favorite breakfast spots in Kuwait all ended up next to each other at the cultural center. I used to go there just for Baker & Spice but in the last two weeks Cocoa Room opend up there and then Rococoa introduced a new breakfast menu. Just like that, JACC became an overnight breakfast and brunch hotspot.
Cocoa Room
The new Cocoa Room opened up recently at JACC with an updated breakfast menu and a completely new lunch and dinner offering. I passed by twice during their tastings but haven’t been able to get a table since due to their popularity. This past weekend I dropped by twice at around 10AM but they had already closed the breakfast waiting list because the it got too long. I even got their reservation number last night and tried to book a table for this coming weekend and they’re already fully booked! If you’ve never been they have a large assortment of breakfast items including a huge list of pancakes and egg Benedict’s to choose from along with a huge dessert list. Recently they added an eggplant fetteh dish to their menu (pictured above) which has become my new favorite breakfast item but their turkish eggs and Cocoa Room eggs Benedict are also two of my favorites. If you’re interested in passing by them either do so early, or try and reserve ahead of time by calling 22083195. They only have a few tables available to book by phone, the rest are reserved for walk-ins.
Rococoa
In the past week I’ve gone to Rococoa a total of five times, I went to their breakfast and dinner tasting early on in the week and then back again three times with friends for their breakfast. The last two were because Cocoa Room was fully booked, but also because I really like the new Rococoa breakfast menu. Rococoa launched a new menu last week that include a bunch of interesting items like my favorites, the Scotch Egg Tart (pictured above) and the Cloudy Eggs. Both those dishes are pretty unique and so make breakfast a little more interesting. The service can be super slow at times but the food makes up for it. For reservations you can call them on 55222244.
Baker & Spice
Last but not least is Baker & Spice. Located between Cocoa Room and Rococoa, they’ve got a pretty good breakfast as well. I’m usually there for their Turkish eggs or omelette and since the food is light, it doesn’t feel like a cheat meal and so I never feel guilty afterwards. But like Cocoa Room, Baker & Spice tends to fill up pretty quickly but you could call and reserve ahead of time by calling them on 98002331.
The weather is getting better and better so if you’re looking for a good breakfast or brunch spot to go to, I can’t think of a more convenient place to go to other than JACC. Just try and book a table ahead of time or be prepared to walk around the fountain area while you wait for a table to free up.
15 replies on “Breakfast & Brunch at JACC”
I don’t mean to sound negative, but it seems JACC is becoming another place to hangout and eat, with ‘culture’ coming second.
Or as a friend pointed out, maybe Kuwaiti culture IS eating out?
Ummmm it’s all restaurants around the fountain what do you want people to do there other than hang out and eat? What would you rather have around the fountain?
Its normal for these kind of places to have restaurants.. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, for example, has a restaurant, a cafe, and a rooftop bar 😉
I guess what he is trying to say is that it should be about the art and culture, not about the food. Peoples primary reason to visit should be to view the exhibits or attend a performance and the restaurant is just a convenience to grab a bite on the way.
Nobody’s fault though if the restaurants are good, people could go for the food and catch a glimpse of the exhibits and cultural performances while waiting for their tables to free up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How early do they open?
did you hear about the”ban the bag” petition?
it would be great if they had a shop around that area selling souvenirs and arts by Kuwaiti artist, rather than having only restaurants but I do agree it is definitely the best place to brunch/dine.
thats actually not a bad idea
If I recall correctly, the initial plan was to have a small number of restaurants in the garden area [up to five, I believe], but a last-minute revision saw the addition of the fountains and an increase in restaurants up to around eighteen venues.
To be quite honest, while I’m not thrilled that the place is basically another food village, I never appreciated the poor layout of the parking access, crowded elevators to the ground level but above all, that the buildings are gated off and visitors are confined to the restaurant/fountain area. At the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku for example, visitors are free to roam around the gardens, sit at the fountains and even interact with the curving sides of the building itself. I saw lots of young people skateboarding around the building, people nestled in its shadows and the best part was the fact that the building and its surroundings were all open to the street, granting constant access to the public. I think it’s unfortunate that the JACC only lets people into the venue halls during an actual performance, has security around the perimeter making sure no one ventures beyond a certain point and then gates parts off so that the Center is essentially just a look-but-don’t-touch landmark that we can’t interact with.
Yeah that is really weird, i don’t understand why we can’t roam around and explore the main cultural center buildings. its like they built it but then don’t want anyone near it.
I was told by a friend that even al Shaheed park phase two where the fountain is people aren’t allowed to step on the grass nearby the fountain if there was no musical fountain performance, though it is designed with seats surrounding the fountain!
I think the restaurants guarantee some type of foot traffic. Without that what exactly would people go to visit after one round ? Kuwait has no tourists really.
Ps Are you an architect of any kind Khaled.
I feel there is a great drive for cultural activities in Kuwait. In the last 2 nights, I’ve been to 2 excellent concerts: in Yarmouk & Shaheed Park. A problem with JACC is the high cost of tickets. For instance barely a third of the tickets for the Caracalla Dance Theatre performances for this Thursday & Friday have been sold which is not surprising since the range of prices is 35 to 150 KD. It would be a shame for this dance company to perform in front of a half empty auditorium. Obviously it costs a lot of money to bring international artists to Kuwait and I think the best solution for lowering the ticket prices is finding more sponsors.
The division and separation between the theatres and the restaurants at JACC makes no sense, and is proof that the restaurants were added as an afterthought and were not part of the original plan. It’s like 2 separate worlds
Imagine going to see a nice performance followed by a light post-show dinner, but instead of walking over from the theatre(s) you have to get in your car, slowly leave the parking garage because everyone else is leaving at the same time, find your way back down into the restaurant parking and up the lifts.
The whole ordeal is simply not worth anyone’s time and most people get in their cars and just keep driving home or to eat somewhere else other than JACC restaurants. The restaurants are not benefiting from post-show crowds AT ALL!
Mark, Thanks for your recommendation today of Cocoa Room for breakfast. We visited today, called in & told 90 min wait, once they saw my amazingly cute kids they seated us within 15 min. Atmosphere was nice, we ordered multiple items & they ALL were actually good, well priced, service was excellent. I would revisit this spot again.