Ever since old Salmiya got a facelift I’ve refrained from posting about it due to all the issues I have with the project (which I won’t get into in this post). But, one good thing has come out of it and that is Little Manila.
Over the past couple of years, the Filipino community has been slowly taking over the first chunk of Salem Mubarek Street that was made pedestrian-only a few years ago. It started off with popular Asian-focused supermarkets popping up, followed by shops and restaurants (we now have like 400 fried chicken and bubble tea concepts now). There is a lot of life on the street now with a great atmosphere in the evenings. We have live music, lots of outdoor restaurants, dogs and kids running around, and even pop-up markets.
Although I still have issues with the project, I like how the community has taken it over. When I was a kid we used to call the neighborhood old Salmiya but now everyone is calling it Little Manila. If you haven’t been to the neighborhood before or haven’t been in a while, you should come by. Parking and traffic are still an issue but if you’re willing to park a bit far and walk you’ll be fine. Here is the location on Google Maps.
14 replies on “Little Manila – aka Old Salmiya”
You just made hundreds of thousands of Filipinos very happy with this post.
#PinoyPride
Wonderful post mark,I do have issue generally with the design of the space including the shading structure, clearly who ever designed the space has no personal connection with Salmiya like many of us did.However the only bright side as you said is the pinoy community taking over the space.
Filipinos leave a little color everywhere they go. So glad they made a mark there too! The name couldn’t be more perfect than this!
The large Filipino population is a blessing to Kuwait; wonderful people to say the least.
*Manila
*Filipino
Great a misspelling in the title š¤¦š¼āāļø
Proud Pinoy Here! See You At The Little Manila. Happy New Year.
I’m no longer in Kuwait, but I was there during the lockdown and loved walking through Old Slamiya during those walking hours we had every evening. The place was just so full of life and everyone had really wide happy smiles on their faces. Hands down the most happiest place in Kuwait.
This post and even the comments are incredibly wholesome.
I’ve watched vlogs and Interviews about this topic and even though the journalists are usually very polite and welcoming towards the place, most locals had lots of bad things to say still so this is a great change.
Always in awe of your work, Mark!
I actually thought it looked tacky. A far far cry from the halcyon silk stocking days of Salem Mubarak Street back in the day when it was easily the smartest, sharpest high street address on the other side of Tehran. Of course, renewal and change are important. Somehow, the face-lift prima facie – appears dodgy even though it’s been able to bring it all together giving it a sense of community, gay abandon and all.
I think you’re reminiscing of the long gone Salmiya of the 70s and 80s š¢
I grew up in Salmiya in the 70s and 80s. Lived right there in the center of that market. Hated Friday nights cause the weekend was over and we had to go to school the next day! Lol
I wasn’t so thrilled when they started to uproot the trees in Old Souq to give it a facelift. But after they renovated the area, it looked good and felt like a great place to spend some time.
But right now, TBH I dont’ like the place anymore. It has become so crowded and lost the whole feel of Old Souq. Last year it was very welcoming but now its become more like Farwaniya or the Muthanna souq (near Sheraton) area.. š
I miss the Old Souq where i used to go as a kid every Wednesday just to have ice-cream.
I used to love old Salmiya as a child. Went there with my mom and walked all the way from the start to the Family Bookshop and the German opticians. We even had family friends living in one of the old villas there that were torn down early 80s I think