Café
% Arabica Muscat Al Qurum
The first Oman store of the Kyoto-born specialty coffee brand, opposite Qurum Natural Park, with Chemex brews, espresso and beans roasted in store.
The first Oman branch of the Danish coffee roaster and bakery, serving specialty coffee, sourdough and handmade pastries in Al Qurum from 7am daily.
Good to know
La Cabra is a Danish coffee roaster and bakery with cafés in several countries, known for specialty coffee and serious baking. Its Al Qurum café, in the Al Qurum Complex, is the brand's first location in Oman, and it brings the same approach to Muscat: specialty coffee, sourdough bread and handcrafted pastries, with the same focus on quality as its other cafés.
The coffee changes with the seasons, as the roaster rotates its beans through the year, and you can choose between brewed filter coffee and espresso drinks. Whole beans are sold to take home, which makes a good souvenir for coffee lovers. The café also offers coffee servings made with local spices and ingredients, a nod to Oman's own long tradition of coffee and hospitality. On the bakery side, expect sourdough loaves and a counter of pastries baked through the day.
The café opens every day from 7am to 9pm, so it works for an early breakfast before a day trip as well as an afternoon break. Mornings tend to be the best time for the widest choice of pastries, as popular items can sell out later in the day. Prices are in line with other specialty coffee shops in the city. For enquiries, the bakery can be contacted by email at [email protected].
It suits coffee enthusiasts, remote workers looking for a good morning coffee, and anyone who wants a quality bakery breakfast rather than a hotel buffet. Families will find the pastries an easy win with children. A loaf of sourdough is also a useful buy if you are staying in an apartment with a kitchen, and a bag of beans makes a light gift to take home. During Ramadan, café hours in Muscat usually change, so check before visiting at that time of year. If you are particular about coffee, ask the team about the current beans and brewing options.
Al Qurum is one of the central districts of the capital, close to Qurum Beach and the Royal Opera House, and a short taxi ride from the Shatti Al Qurum and Al Khuwair hotels. A coffee here pairs well with a morning walk on Qurum Beach or a visit to the opera house, and Mumtaz Mahal is nearby for dinner.
At the Al Qurum Complex in Al Qurum.
Every day from 7am to 9pm.
Specialty coffee, sourdough bread and handcrafted pastries.
Yes, seasonal coffee is sold as whole beans to take home.
Yes, coffee servings made with local spices and ingredients.
Mornings, for the widest choice of pastries.
Al Qurum is the brand's first location in Oman.
By email at [email protected].
Bar
An elegant, over-21s cocktail and malt lounge at the Kempinski Hotel Muscat in Al Mouj, styled after a traditional European lounge and open nightly until 1am.
Restaurant
Formal Omani restaurant beside the Royal Opera House, serving shuwa, harees and other national dishes in halls decorated with Omani patterns and silverware.
Thing to do
One of Oman's oldest markets, a maze of covered lanes behind Mutrah Corniche selling frankincense, silver, textiles, spices and khanjars.
Attraction
Oman's largest mosque, opened in 2001 at Bausher, with a 90-metre minaret, a vast hand-woven carpet and set morning visiting hours for non-Muslims.