The other day I passed by SoMu (South of Mubarakiya) on my way to Bait Ahmed and to my surprise, most of the restaurants and cafes there had closed down including 12 Chutney and Caffeine.
I’m assuming they were all hit hard because of the pandemic and the whole block is deserted now. Pretty sad especially since this time of year it would have been super busy at night.
Photo by TheJessicaness
7 replies on “SoMu is Dead”
I had the exact same feeling just last week and honestly, even though I sympathize with the people who lost their source of revenue and/or jobs, I’m glad that Souq Mbarakiyeh is now returning to its former glory.
I used to love Souq Mbarakiyeh because it was the only place in Kuwait that I felt was untouched by time. It was a historic, cultural landmark, and it still is, but about seven years ago, Western-educated Millennials brought their hipster concepts to it, like Aeropress coffee, 5 KD chaat and truffle vegan burgers, and it lost its charm for me.
I’m not being a cynic. I love Aeropress coffee and vegan burgers but I don’t want that in Souq Mbarakiyeh. I want to sit outside with my friends and enjoy traditional Arabic food and shai.
I don’t think it’s dead, I think it’s been brought back to life!
Very true My G !
you had me at 5 KD Chaat !
Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so.
I’m a McChicken or a Chicken Nugget (an Arab who went to American or British schools) but I personally don’t want to see those places in Mbarakiyeh.
To be fair the hipster outlets were confined to the little corner known as SOMU, which prior to them really had nothing going for it…. whereas the rest of Mubarakiya remains as is
To each their own.
I like walking up and down Souk Mbarakiyeh during the winter so I always pass by SoMu whether I like it or not.
I miss Caffeine though, I’ll say that…I liked their coffee a lot. Thankfully I still have JUMO.
There’s another third wave coffee spot in Mubarakiya. Haven’t been but looks cool. It’s indoors so maybe it will be more chicken nugget friendly (source: I’m a chick nugg).
So far I’ve loved all the attempts to craft a more premium experience in Mubarakiya. I remember being excited that Villa Moda opened there in the early 2000s although I wouldn’t buy something from there. Then came somu or specifically, Caffeine. I enjoy the mix of a haggling market and more premium spots.
https://248am.com/mark/food/goodcup-coffee-shop/