Although it may not look like much to the uninitiated (it doesn’t even sport a sign), this 90-year-old institution is one of the most important ahwas (coffeehouses) in town. It’s an informal centre of business and trade (the name roughly translates to ‘commerce’), where deals are brokered in time-honoured tradition – over a glass of shai (tea) or ahwa (coffee).
The cafe is separated into multiple rooms, covering a whole block. The southern side is a male-dominated area dedicated to games and informal socialising, while along the Corniche you’re likely to be part of a rambunctious mix of writers, film-makers, students and courting couples filling the hall with a cacophony of animated conversation.
