ABU DHABI LOVES COFFEE BY THEHUNTR.COM

Bee Café

The café: This homegrown specialty coffee shop is the first cafe of its kind to be entirely run by the people of determination. Its mission is to not only benefit the people of determination themselves, but also their families, and serve to highlight the capabilities of the people of determination – changing social preconceptions and promoting social inclusion. Bee Café also offers specialised training to enable the People of Determination to obtain international certificates in the specialty coffee industry.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 6-10 (during opening hours).
• A selection of specialty coffee workshops for groups of up to 4 people will be available priced at 100AED per person. Running on December 8th 10-11am and December 9th and 10th 10am until 1pm, the workshops explore basic latte art, cold coffee beverages, and basic manual brewing.
• The team at Bee Café and Zayed Higher Organisation is also collecting coffee grounds from all #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee partners to use for fertilizer on local farms.

Booking: @zhocare.

Location: Inside the Zayed Higher Organisation, Al Mafraq, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Opening time: 8am until 1pm, Sunday-Thursday only.

Bloom Room

The café: Bloom Room Café and Flowers was founded by Emirati national Mariam Al Hameli.  Bloom Room combines two of the founder’s passions – good coffee and beautiful flowers. Here the coffee is sourced from Wind Mill roasters and crafted using a San Remo machine. Alongside the pretty florals and specialty coffee there is also a sweets menu featuring cakes, ice cream, açaí, pastries and the signature Avolato (an avocado and gelato hybrid).

Activations: A selection of specialty coffee workshops for groups of up to 4 people will be available priced at 100AED pp. Running on the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th of December, the workshops explore basic latte art, cold coffee beverages, and basic manual brewing. 
A limited edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation available Dec 1-15. 

Bookings: @bloomroom.ae or WhatsApp 050 385 5538.

Location: Hazaa Bin Zayed Street, Al Dhafra.

Opening time: Open daily from 6.30am until 11pm.

BRDG

The café: Founded by Omar Al Farran, BRDG (pronounced ‘Bridge’) is divided between three concepts – a specialty coffee cafe, a creative photography studio and a small retail corner. Born from a passion for supporting the freelancer community in Abu Dhabi, BRDG aims to bridge the gap between individual creatives and small businesses with the general public. Inspired by the hustle and bustle of NYC and its 4 million-strong freelancer community, alongside specialty coffee the menu at BRDG also features some classic New York favourites including hot dogs and breakfast dishes.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• A Specialty Coffee and Photography Workshops series is running 4-7pm on December 2nd, 7th, 9th, and 14th. Featuring hands-on training sessions for espresso-based and filtered coffee creation. Plus coffee mobilography training and Instagram content generation, culminating in a free portrait shot at the BRDG studio for each attendee. Priced at 250AED per person.

Bookings: @brdgconcept or call 02 449 9927.

Location: 905 Al Falah Street (Al Jawazat), Zone E18-03, Plot C7, Shop 10 & 11.

Opening time: Sun-Thurs 7am until 10pm. Fri-Sat 12pm until 11pm.

BuZZ by MLT

The café: The sister concept to MLT and founded by two Emirati nationals – Maryam Ahmed Khalfan Bin Jabara Almarar and Mohamed Musabah Khamis Naser Al Mazrouei – BuZZ by MLT scours local and international roast houses to find the best beans and then applies its own unique configurations to extract its coffee. Alongside its buzz-worthy coffee, MLT offers an array of cheat-day worthy dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus decadent sweet treats. And there are three locations – two food trucks (one in Al Huderyat and one in Marsa Mina) and a restaurant/cafe on Airport Road.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15 at all BuZZ by MLT and MLT branches.
• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee-based dessert available Dec 1-15 at all BuZZ by MLT and MLT branches.

Bookings: Visit @mlt.ad and @buzzbymlt or call 056 666 5016.

Location: Main Restaurant – Airport Road, East 14-2.

Food Truck 1 – Al Hudeyat Beach.

Food Truck 2 – Marsa Mina, Zayed Port, Cruise Ships Terminal, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Opening time: Restaurant open 7am until midnight. Al Hudeyat Island truck open 7am until 1am and Marsa Mina truck open 7pm until midnight.

Café Renard

The café: First opened by Emirati national Layla AlMulla in March 2020, Café Renard is a unique concept offering third-wave coffee, music, and poetry all in one pretty space. Café Renard is named after the French word for ‘Fox’, who is poetic by nature and carries itself with stealth and a passion for the small things in life. Alongside its specialty coffee offering, the menu features a small selection of sweet and savoury pastries and desserts and you can also treat yourself to a mini bouquet of flowers to sit beside your cup of joe.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• An exclusive dessert and coffee combo called #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee – cheeseballs drizzled with Kinder sauce and a V60 for 57AED.

Bookings: Visit @caferenard or call 054 555 0612.

Location: Al Muroor Street, Almamoura Block, Behind Almandoos, Rakkad Alameri Building, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Timings: Open daily from 7am until 11pm.

Cartel

The café: Cartel Coffee Roasters was cofounded by Emirati Nasser Almaskri and prides itself on the love, passion and painstaking detail it puts into every cup of coffee and bag of beans. Working with some of the world’s finest green bean companies, the folks at Cartel produce a range of top-class single-origin coffee beans and coffees “roasted fresh by local hands” alongside pastries, cookies and desserts. 

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• A workshop on the subtleties of roasting in partnership with The Koffeeist on December 9th, hourly between 5-8pm.

Bookings: @cartelcoffeeroasters or call 02 666 2002.

Location: 469 Arabian Gulf Street.

Timings: Sunday-Thursday 6.30am until 10.30pm and Friday and Saturday 8am until 10.30pm.

Culture Café

The café: The brainchild of Emirati nationals Hassan Habib Al Sayegh and Hamad Abu Shousha, Culture Cafe is located within the Abu Dhabi Youth Hub. Created to celebrate Emirati culture with a key focus on the importance of coffee in Emirati society, the main aim at Culture Cafe is “connecting the past, present, and future through culture and coffee.”

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• Between 4-9pm Barista Classes are running Dec 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th and are priced at 100AED per person.
• Between 4-9pm the Foaming and Latte Art Classes are running on Dec 9th, 10th, and 11th and are priced at 150AED per person.
• Between 4-9pm the Brewing Classes are running on Dec 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th and are priced at 150AED per person.

Bookings: @culturecafe.ad or call 050 922 5040.

Location: 305 Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi Youth Hub.

Timings: Weekdays only, 8.30am until 9.30pm.

Cupital

The café: Founded in 2018 by Emirati duo Khalifa Aldheheriand Abdulla Alremeithi, Cupital was created to share the love and art of specialty coffee with the UAE capital. With a key focus on high quality customer service, coffee beans, environment and coffee, the team at Cupital use a variety of international and local roasters, including its own Cupital Selection. 

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• A Coffee Tasting Journey (100AED pp) Dec 1-15 – includes 3 drinks (Filter, Espresso, and Cortado) and is priced at 100 AED per person.
• A talk with roaster Saeed Alblooshi from El Matador Coffee Roasters on Dec 5 at 5pm (free to attend, limited seats available).
• A Kalita brewing tool workshop hosted by Rashed Almazrouei and Sara Alkhoori on Dec 7 at 5pm (100AED per person, limited seats available).
• A Clever brewing tool workshop hosted by Cupital’s founding partner Khalifa Aldheheri on Dec 11 at 5pm (100AED per person, limited seats available).

Bookings: Visit @cupital.cafe or call 02 666 1366.

Location: Ministries Complex, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Timing: Open daily from 8am until 10pm.

Echo

The café: Part coffee shop (Echo Cafe) and part roastery (The Echo Machine Roastery), Echo was founded by Emirati national Asma Al Suwaidi in 2017. The team here pride themselves on their passionate approach to roasting coffee, which includes hunting for the best single origin green coffee beans and then roasting them in small batches to ensure a very high quality. The same attention to detail is also applied to coffee creation by Echo’s skilled barista team. Alongside its specialty coffee offering, Echo has a small selection of bakes and sweet treats, all served up in a slick and inspiring setting.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• Documentary screening for A Film About Coffee at 6pm on December 6th. Limited seats available and priced at 50AED per person.
• Documentary screening for Aeropress Movie at 6pm on December 8th. Limited seats available and priced at 50AED per person.
• The folks at Echo will also host a V60 Training Workshop hosted by Sara AlKhoori and Rashed Al Mazroui at 5pm on December 9th. Limited seats available and priced at 100AED per person.
• Documentary screening for Shade Grown Coffee at 6pm on December 10th. Limited seats available and priced at 50AED per person.
• Documentary screening for Coffee Heroes at 6pm on December 13th. Limited seats available and priced at 50AED per person.
• Aeropress Training Workshop hosted by Sara AlKhoori and Rashed Al Mazroui at 5pm on December 14th priced at 100AED per person.
• Documentary screening for Baristas at 6pm on December 15th. Limited seats available and priced at 50AED per person.

Bookings: Visit @theechomachine or call 02 448 8550.

Location: Al Sunbulah Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Timing: Open daily from 7am until 10pm.

Elixir

The café: Conceptualised by a passionate Emirati specialty coffee enthusiast called Saeed, Elixir’s ambiance is inspired by South Asia’s small, rustic and cosy cafes. 

The team use manual brewing such as V60, Kalita, Aeropress and Syphon and also serve Cold Drip and Cold Brew. Plus the folks at Elixir grind their beans using the award-winning grinder Mahlkonig EK43. To prepare espresso-based coffees, the baristas start by grinding the roasted beans with a Compak F10 and then extract it with La Marco Strada AV to produce the finest cup of coffee. Alongside its specialty coffee offering there are also cheat-day-worthy desserts and a few healthy options including chia pudding and açai.

Activations: A limited edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation available Dec 1-15.
Latte art classes, price per person 80 AED limited for 4 persons, available Dec 6-7 from 12:30 PM till 1:30 PM
Free Tiramisu with every cup of coffee available Dec 14-15.

Bookings: Visit @elixircafe.ae or call 055 828 2839.

Location: 1 Sirt Street, (behind Abu Dhabi Media).

Timings: Sat-Wed 8am until 11pm. Thur-Fri 9am until midnight.

Foodshed

The café: The brainchild of Sharjah-based Sheikha Maisa Al Qassimi, Foodshed offers “wholesome food and local roots” in Khalifa Park. All of the dishes on the menu are crafted from fresh, locally- sourced produce where possible and roughly 90% of everything on offer (including the tables) are from within the UAE. The specialty coffee is powered by Sharjah-born Ratios Coffee. Foodshed has developed an extensive special menu for the #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee festival that includes mains, desserts, drinks and pantry staples crafted using coffee. They are also offering a home brewing workshop with great tutorials and tips from their barista and several free cupping sessions to get to know some of Foodshed’s favourite beans and roasters.

Activations: Several limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creations available Dec 1-15.
Several limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee menu items for desserts, mains and takeaway pantry items. 
Special home brewing workshops priced at AED 350pp (incl. bag of beans)
Several free cupping workshops

Bookings: Visit @foodshed.ae or call 02 671 1113.

Location: Gate 1, Bloom Gardens, Khalifa Park.

Timings: Open daily from 7am until 10pm.

Kaffie

The café: Founded by Emirati national Ahmed AlMansoori, Kaffie is a tiny little bolthole located in the Muroor neighbourhood. Named after the region’s old name for coffee, Kaffie focusses on takeaway treats such as açai and pudding boxes, alongside specialty coffee. There’s very limited seating available (just a few bar stools) thanks to its modest size but the coffee on offer more than makes up for it. There are over 13 different beans available – many of which are locally sourced from favourites such as Seven Fortunes, El Matador and Saraya.

Activations: A limited edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation available Dec 1-15. 
With every drink purchase get complimentary halwa biscuits available Dec 1-15.
V60 and Chemex brewing and theoretical duo workshops priced at 120AED for 2 people and 80AED for one person.

Bookings: Visit @kaffie.uae or call 050 927 2233.

Location: Al Bandayrah Street, Abu Dhabi.

Timings: Sat-Weds 9am until 10pm, Thur-Fri 9am until 11pm.

La Petite Café

The café: Al Ain-born Ahmed Musallem Aziz Suwaidan Almuharrami created La Petite Café to offer something totally unique to the UAE cafe scene. A small cafe, with design and perfection at its core, La Petite features a floor-to-ceiling glass casing, which can be peeled back during the cooler months and let the outside in. There’s also a pretty courtyard seating area. Alongside its specialty coffee offering, La Petite has a full breakfast and lunch menu together with freshly baked goods and desserts. There is also a soft serve machine. Plus, the team are passionate about coffee and food pairings and can guide you through their recommendations.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• Coffee tasting workshops on the 7th, 1th, and 14th of December, which include coffee and cake pairings between 10am and 3pm and are priced at 60AED per person.

Bookings: visit @lapetite.coffee or call 050 689 4844.

Location: Building 9, Al Ain Square (Near HBZ Stadium), Al Ain.

Timings: Open daily from 7am until 11.45pm.

Local

The café: The brainchild of three guys Jackson (British), Jasim (Emirati) and Zayed (Emirati), LOCAL is Abu Dhabi’s first concept store offering a gentleman’s grooming salon, an exclusive sneaker consignment store and a specialty coffee cafe. The name LOCAL has two meanings – firstly for the word used proudly by the people of the UAE to communicate family, heritage and originality and secondly, a place Westerner’s commonly associate with a place of habit, familiarity and consistent reassurance – their “local”.

Activations: A limited edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation available Dec 1-15.
A special #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee origin available Dec 1-15.
Coffee tasting experiences.

Bookings: Visit @_localuae_ or call 02 555 3339.

Location: Block C, Al Zeina Complex, Al Raha Beach.

Timings: Open daily from 7am until 10pm.

Mirzam

The café: Homegrown, Emirati-owned bean-to-bar chocolate connoisseurs Mirzam Chocolate Makers first started life in Dubai’s Al Quoz with an impressive chocolate factory and now count the UAE capital as their second home, thanks to this beautiful space at the Qasr Al Hosn site. The oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn provides an opportunity to discover the rich history of the UAE and the ruling family. And now, thanks to Mirzam, you can fuel all of that cultural exploration with some world-class chocolate and caffeine… Mirzam offers a retail space to shop the latest chocolate collections and a striking specialty coffee bar, complete with freshly baked cookies, brownies and other treats from Mirzam’s small-batch bakery.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• A series of seven exclusive Japanese brewing workshops. Running for 1.5 hours, the workshops are priced at 300AED per person and include a take-home set with coffee beans and a chocolate tasting kit. The workshop covers three brewing techniques – v60, Kalita, and Kinto and is led by Mirzam’s expert baristas. Running 1-2.30pm on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Limited spots available and there are 3 ladies-only sessions – the 6th, 10th, and 13th.

Bookings: Visit @mirzamchocolate or call 02 555 2211.

Location: Qasr Al Hosn, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street.

Timings: Open daily from 10am until 10pm.

Notes

The café: Founded by Emirati national Saoud Al Shamsi, Notes Cafe was created as an ode to celebrate Arab culture – encompassing both good coffee and good food and bringing friends and families together to create memories in a cosy, welcoming space. The folks at Notes use coffee from the Man vs Machine roastery and have a variety of specialty grade single origin beans on offer. Barista Allan Sayuman won 2nd place at the Latte Art Throwdown and the team use a La Marzocco Strada machine. There’s also a full food menu encompassing options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus cheat-day-worthy desserts.

Activations: A limited edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation available Dec 1-15.
A complimentary coffee with every dessert purchase available Dec 1-15.
Exclusive limited-edition food and coffee tasting menus available for brunch or dinner from Dec 1-15.

Bookings: Visit @notescafe.ae or call 050 904 4795.

Location: Khalifa Park Ministries Complex, Seha Building, Shop No.5.

Timings: Open daily from 7am until 11pm.

Pentagon

The café: Pentagon Specialty Coffee is an Emirati specialty coffee and desserts concept, inspired by the number five: there are 5 Emirati co-founders, 5 elements of coffee, and 5 senses of the coffee experience. All of Pentagon’s coffees are carefully chosen considering the 5 elements of third-wave coffee – sweetness, body, flavour, aroma, and finish. The team at Pentagon also believes the coffee experience should not rely on taste alone, but rather give the coffee aficionado an experience that satisfies all 5 senses. The barista team uses a custom-made all-black, award-winning Victoria Arduino Black Eagle machine and there are a variety of high-grade single origin coffees available. Food-wise, Pentagon offers “perfect with coffee” pastries, baked goods, desserts, and açai.

Activations:

• Coffee Around the World – bean options from all 4 coffee-producing continents, every day, Dec 1-15.
• Ask your Barista – an intimate coffee discovery experience running on Dec 4, 7, 9, 11, and 14th. Whether you are a newly converted coffee lover looking to explore the world of specialty coffee or a beginner home barista who wants to hone their skills, this is your chance to Ask Your Barista! From 2pm to 4pm (on the aforementioned dates), Pentagon’s Head Barista will gladly go table-to-table to give you a one-to-one chance to ask him anything you would like to know about the wonderful world of specialty coffee.
• Quiz nights on December 8th and 15th at 8pm – Test your sense of smell and taste, with the sensory skills quiz night. The best score of the night wins a 100AED voucher.

Booking: Visit @pantagonuae or call 050 926 9256.

Location: 926 Al Falah Street.

Timing: Open daily from 7am until 11pm.

Slash

The café: Founded by Emirati national Rashed Saeed Rashed Mohamed Al Falasi in 2017, Slash Coffee uses coffee beans that are freshly sourced from the best farms throughout the world. These beans go through a process of quality checking and selection before being roasted in Slash’s state- of-the-art roasting machine.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• Brewing classes on Thursdays (3rd and 10th of December at 12noon until 5pm) at Slash Coffee HQ and Capital Mall (100AED pp and limited seats available).
• Barista Classes on Mondays and Wednesdays (7th, 9th and 14th at 2-5.30pm) at Slash Coffee HQ (100AED pp and limited seats available).

Bookings: Visit @slash.coffee or WhatsApp 055 155 5478.

Location: Slash Coffee HQ WH-44, Plot-8, M-45 next to China Mall and Slash Coffee Capital Mall.

Timings: Open from 6am until 11pm weekdays and 6am until midnight on weekends at all branches except the HQ branch, which is open from 9am until 6pm daily.

Void

The café: One of the newest spots on the list, Void was founded by Emirati national Sager Alnuaimi and opened its doors at Emirates Park Zoo in October 2020. The team use a Slayer machine and source the best local specialty single origin beans from a variety of local roasteries. Alongside its specialty coffee menu there’s also a newly-introduced breakfast menu, desserts, pastries and smoothies.

Activations:

• A limited-edition #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee coffee creation will be available to order Dec 1-15.
• Void will also be hosting unique Outdoor Barista Classes – which are based on coffee knowledge, how to make a perfect coffee using a grinder and espresso machine, and basic latte art. Priced at 380AED per person including complimentary coffee and a completion certificate, there is a maximum of 4 people to one session, and classes are expected to last around 1.5hours. The sessions are running at 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm on December 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. Advance bookings are required.

Bookings: Visit @void.uae or call/WhatsApp 050 122 2021.

Location: Emirates Park Zoo entrance.

Timing: Weekdays 8am until 10pm and weekends 8am until 11pm.